On Tuesday, voters will head to the polls in Buffalo to cast ballots the democratic mayoral primary race. On the eve of the primary, WBFO's Eileen Buckley reached out to some senior citizens who live on the city's East side to discuss the mayoral race.
"I like the improvement of the neighborhood. Tearing down old, demolished buildings, repaving the streets," said Marilyn Clemmons. Clemmons lives at a newer built senior citizen complex on Jefferson Avenue.
Clemmons sat with a small group of African-American seniors. They gathered around our WBFO microphone on a sunny afternoon in a recreation room at the complex.
Clemmons said the current Administration has not accomplished enough and feels crime will never be fully conquered.
"We crime is always going to be crime. I don't care how many policemen you put out there, there's always going to be somebody that is going to get through the loophole to keep crime going where the policemen and Mayor Brown really can't keep up with the crime," said Clemmons.
"I've lived in this neighborhood for years," said Geraldine Robinson. She compliments the current administration's work and says she enjoys living in the complex built just two years ago.
But Robinson agrees with Clemmons there is always more to accomplish in and around her Jefferson Avenue neighborhood.
WBFO News asked Robinson what issues are important to her as a senior citizen living on the East Side.
"I would like not only for us, as seniors, but seniors period, to be included in anything he does,' said Robinson.
The "he" Robinson is referring to is Mayor Byron Brown. But as for the other two mayoral candidates, Democrat Bernie Tolbert and Republican Sergio Rodriguez, Robinson says she isn't familiar with either.
"I don't know these other two candidates. I really don't," said Robinson. "As far as race and whatever, that doesn't matter to me. It is the person himself, herself...it's what you do for me."
Senior Richard Easley would like to see the mayor more visible in his neighborhood. WBFO asked Easley about Brown's opponents.
"I really don't know anything about them. They just popped up and that's it," said Easley.
For Easley, he says there needs to be a strong focus on the city's youth.
"Because they're the ones [that are] going to be the future and if you don't help them, then its going to be lost later on, because we've got a gap. The young ones are going to jail or either into the grave, so there's going to be a gap there," said Easley.
