Byron William Brown II (born September 24, 1958) is the 62nd and current
mayor of Buffalo, New York, elected on November 8, 2005 and is the city's first African-American mayor. He previously served Western New York as a member of the New York State Senate and Buffalo Common Council. He was the first African-American politician elected to the New York State Senate to represent a district outside New York City and the first member of any minority race to represent a majority white New York State Senate district.
Brown was born and raised in Queens, New York. He rose to elective office after serving in a variety of political roles. He began his political career performing as an aide to local representatives in several legislative bodies (Buffalo Common Council, Erie County Legislature and New York State Assembly) and later getting involved in a regional political organization. After several roles as a legislative aide, he was appointed to the Erie County cabinet-level Director of Equal Employment Opportunity post.
As both a New York State Senator and Buffalo Mayor, he has been closely involved in the development of the three Seneca Nation casinos that have been planned and built in Western New York since 2002. As someone born and raised downstate who went on to become an upstate political servant, he has been active on the statewide political front. He is a close political ally of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. He has also been active with the National Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition in efforts to prevent gun-related crime. His plan to revitalize Buffalo by demolishing its abundant vacant buildings has drawn opposition from historic preservationists, but he has made the development of the Buffalo waterfront a priority.
On June 13, 2008, upon the death of NBC News Washington Bureau Chief and Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert, who was a proud Buffalo native, Brown ordered that all flags on city property be lowered to half-staff in order to honor Russert's memory.[66] Brown called Russert one of Buffalo's finest ambassadors, and his decision to lower the flags in honor of Russert, a civilian who never held elected office, was an unusual gesture that was described as breathtaking on Hardball with Chris Matthews by Tom Brokaw. He was joined by several other officials in recognizing Russert. Chief among those was United States President George W. Bush who signed a bill that named a stretch of U.S. Route 20A that passes in front of Ralph Wilson Stadium (home stadium of the Buffalo Bills) Timothy J. Russert Highway.
In a public relations controversy, Brown got caught in a fight against the movement to replace traditional lawns with front yard gardens. His office had issued an edict that a resident remove her landscape renovations. However, an e-mail campaign in defense of the resident caused the mayor to rethink his stance.
Byron Brown is married to the former Michelle Austin and they have a son, Byron III. who is referred to as Byron, Jr. by some accounts. Brown III enjoys basketball and has attended high-level youth basketball camps. He played for City Honors School. On the national level, he was an unheralded point guard in the 2008 high school graduating class, and he went on to attend Queen City Prep in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Brown family attends St. John Baptist Church. While mayor, Brown has performed at least one wedding ceremony at the church. Byron Brown is a chapter president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a past President of the Buffalo State College Alumni Association Board, and at the time of his mayoral inauguration he sat on the Board of the Boy Scout Council of Western New York and the Community Action Organization of Erie County. Brown collects tropical fish and maintains an aquarium in his Buffalo Mayor's office.His parents divorced and at the beginning of his mayoral tenure, his mother was living in Buffalo. He also is a member of the Erie County Democratic Committee. He was a delegate to the 1992, 2000 and 2004 Democratic National Conventions.
On Saturday February 24, 2007 at about 6:55 a.m., Brown's Chevrolet Equinox was stolen from an on-street parking location by someone with key access and crashed into three parked vehicles before being abandoned a few blocks from the family home. Brown had driven his son to play in a basketball tournament in Jamestown, New York on Friday February 23. They returned home at approximately 10:30 p.m. from the tournament. In interviews at the end of March 2007, Brown claimed that all members of his family with known key access had alibis. At the time Brown III possessed a learner's permit. Canisius College security cameras recorded parts of the accident, including the driver leaving the scene of multiple accidents. In April a second video recording with more fluid movement was revealed in contrast to the original recording of 36 frames per minute. In a news conference Brown announced that Byron Brown III took the senior Brown's car without permission and drove about the area near his house and Canisius College campus. Brown III admitted to the damage and was charged with driving without a driver's license and leaving the scenes of multiple accidents. Brown III was scheduled to appear on April 16, 2007 in Buffalo City Court on the charges. He pleaded guilty to unlicensed driving and leaving the scene of an accident. In 2010, his son was charged with petit larceny for leaving a store with goods that were not paid for. Byron Jr. was spared a criminal conviction when a judge granted him a delayed dismissal on shoplifting charges, as recommended by prosecutors. Buffalo City Judge David M. Manz warned him and Xavier Jemison that they have to complete a four-hour shoplifting class and stay out of trouble for the next six months. He granted each an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, meaning their petit larceny charges will be dismissed if they comply with his orders.
