Christopher P. Scanlon (born August 6, 1981) is an American politician who is the current acting

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

of Buffalo,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He is Buffalo's 63rd mayor, having served since October 15, 2024 after succeeding

Byron Brown Byron William Brown II (born September 24, 1958) is an American politician who is the current mayor of Buffalo, New York. He has served as Buffalo's 62nd mayor since January 2006, the City's first African-American mayor and longest serving ...

. He was previously a member of the

Buffalo Common Council The Buffalo Common Council is the legislative branch of the city of Buffalo, New York government. It is a representative assembly, with one elected member from each of nine districts: Niagara, Delaware, Masten, Ellicott, Lovejoy, Fillmore, Nor ...

, representing the South District from May 2012 to October 2024.

Early life and education

Christopher Scanlon was born to father John P. "Scanoots" Scanlon (1938–2022) and mother Paula Scanlon (née Kuntz). His father was vice chairman of the Erie County Democratic Committee and aide to both Mayor James D. Griffin and Mayor

Anthony Masiello Anthony M. Masiello (born April 28, 1947) is an American politician and former basketball player who served as Mayor of Buffalo, New York from 1994 to 2005. Prior to being mayor, he served as a member of the New York State Senate. He is currentl ...

. John P. Scanlon was never paid directly for his political work, but collected multiple salaries for local government jobs. His family is of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

descent, and he was raised in South Buffalo. Scanlon and his family are

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

, and he attended grade school at the local St. Thomas Aquinas Church. His six siblings also attended

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * Private (Ryōko Hirosue song), "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private ...

. He is a graduate of

Bishop Timon – St. Jude High School Bishop Timon – St. Jude High School (formerly Bishop Timon High School) is a Roman Catholic Franciscan high school for young men administered and staffed by the Order of Friars Minor located in South Buffalo, New York. Bishop Timon High School ...

, and holds both an

associate's degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

in business administration from

Erie Community College SUNY Erie is a Public college, public community colleges in the United States, community college with three campuses in western New York (state), New York that serve residents in and near Erie County, New York, Erie County. It is part of the Sta ...

and a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in business administration from

Buffalo State University The State University of New York Buffalo State University (colloquially referred to as Buffalo State University, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo State, or simply Buff State) is a public university in Buffalo, New York. It is part of the State Unive ...

Political career

Scanlon was appointed to the

in May 2012, filling the South District seat vacated by Michael P. Kearns who had left to join 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 Assem ...

. His appointment was attributed to patronage due to his father's political connections, as he lacked a four-year college degree and relevant experience. Scanlon had to that point worked as a manager for

UPS UPS or ups may refer to: Companies and organizations * United Parcel Service, an American shipping company ** The UPS Store, UPS subsidiary ** UPS Airlines, UPS subsidiary * Underground Press Syndicate, later ''Alternative Press Syndicate'' ...

and a local restaurant chain. The appointment was confirmed with a 5–3 vote by the council. Scanlon was later criticized for failing to disclose a 2007 conviction for driving while ability-impaired prior to the appointment. He won a September 2012

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

primary, defeating A. J. Verel, Kevin Lafferty and

Patrick B. Burke Patrick B. Burke (born June 22, 1984) is an American politician who serves in the New York State Assembly from the 142nd district, which represents South Buffalo, the City of Lackawanna, and the towns of West Seneca and Orchard Park. Burke is a ...

. Endorsements were received from politicians including

Brian Higgins Brian Michael Higgins (born October 6, 1959) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving since 2005. The district, numbered as the 27th district from 2005 to 2013 but as the 26th since 2013, includes Buffalo and N ...

, Carl Paladino, Mark J. F. Schroeder and Michael P. Kearns. In a November 2012 special election, Scanlon defeated A. J. Verel to retain the South District seat. He was later re-elected in 2015 and 2019 after winning

uncontested elections John Baxter Taylor and William Robbins (athlete)">William Robbins to refuse to race in protest. A walkover, also W.O. or w/o (originally two words: "walk over") is awarded to the opposing team/player etc, if there are no other players avai ...

. As a council member, Scanlon often voted in favor of the policies of Mayor

. His top donors included prominent conservatives, such as

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

mogul Carl Paladino. Scanlon is credited with spearheading the

write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

campaign that led to

defeating progressive challenger

India Walton India B. Walton is an American political activist and nurse. She defeated incumbent Mayor Byron Brown in the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party primary for the 2021 Buffalo mayoral election, 2021 election for List of mayors of Bu ...

in the

2021 Buffalo mayoral election The 2021 Buffalo mayoral election was held on November 2, 2021. Democratic Mayor Byron Brown won his fifth-term in office as a write-in candidate. Brown's victory marked the first time since 1985 that Buffalo did not elect the Democratic nomine ...

. After his re-election following another

uncontested John Baxter Taylor and William Robbins (athlete)">William Robbins to refuse to race in protest. A walkover, also W.O. or w/o (originally two words: "walk over") is awarded to the opposing team/player etc, if there are no other players avai ...

race in 2023, Scanlon was elected President of the

in January 2024 with a 8–1 council vote. Upon the resignation of

, Scanlon succeeded him to become acting Mayor of Buffalo in October 2024. He will serve the remainder of Brown's term, with numerous individuals planning on challenging him in the 2025 Buffalo mayoral election.

Personal life

He is married to his wife Katie Scanlon (née Wopperer) and they have three children. Katie works as

Bingo Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers ** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland ** ...

Inspector for the City of Buffalo. Five of his six siblings work for the City of Buffalo. His brothers Brian and Patrick work for the

Buffalo Fire Department The Buffalo Fire Department provides fire protection and first responder emergency medical services to the city of Buffalo, New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the ...

, his brothers Michael and John work for the Department of

Public Works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...

, and his sister Kara works for the

Buffalo Police Department The Buffalo Police Department (BPD) is the second-largest city police force in the state of New York. In 2012, it had over nine hundred employees, including over seven hundred police officers. The Buffalo Police are headquartered at the City ...

. Brian is also a

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspec ...

, owning Forty Thieves Kitchen & Bar in downtown Buffalo. His brother Mark worked as a sergeant for the Erie County Sheriff's Office before dying in a November 2024

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/ tusks, horn/ a ...

accident.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scanlon, Christopher 1981 births 21st-century mayors of places in New York (state) Buffalo Common Council members Buffalo State College alumni Catholic politicians from New York (state) Living people Mayors of Buffalo, New York SUNY Erie alumni