Preview: Buffalo mayoral candidates to face off in debate Tuesday night

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Five Democratic candidates for Buffalo mayor are set to take the stage on Tuesday night at D'Youville University's Kavinoky Theatre ahead of the primary election on June 24.
The mayoral debate begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday live on WIVB, WIVB.com, and WIVB+, our free connected TV app. Beginning at 8 p.m., the debate will shift to WIVB+ and WIVB.com as a town hall format.
The candidates taking part in the event are Acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon, State Senator Sean Ryan, University District Buffalo Common Councilman Rasheed N.C. Wyatt, former Buffalo Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield, and Buffalo native Anthony Tyson-Thompson.
Chris Scanlon took over as Buffalo's acting mayor on Oct. 15, 2024, following the resignation of former mayor Byron Brown. Scanlon, 43, has deep roots in South Buffalo, having served as the district's councilman beginning in 2012. He was promoted to Common Council president in January 2024.
In Scanlon's time as acting mayor, he has focused on improving the lives of those who live in the city and who work in the city. Under his watch, the Common Council approved the city's $622 million budget for 2025-26 last week. About $30 million in cuts were made to the budget, including $10 million in departmental cuts, however, a key highlight of the budget is that no city employees are being laid off.
'I'm not downsizing the City of Buffalo,' he said. 'The City of Buffalo's going forward, we're gonna improve, we're gonna continue to invest in the City of Buffalo. We're gonna maintain our services, we're gonna maintain our workforce and we're gonna provide the services we need to the City of Buffalo.'
Sean Ryan has been a member of the New York State Senate since 2021, serving the 61st district, which includes the Elmwood Village, Upper West Side and much of North Buffalo. Before serving in the State Senate, he spent over nine years in the New York State Assembly.
Ryan, 60, earned the endorsement of the Erie County Democratic Committee in February. Erie County Democratic Chairman Jeremy Zellner cited his belief that a 'change in culture' is needed in city hall and believes Ryan can do that.
'We heard a lot about people wanting change,' Zellner said in February. 'We heard a lot about people saying we need to change the culture in city hall and I think they thought Senator Ryan was the one to do that. People are tired of the status quo and they want something different.'
Ryan has suggested bonds in order to solve the city's budget issues and is aiming to reduce crime in the city.
Rasheed Wyatt has represented the University District in the Buffalo Common Council since 2014.
Wyatt has been a vocal critic of both Brown and Scanlon and was one of two council members to vote against the 2025-26 budget. He was the only member to vote against Brown's budget for 2024-25. In May, he called for cuts to police and fire overtime in order to help address the budget.
'I think the acting mayor is showing that he is Byron Brown 2.0, doing these types of antics that really don't help the residents of the City of Buffalo,' Wyatt said earlier this month in criticism of Scanlon.
Garnell Whitfield became a member of the Buffalo Fire Department in 1984 and served in the department until he retired in 2017. He spent the final seven years in his tenure as fire commissioner.
After Whitfield's mother, Ruth Whitfield, was killed in the Tops mass shooting on May 14, 2022, he has become an activist for gun control and has worked with policymakers to combat white supremacy and domestic terrorism.
He has also spoken about 'irresponsible budgeting' and 'decades of broken promises' in criticisms of city government. His areas of focus include bettering the city's education, workforce and development of neighborhoods and local businesses without displacement.
Anthony Tyson-Thompson served as an aide to State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes and has experience with the Erie County Democratic Committee and the American Cancer Society, but has never held public office before.
Thompson said he lives by the motto: 'We are stronger together.' Economic growth, access to good quality food and education, affordable housing and support for small businesses are at the forefront of his campaign.
Tuesday night's debate is for the Democratic primary. There is only one Republican in the race. That is James Gardner, a former assistant district attorney and law clerk for Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case. He unsuccessfully ran for Erie County District Attorney last year, losing to Mike Keane.
Gardner has expressed concern with the 'devastating border crisis, rising crime, and reckless bail reform laws.' As the only Republican candidate, Gardner said he is giving city taxpayers a 'real choice' in the election.
In November, Buffalo will elect a new mayor for the first time since 2005. Former mayor Byron Brown stepped down on Oct. 15, 2024, to become the CEO of Western Regional Off-Track Betting in Batavia. He served as Buffalo's mayor for nearly 19 years and won re-election four times.
The primary election is on June 24. Early voting begins on June 14. The general election is on Nov. 4.
Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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