BUFFALO, N.Y. — In just a few days, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown will officially step down from his position at City Hall.
Brown is taking a new job as president and CEO of Western Regional Off-Track Betting.
Brown made three stops Friday on a "farewell tour." He stopped at sites that contributed to development and economic growth on his watch.
His first stop was the Perry Housing Development, along with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. That's where housing was so dilapidated, for so long, when Brown first took office. Now it's a new day, and the people are showing their appreciation.
One tenant said it's been a challenge, and she's now looking forward to a decent place to live.
"The Black community is very proud. ... You were our first Black mayor, and I'm telling you, we were proud, and still are, and I just want to say thank you for the work that you did, for the people in The Perrys," resident Felicia Bell said.
2 On Your Side's Claudine Ewing asked the mayor if, now that he is getting ready to leave, he's given residents some hope.
"It makes me feel really good to see this transformation of the Perry development in the Perry neighborhood," Brown said.
Hochul added: "This is a community that matters. This is a statement that this neighborhood has always mattered."
Brown's next stop on the tour brought him to the Northland Workforce Training Center.
One of the hallmarks of Brown's administration over the years has been economic development, and while some people are concerned that he didn't do enough for neighborhoods when it comes to workforce training, you have the Northland Workforce Training Center.
"The powers that be did not say Northland. There's only one voice in this community that said Northland. Based upon where he lives, based upon who he represented, based on what he knew, based upon his vision, and that's the reason that the Workforce Training Center is located here," said Brenden Mahaffy, from the Office of Strategic Planning.
When asked why he was so passionate about this workforce training center, Brown said, "I could think of no better place to invest in, no better people to invest in, and as you heard, it has been a major, major success. It continues to grow."
The third stop on the tour was on Jefferson Avenue. While Jefferson Avenue may have been the site of a mass shooting two years ago, the mayor outlined what's to come because of projects already funded for that neighborhood.
"A $26 million streetscape improvement project where we will be investing in the streets and sidewalks on Jefferson," Brown said.
"The Johnny B Wiley Sports Pavilion here at Masten Park, with an investment of $23 million, the Gateway Village project at 1035 Jefferson Avenue, with an investment of $1 million. A health and Wellness Center at 1507 Jefferson Avenue."
There are several other projects coming to the Jefferson Avenue corridor.
When Brown officially leaves office, Council President Chris Scanlon will be the next mayor.