The Buffalo Common Council is the legislative branch of the city of
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
government. It is a
representative assembly
A representative assembly is a political institution in which a number of persons representing the population or privileged orders within the population of a state come together to debate, negotiate with the executive (originally the king or other ...
, with one elected member from each of nine districts: Niagara, Delaware, Masten, Ellicott, Lovejoy, Fillmore, North, University, and South. In the past, the Common Council also had as many as five
at-large
At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...
members and a Council President who were elected citywide. Each council seat is elected for a four-year term, with elections occurring during off-years, between mid-term elections and presidential elections.
History
From Buffalo's incorporation in 1832 the common council existed under New York State charters.
In the early years of the common council the
Buffalo Mayor, the head of the
executive branch of the Buffalo government was also the president of the common council, head of the
legislative branch
A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the authority, legal authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with th ...
.
From 1832 to 1854 all mayors were also Common Council President.
was the first mayor who did not serve as Common Council President for his whole term as mayor.
From 1832–1913, no mayor served as Common Council President.
In 1914, New York State charters established a council that consisted of five members – a mayor and four council members.
From 1913 to 1927, the council was composed of the mayor, Commissioner of Finance and Accounts, Commissioner of Public Works, Commissioner of Parks and Public Buildings, Commissioner of Public Affairs, and the mayor was the chairman of the board.
In 1926, the Kenefick Commission was appointed to form a new city charter after New York State authorized its cities to write their own charters in 1924.
Since 1927, no Mayor has presided over the common council.
A 1983 downsizing eliminated two at-large members. A 2002 downsizing eliminated the remaining three at-large members and the elected Common Council President. The size of the council's membership has been shrinking roughly in tandem with the decrease in population.
Composition
Members
The
Democratic Party is the
dominant party in Buffalo politics; no Republican or other party member has won a seat on the council in several decades, and all occupied seats are currently held by Democrats. As of October 15, 2024 the current membership is as follows:
According to the web site of the City of Buffalo, there is a Majority Leader and a Minority Leader if there are members from more than one political party.
In practice, there is a majority leader even when all members of the council are from the same political party; a local law was passed in November 2002 to allow this. Mr.
Christopher Scanlon was appointed by a majority of the Council on May 16, 2012, to fill the vacancy created when
Michael P. Kearns won a seat on the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Ass ...
in a special election to fill a vacancy there.
[Submitted by WGRZ Web Staff Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 1:29p]
Scanlon Appointed South-District Councilman
/ref> Mr. Scanlon secured his seat by winning in a subsequent general election. Scanlon vacated his South District seat after he became Mayor of Buffalo through right of succession in October 2024, and the Common Council is currently considering legislation on how to address the vacancy.
Committees and Organizations
*Budget Committee
*Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency (BURA)
*Civil Service Committee
*Claims Committee
*Community Development Committee
*Education Committee
*Finance Committee
*Joint Schools Construction Board
*Legislative Committee
*Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Committee
*Police Oversight
*Rules Committee
*Transportation Committee
*Water Front Committee
References
External links
Legislative Branch - The Common Council
City of Buffalo website - leadership
History of the Common Council
The Buffalo Common Council- Through the Years
Manual of the Common Council
Two editions, 1897 and 1910, currently online courtesy of Archive.org
Buffalo Common Council Proceedings: Online Editions
Digitized versions of Council Proceedings
{{Authority control
Government of Buffalo, New York
New York (state) city councils