Brown was born and raised in Queens, New York. He rose to elective office after serving in a variety of political roles. He began his political career performing as an aide to local representatives in several legislative bodies (Buffalo Common Council, Erie County Legislature and New York State Assembly) and later getting involved in a regional political organization. After several roles as a legislative aide, he was appointed to the Erie County cabinet-level Director of Equal Employment Opportunity post.
As both a New York State Senator and Buffalo Mayor, he has been closely involved in the development of the three Seneca Nation casinos that have been planned and built in Western New York since 2002. As someone born and raised downstate who went on to become an upstate political servant, he has been active on the statewide political front. He is a close political ally of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. He has also been active with the National Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition in efforts to prevent gun-related crime. His plan to revitalize Buffalo by demolishing its abundant vacant buildings has drawn opposition from historic preservationists, but he has made the development of the Buffalo waterfront a priority.
On June 13, 2008, upon the death of NBC News Washington Bureau Chief and Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert, who was a proud Buffalo native, Brown ordered that all flags on city property be lowered to half-staff in order to honor Russert's memory.[66] Brown called Russert one of Buffalo's finest ambassadors, and his decision to lower the flags in honor of Russert, a civilian who never held elected office, was an unusual gesture that was described as breathtaking on Hardball with Chris Matthews by Tom Brokaw. He was joined by several other officials in recognizing Russert. Chief among those was United States President George W. Bush who signed a bill that named a stretch of U.S. Route 20A that passes in front of Ralph Wilson Stadium (home stadium of the Buffalo Bills) Timothy J. Russert Highway.
In a public relations controversy, Brown got caught in a fight against the movement to replace traditional lawns with front yard gardens. His office had issued an edict that a resident remove her landscape renovations. However, an e-mail campaign in defense of the resident caused the mayor to rethink his stance.
Byron Brown is married to the former Michelle Austin and they have a son, Byron III. who is referred to as Byron, Jr. by some accounts. Brown III enjoys basketball and has attended high-level youth basketball camps. He played for City Honors School. On the national level, he was an unheralded point guard in the 2008 high school graduating class, and he went on to attend Queen City Prep in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Brown family attends St. John Baptist Church. While mayor, Brown has performed at least one wedding ceremony at the church. Byron Brown is a chapter president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a past President of the Buffalo State College Alumni Association Board, and at the time of his mayoral inauguration he sat on the Board of the Boy Scout Council of Western New York and the Community Action Organization of Erie County. Brown collects tropical fish and maintains an aquarium in his Buffalo Mayor's office.His parents divorced and at the beginning of his mayoral tenure, his mother was living in Buffalo. He also is a member of the Erie County Democratic Committee. He was a delegate to the 1992, 2000 and 2004 Democratic National Conventions.
On Saturday February 24, 2007 at about 6:55 a.m., Brown's Chevrolet Equinox was stolen from an on-street parking location by someone with key access and crashed into three parked vehicles before being abandoned a few blocks from the family home. Brown had driven his son to play in a basketball tournament in Jamestown, New York on Friday February 23. They returned home at approximately 10:30 p.m. from the tournament. In interviews at the end of March 2007, Brown claimed that all members of his family with known key access had alibis. At the time Brown III possessed a learner's permit. Canisius College security cameras recorded parts of the accident, including the driver leaving the scene of multiple accidents. In April a second video recording with more fluid movement was revealed in contrast to the original recording of 36 frames per minute. In a news conference Brown announced that Byron Brown III took the senior Brown's car without permission and drove about the area near his house and Canisius College campus. Brown III admitted to the damage and was charged with driving without a driver's license and leaving the scenes of multiple accidents. Brown III was scheduled to appear on April 16, 2007 in Buffalo City Court on the charges. He pleaded guilty to unlicensed driving and leaving the scene of an accident. In 2010, his son was charged with petit larceny for leaving a store with goods that were not paid for. Byron Jr. was spared a criminal conviction when a judge granted him a delayed dismissal on shoplifting charges, as recommended by prosecutors. Buffalo City Judge David M. Manz warned him and Xavier Jemison that they have to complete a four-hour shoplifting class and stay out of trouble for the next six months. He granted each an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, meaning their petit larceny charges will be dismissed if they comply with his orders.
No comments:
Post a Comment