Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan issued his first veto Tuesday over appointments to the Buffalo Water Board previously approved by the Buffalo Common Council.
Ryan's veto concerns six of the board’s seven members appointed to serve two-year terms by his predecessor, former acting mayor Christopher Scanlon.
In his brief veto message, Ryan states he has "concerns over the procedures that took place regarding the accuracy of the dates of these appointments."
Scanlon retroactively appointed the individuals back in February, 2025. They include his then Deputy Mayor, Brian Gould, who serves as Buffalo Water Board chair.
Three members - Debbie Lombardo, William P. Hanley and Gould - were appointed to serve a two-year term backdated to Jan., 1, 2025 through Dec, 31, 2026. The remaining three - Denine Jackson, Timothy Donovan and Scott Billman - were appointed to serve a two-year term backdated to Jan, 1, 2024 ending Dec. 31, 2025. The council approved the appointments.
But in December, Scanlon resubmitted those appointments to the council, saying he was correcting the lengths of their terms. He switched-out Jackson for the city's then Director of Purchase William Sunderlin who has been on the board since Jan. 1, 2010, according to the board's 2024 annual report.
The new terms were no longer backdated - instead starting on the date Scanlon submitted the appointments to the council in February 2025, to run through February 2027. The council unanimously approved that change.
The new terms are the sticking point for the Ryan administration.
"We're actually trying to trace back the nature of all the appointments going back to when, like, the original round was made, to ensure that they're actually in alignment with when they were statutorily supposed to be made," said Ryan's Deputy Mayor Benjamin Swanekamp.
"Because of the disputed dates on some of these, [Ryan's] inclination was simply to disapprove this item while we continue to research that."
Ryan's veto comes just a few days into his new job as Buffalo mayor and means he is already outpacing Byron Brown’s veto rate: BTPM NPR can find just two records of Brown using his veto power in his nearly 20 years as mayor.
The council can vote to override the veto or let it stand. They will discuss the issue further in the council’s Community Development Committee next Tuesday.
Why does it matter?
Buffalo Water is responsible for delivering clean, safe drinking water to the people living and working in the city of Buffalo. The people on the Buffalo Water Board oversee that process and are responsible for ensuring the water authority is abiding by laws and regulations. They also set rates and decide if and when to update water infrastructure, such as lead service lines.
Buffalo Water is its own public authority and is a separate entity from the City. However, the board is appointed by the mayor and so their objectives usually align with whichever administration appointed them.
