They held an election but few came; final 2025 campaign financials

Some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets

2026 is going to be a very interesting year in New York State politics

As Cheektowaga goes, so goes the nation

Democrats win big on Election Day 2025

Final pre-Election Day financials; some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets

Kennedy outraises Langworthy, Tenney, Schumer, Gillibrand; the Bills at the bye week

Getting ahead of the impending damage from federal service cuts affecting New Yorkers Today’s post is written by Politics and Other Stuff editor Paul Fisk The MAGA wrecking ball approach to governance is inflicting incalculable harm on our nation, with more of it cynically timed to not take full…

Campaign financials focus on the race for mayor of Buffalo We are down to the last four weeks of election 2025. Candidates for office this November 4th were required to file financial reports with the state Board of Elections on October 3rd. Here are the highlights (R = Raised; S = Spent; C = Cash…

Is the Kensington project at the end of the road? Sometimes, with the best of intentions, and some significant support, and some money to complete a project, nothing happens. Think about a parallel bridge to the Peace Bridge in days gone by. Think about the Kensington project. The Kensington…

On the media:  a diminished presence; taking a knee As a participant and observer of government and politics my whole adult life I have worked with, fought with, and enjoyed the company of folks who are collectively called journalists. They work for newspapers, television, and radio. There are…

The next senator from the 61st district Election Day 2025 is just seven weeks away. As election seasons go political activity in Western New York has been relatively quiet. There are several judgeships on the ballot but pay no attention – they are all uncontested. There are elections for Erie…

Some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets The Bills lead the entire Eastern Division. WHAT A WIN OVER THE BALTIMORE RAVENS! Here are some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets: After falling out of sight for several days, Donald Trump emerged from his shelter and predicted 40 more…

This is the year for the Bills! … Please! It has been nice to have the Buffalo Bills riding high the past several years. Sure there has been no Super Bowl appearance but the seasons have been exciting with two AFC championship games. The ultimate prize has remained just out a reach. There have…

The Diocese of Buffalo’s parish assessments are not the road to renewal The protracted efforts of the Diocese of Buffalo to merge and close parishes while simultaneously assessing the parishes to raise money for the settlement of abuse claims are running on parallel tracks. Neither of those…

Proposed state legislation would create a new state Judicial District and assign current WNY Justices to the 8th or 15th Districts;  a financial tale of two cities; more issues with public campaign financing State legislation approved in June would create a new 15th Judicial District in Western…

Buffalo’s fiscal problems keep on coming The City of Buffalo is just over a month into the new fiscal year. Already there is some not totally unexpected bad news coming from City Hall. Geoff Kelly of Investigative Post reported last week on overtime spending for the Police Department ( The article…

Some state legislative candidates who participated in the public financing program are gaming the system The State of New York in 2020 enacted a program to provide state taxpayer matching funds for certain donations to statewide and legislative candidates. The general purpose was to “level the…

Will it be Blakeman versus Hochul for governor in 2026? We now have less than 100 days to go until Election Day 2025. Mayoral races are featured in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and New York City. Locally, dozens of town races are uncontested. The major contest is for supervisor in the…

The Granville investigation drags on; Gardner still late to report For several months now local residents have been following a news story about a series of vehicle accidents involving Erie County Sheriff Department’s Chief of Narcotics, D.J. Granville. Kudos to the local TV stations, particularly…

Campaign financials at mid-year All political committees in the state, including candidates in the recent primary elections, were required to file their financial reports on July 15th. Here is a summary of some key candidate committees. Money raised since January 11th, or in the case of candidates…

Some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets The heat is on, local politics seem to be on vacation at the moment, and the Bills training camp opens this week. Here are some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets concerning federal, state and local government and politics: The…

WNY businesses, organizations, and governments had lobbying expenses of $4.6 million in 2024 The State of New York’s annual budget, enacted in May, totals $254 billion. The Governor proposes, the Legislature amends and approves, and the Governor signs or vetoes. In between all of those steps sits…

The race for mayor of Buffalo  – Part II Following a very active primary campaign that at one time saw nine potential Democratic candidates, the November ballot for mayor of Buffalo is set (or is it?) with Sean Ryan as the Democratic and Working Families parties candidate; James Gardner, the…

Ryan handily wins the Buffalo mayoral primary; endorsed supervisor candidates win 4 of 5 Republican races In a campaign that was the most expensive primary race ever in Buffalo, State Senator Sean Ryan defeated acting Mayor Chris Scanlon on Tuesday.   The victory margin was nearly 3,000 votes. …

Money and politics – the Church and the campaigns The name of this blog is Politics and Other Stuff. Posts are usually on one subject or the other, but today’s post merges the two. Politics and money impact both candidate politics and Church politics. First, the Church. The Buffalo Catholic Church…

Where the votes will be in the Democratic mayoral primary The primary elections are down to the last two weeks. Early voting starts on Saturday, June 14. For the candidates and their teams it’s all hands-on deck for the final push. TV ads, mailers, door-to-door canvassing, and phoning will be…

Some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets We are heading into the final stretch before Primary Election Day 2025. There are also a few things happening on the national scene that could have a major impact on state and local governments. Here are some facts, observations, and…

