BUFFALO, N.Y. — To say there is friction between Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown's administration and the Common Council would be an understatement.
In weeks leading up to the penultimate council meeting before the August recess, that friction became apparent as councilmembers were tasked with voting to move $60M worth of American Rescue Plan Act funds toward revenue replacement.
"We have to come up with an actual plan of how we're going to fill in these budget revenues," said Fillmore District Councilman Mitch Nowakowski during the July 25 council meeting. "Because 2025 is going to come and it's going to hit us in the face really hard."
It was during the July 25 council meeting that University District Councilman Rasheed N.C. Wyatt called on his colleagues to reignite a conversation that has been tabled since October 2021 -- a city manager for the city of Buffalo.
"I'm going to renew my statement that we need a city manager, we have finite resources, and we can't afford to waste a single dollar," Wyatt said during the meeting. "Is it fair that we had an opportunity of 331 million and we squandered it?"
Councilman Wyatt first proposed a city manager position in July 2021. At the time, many political insiders and grassroots organizations criticized the timing of the idea because it was in the middle of the mayoral race between Democratic nominee India Walton and write-in candidate, and mayor, Byron Brown.
Councilmembers were frustrated with the Brown administration over the timing of the ARPA fund requests, and the administration's slow response to answer the council's questions. Several members of the council felt they were backed into the corner and forced to vote without fully understanding what the administration planned to do.
"We keep being played over and over again," Wyatt said.
City Manager or Mayor?
What is the big difference between a city manager and a mayor? According to Jason Grant, advocacy director for the International City/County Managers Association, in its simplest form a city manager is appointed rather than elected.
"The manager does not get involved in the politics cannot get involved in the politics serves the representatives of the people," Grant said.
In a council-manager structure, the mayor loses his veto authority over the council and would step in to become the president of the legislative body.
"They don't have that lever to pull any more," Grant said. "The mayor now has an equal voice to every single district representative to the council, so that's a huge difference."
In a council-manager setup, the mayor can still set the agenda and vision for the city. But the day-to-day administrative responsibilities of managing the city would be left to the city manager role.
Grant says larger cities like Austin, Texas, and Sacramento, California have effective council-manager structures.
"A lot of it comes down to how do you believe that government should operate?" Grant said. "How do we make certain that government is accountable to the people and meeting and solving the problems within those communities?"
What Does Mayor Brown think?
2 On Your Side caught up with Mayor Brown at the grand re-opening of the Tifft St. Pier last week and asked him if a city manager role is needed in the city.
"Absolutely not needed," Mayor Brown said. "The mayor is the city manager."
Mayor Brown touted his administration's ability to manage the city's finances, and how it hasn't raised taxes during his 16-year tenure.
"We make sound decisions on the city's finances and the city has a very stable history of managing its finances."
A fiscal control board has been in place in Buffalo since 2003 and has existed throughout Mayor Brown's entire tenure.
Mayor Brown dismissed the renewed push by Councilman Wyatt for a city manager.
"Mr. Wyatt's able to voice those concerns, he's able to vote yes or to vote no, and for the most part, the budgets that I have presented to the city council have passed unanimously," Mayor Brown said.
The common council's next meeting is on September 5.