Buffalo Mayor-Elect Sean Ryan continued his hiring spree Thursday as he announced plans to appoint two more people to his incoming administration.
Commissioner of Administration, Finance Policy and Urban Affairs will be Jessica R. Brown and Commissioner of Parking will be Justin Booth.
It will be Brown's second stint in City Hall - she previously served as Director of Administration and Finance for the City of Buffalo from 2019 to 2022 under former Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. She currently serves as Comptroller of the Erie County Water Authority.
In that role she oversees ECWA’s $120 million annual budget and supervises the Finance and Customer Service departments. She has more than two decades of public and private-sector accounting experience, according to Ryan's transition team.
Booth is the founder and Executive Director at GOBike Buffalo and brings more than 20 years of experience in transportation planning, infrastructure policy and project delivery in the region. He has served as Chair of the Buffalo Common Council's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board since 2006.
“Jessica Brown and Justin Booth bring the kind of experience and judgment we need as we work to build a better city government,” Ryan said in a press release. “They have a proven track record of collaborating to improve public systems and a clear understanding of Buffalo’s needs. They will join a growing team of commissioners committed to ensuring our city is well managed, responsive, and prepared to meet the challenges ahead.”
Both will have a tough job ahead of them.
Brown is tasked with leading the city out of unsustainable cashflow practices - the city recently raided some of its emergency reserve fund to offset a $14 million budget deficit from the last fiscal year.
Booth will oversee a department whose annual revenue historically comes in below the budgeted amount. That potential parking revenue could also change if the city sells four of its parking ramps as previously planned under the Scanlon administration.
Brown and Booth join five other nominees to the incoming Ryan administration.
The Common Council is expected to vote on amendments regarding the appointments Dec. 23.
