BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Common Council’s majority leader, Leah Halton-Pope, was sworn into office — and onto the city’s payroll — on Jan. 1.
But she was collecting more than a city paycheck during her first four months in office.
Halton-Pope continued to work as a part-time policy consultant for Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes — the woman she has called her “forever boss” — until the end of April, making about $3,000 a month. And she continues to work as chair of Peoples-Stokes’ reelection campaign, which paid her consulting fees of $18,000 last year.
That’s according to the latest round of annual financial disclosures that some city officials — including all those in elected offices — must file annually with the city clerk, along with state payroll and campaign finance records.
Investigative Post received city officials’ most recent financial disclosures from a local good-government activist in February, but they had been heavily redacted by the city’s law department. The activist successfully fought the city’s redactions and shared uncensored copies with Investigative Post last week. You can read the full story on Investigative Post's website.