The Buffalo Common Council mostly approves the budget proposed by Scanlon, leaving several major financial issues unresolved The Buffalo Common Council on May 27th adopted the 2025-2026 city budget, totaling $622.1 million. The Council presented some important policy matters but the actual…

Campaign financials highlight a two-way race in the Buffalo mayoral primary Candidates in the June 24th primary elections were required to file campaign financial information with the state Board of Elections by May 23rd for transactions through May 19th. While there are several contested…

Buffalo’s Democratic mayoral primary attracts the focus; Republicans have 5 races for town supervisor; the Bills schedule By its very nature, the race for mayor of Buffalo always highlights primary election activity in Erie County. The city’s population, the wide variety of issues, and the city’s…

Some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets It’s finally beginning to look like spring. Political TV ads are appearing. Independent petitions are on the streets. There are just six weeks to go until primary day in Buffalo and Amherst; just over a month until early voting starts (June 14th).…

The battle of the Buffalo budget plans; O, Canada Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon and Senator Sean Ryan are really mixing it up about competing plans to resolve the city’s impending financial crisis. As it turns out both plans involve borrowing money. Scanlon has proposed selling the city’s parking…

A crowded Democratic primary ballot for mayor of Buffalo; dozens of other offices in Erie County will be uncontested in November The petitioning process is nearly over and November election line-ups for many offices in Erie County are nearly set. There is still, however, some sorting out to do.…

Buffalo’s four-year financial plan is based on unrealistic expectations; John LaFalce “[T]he mayor shall prepare and submit to the authority a four-year financial plan, and the mayor’s proposed city budget, not later than the date required for submission of such budget to the council pursuant to…

Scanlon presents a structurally unbalanced budget that relies on one-time revenues and other uncertain actions Buffalo’s acting Mayor Chris Scanlon has offered the same sort of budget that his predecessor produced year after year – and that Scanlon, as a member of the Common Council agreed to. The…

Some details about Buffalo’s next budget have been released early; how everything works out is problematic It is not unusual for a government’s chief executive to leak or directly announce some highlights about the next budget they will be presenting. Usually the tidbits are to show some positive…

The case of the sheriff’s missing transparency; 10 years of blogging A county legislative investigation is underway into an incident last April involving the Erie County Sheriff's Chief of Narcotics, who is accused of hitting several parked vehicles on two different streets on Buffalo's West Side.…

The Buffalo control board stands aside as the city heads toward the fiscal cliff “It is hereby found and declared that the city is in a state of fiscal crisis, and that the welfare of the inhabitants of the city is seriously threatened. The city budget must be balanced and economic recovery…

Signals and warnings from Washington Amid the chaos and confusion that is Washington these days the country and world are trying to adjust to the rollercoaster politics of the Musk/Trump White House. Insiders say that that was their plan from the get-go. Lost in the craziness are some signals and…

Some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets Ah, March. St. Patrick’s Day is just two weeks away, marking the unofficial end of winter. Here are some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets: Chaos and confusion reign in Washington. The clown cabinet is primed for all sorts of damage…

Shovel your sidewalks Buffalonians, the petitioners are coming; multiple candidates want to be mayor of Buffalo while dozens of other offices in Erie County go abegging February 25th is here. It’s the start of election petitioning for anyone wanting to run for public office in New York State in…

Was the debut of public campaign financing in 2024 a success? The political calendar for 2025 is upon us and activities are picking up. There’s still some 2024 business, however, that needs attention. Following the lead of New York City, the State of New York in 2024 began its program for public…

Scanlon’s limited options for dealing with Buffalo’s huge budget gap February weather in Albany is usually very cold. Budget hearings in the capitol, however, are often very hot. This is the season when departments, local governments, and various organizations travel to the Legislative Office…

WROTB member municipalities are losing money You may or may not love going to the Batavia Casino operated by the Western Regional Off-Track Betting (WROTB) Corporation but it is hard to avoid knowing about it if you watch any TV. New CEO Byron Brown certainly seems to love doing those ads. The…

The challenges posed by the Buffalo Diocese schools plan “If you plan to face tomorrow, do it soon…” Gordon Lightfoot “It’s become clear with the schools, as with the parishes, it just can’t be business as usual anymore.” Bishop Richard J. Malone, Buffalo News, January 4, 2014 The Buffalo Catholic…

Some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets Yesterday was a great day. The nation’s honored the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Buffalo Bills fans everywhere were celebrating the team’s great win over Baltimore. Notre Dame got to play for the national collegiate football championship.…

Campaign financial reporting indicates a very expensive race for Mayor of Buffalo All political committees registered with the state Board of Elections were required to submit reports concerning their receipts, expenditures, and loans by January 15. For candidates who were involved in the November…

The taxpayer costs of the offices of WNY members of Congress; Langworthy spends big on advertising Donald Trump is returning to the White House, this time accompanied by sidekick Elon Musk. Senate confirmation hearings are scheduled for a wide array of refugees from the island of misfit toys and…

Budget confusion and limited options pose serious problems for Buffalo; Jimmy Carter. Politicsandstuff.com Source: Politics and Other Stuff