BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown announced he has made the decision to sign the contract to become the next president and CEO of Western Regional Off-Track Betting.
Brown said he will be resigning his position as mayor "in the coming weeks," because there are "still a number of things" he has to address at City Hall. He has no firm start date for his job at OTB.
According to Brown, he had a discussion with his wife and they decided it was the right time to transition to a new opportunity. Brown said over the years he has had opportunities to take positions in the private sector and other levels of government but didn't feel like the timing was right then, but the timing is right now.
In addition, Brown said he feels that Buffalo Common Council President Chris Scanlon, who will take over as acting mayor when he leaves, is prepared to lead. According to Brown, if there wasn't someone in the council presidency who he knew would ascend to acting mayor, he would not be leaving now.
In a sit-down interview with the departing Brown on Monday afternoon, 7 News Political Analyst Bob McCarthy pressed Brown about leaving office before his term ends and taking the job at OTB.
You can watch the full conversation below:
McCarthy and I have reported Brown's departure and the shakeup inside City Hall for several months.
OTB's Board of Directors approved a contract during a board meeting last week, to make Brown the next president and CEO. You can watch our full report below and read more here.
Brown was offered $295,000 a year. The contract is annual with incentives in the second and third years.
In order to be President and CEO, Brown needed a gaming license which he received early Monday morning. It expires on 9/24/2025.
Now that Brown has accepted the top job at OTB, Scanlon will become acting mayor in the coming weeks.
Scanlon, who has served on the Council since 2011, was recently elected as the Council's president in January. He previously served as President Pro Tempore.
There's a division amongst the Common Council over what will happen to Scanlon's seat.
Once Scanlon steps into his new role, Council member Bryan Bollman will become acting council president.
"I think my experience prepares me. I've been a council member for five years. I've been on leadership this past year, and I'm totally ready to step up and fulfill any duties," Bollman told me on Friday.
In a matter of weeks, the Council will go from nine members in a meeting to eight, but there's a division over what will happen to Scanlon's seat.
Some believe Scanlon's seat will be considered vacant. Council member Leah Halton-Pope recently proposed a resolution that will allow a new lawmaker to fill Scanlon's seat until the next general election in November 2025.
But not everyone is on board with that. Council member Mitch Nowakowski said he spoke with the city's lawyers to clarify all of this.
"A seat is only vacant if someone is to pass away, resign or win an election to another office. And the duality of that, the fact that the council member can then return back to their seat. Their unexpired term means that it's not vacant," he said. "So the Council president will still represent the South District, just have additional duties as acting mayor. Some people could say that he will have almost more power than maybe a council member representing the South District seat."
As Brown plans his departure to take the job at OTB, he leaves City Hall behind with highs and lows. You can watch our report below and read more here.
