BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Common Council President Chris Scanlon could become Acting Mayor, if and when Mayor Byron Brown accepts a job with the Western Region Off Track Betting office.
Brown was offered the job but has not yet signed a contract.
WATCH: 7 News Anchor Ed Drantch spoke with Scanlon about what his administration would look like if he took over the Mayor's second-floor office.
Drantch: What are your top priorities when you walk into that office on day one?
Scanlon: Well there's a number of them. Much like my time on the Council, I want to try and make sure we have a clean, safe city for our residents...where children are educated and economic opportunity awaits them. First and foremost, it's got to be our financial situation.
Drantch: How do you manage all of these systems and opportunities with a $40 million deficit? What would be cut? What would stay?
Scanlon: That's what you've got to look at. I have some ideas on how we can start to close the gap. First, you've got to look in our own operation as the City. What are we spending money on? How can we reduce unnecessary spending? I don't think you can raise taxes or increase other revenues or fees if you don't have your own house in order. I think that's first order of business is making sure we're not overspending ... and that we're prioritizing what needs to be prioritized.
Scanlon said he thinks contract compliance and contract monitoring should be "housed in one operation," rather than each individual department handling its own contracts.
He was quick to point out Brown is still in office and out of respect for the mayor, he would not be offering any other specifics.
While Scanlon said he wants to get "his feet under him," he said down the line he would consider running for Mayor of the City of Buffalo.
Should Brown accept the offer, he would make history by choosing to step down early. He’s already serving an unprecedented fifth term in office after being first elected in 2006.
You can watch our full report below and read more here.
We previously spoke with members of the Buffalo Common Council to get their reaction. You can watch the report below and read more here.
We also spoke to people across the city about what they think about the possibility of Brown resigning. You can watch the report below and read more here.
