Buffalo’s Republican mayoral candidate is ramping up his efforts for November’s election. James Gardner is taking aims at the city’s budget, and what he sees as decades of failed leadership in Buffalo’s mayors office.
Gardner knows his candidacy is an uphill battle in the heavily Democratic makeup of Buffalo voters. But the former district attorney candidate believes he’s offering a realistic alternative to State Senator Sean Ryan, who won June’s Democratic primary.
“We deserve better, and that's why I'm running," said Gardner. "My promise to the citizens of Buffalo is simple. I want a good opportunity for every family, good paying jobs, lower taxes and affordable housing so that we can make sure that our kids and their kids enjoy the same city that we know we can build here. A city built on promise.”
He argued there’s a lot of unnecessary expenses the city has, and needs to revert to a setup that prioritizes public services and not “patronage” jobs at city hall.
“Those are exactly the cornerstones of how we're going to address this ongoing budget problem that the city faces," he said. "Additionally, this has become a very difficult city to live in, and particularly a difficult city to do business in that needs a wholesale change from the past 60 years of failed leadership.”
Gardner and local Republican Party leaders are also starting their campaign to label Ryan as a socialist, with graphics comparing him to Zohran Mamdani, winner of New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary. But Erie County GOP Chairman Michael Kracker also criticized the Ryan campaign’s push to label Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon with MAGA Republicans. He said it's not hypocritical.
“This isn't just some lazy trope. This is backed up by comparing the votes that Sean Ryan has taken during his many years in Albany as a state legislator," said Kracker. "If he wants to tell the voters of Buffalo where he disagrees with Zohran Mamdani, I invite him to do so. He hasn't done it yet."
Ryan has responded to Gardner and Kracker’s comments, in a written statement.
“The attacks launched by the Erie County GOP are as laughable as they are unoriginal," wrote Ryan. "While Republicans hold a one-off press conference resorting to name-calling and tired political scare tactics because they can’t win on the issues, I’ve actually listened to voters across Buffalo.”
The state senator also defended his policy proposals centered on housing, infrastructure and city services as “common sense.”
