9 things we learned from the latest campaign filings in the race for Buffalo mayor

With the Buffalo mayoral general election fast approaching on Nov. 4, the three candidates filed their latest campaign disclosures with the New York State Board of Elections at the start of October.

The lists reveal who is funding each campaign and how that cash is being spent in the race to lead the Queen City. The latest disclosures span July 12 through September 29. We trawled through them. Here are nine takeaways:

1. Democratic nominee Sean Ryan has raised the most money since July 12, with donations totaling $183,306.
2. Ryan also spent the most - just over $148,000 – leaving his campaign almost $60k to play with.
3. Republican candidate James Gardner is mostly self-funded, having donated $107,209.85 of a total $118,096.64 in campaign contributions.
4. Gardner spent more than $114,500, leaving just over $3.5k in remaining funds.
5. Independent candidate Michael Gainer has raised the least amount of money with a total of $2,940. He donated $2,000 of that to his own campaign.
6. As BTPM NPR previously reported, former Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown made a $1,500 donation to Ryan’s campaign on Sept. 17, but Ryan’s campaign refunded the cash the same day.
7. Names of developers, real estate firms, architects and engineers pepper Ryan’s list. The following also previously donated to Chris Scanlon in the run up to the Democratic primary: Sam Savarino, CEO of Wheatfield Development, donated $7,500 to Ryan’s campaign under his own name on top of $10,000 donated in the name of the company; Paul Ciminelli, CEO of Ciminelli Real Estate, contributed $2,500; John DiDonato, Executive Vice President at DiDonato Associates, gave $2,500; Steven Carmina of Carmina Wood Design gave $1,500; and Randall and Lori Benderson of Benderson Development contributed $1,500 (the previous donations to Scanlon were made under Randall’s name only).
8. Besides himself, Gardner’s biggest donor is Adam Wigdorski, a Buffalo Police Detective who gave $1,520.51 in two separate donations.
9. Gardner has the support of the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association, the police union, which donated $1,000 through its political action committee.