| Buffalo Common Council | |
| Session Room: | Buffalo City Hall, Interior, thirteenth floor, council chamber.jpg |
| House Type: | Unicameral |
| Leader1 Type: | President of the Common Council |
| Leader1: | Christopher P. Scanlon |
| Party1: | (D) |
| Members: | 9 |
| Salary: | $84,472 |
| Political Groups1: |
|
| Meeting Place: | Buffalo City Hall |
| Website: | Buffalo Common Council Website |
| Last Election1: | November 7, 2023 |
| Next Election1: | November 2027 |
| Voting System1: | First-past-the-post |
| Leader2 Type: | Majority Leader |
| Leader3 Type: | President Pro Tempore |
| Leader2: | Leah M. Halton-Pope |
| Leader3: | Bryan J. Bollman |
| Party2: | (D) |
| Party3: | (D) |
| Term Length: | 4 Years |
| Foundation: | 1832 |
| Term Limits: | None |
| Established: | 1832 |
| Election1: | January 2, 2024 |
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, North, University, and South. In the past, the Common Council also had as many as five at-large 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.[1]
From Buffalo's incorporation in 1832 the common council existed under New York State charters.[2] 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.[3] From 1832 to 1854 all mayors were also Common Council President. Eli Cook 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.[3] 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.
| Affiliation | Party(Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Independent | Republican | Vacant | |||
| End of previous legislature (2015) | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Begin (2016) | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| End (2019) | 9 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Begin (2020) | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Latest voting share | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | |||
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 nine seats are currently held by Democrats. As of January 1, 2024 the current membership is as follows:[4]
| District | Member | Party | District Name | Tenure Began | Term Expires | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leah M. Halton-Pope | Democratic | Ellicott District | 2024 | 2027 | |
| 2 | Bryan J. Bollman | Democratic | Lovejoy District | 2019 | 2027 | |
| 3 | Mitchell P. Nowakowski | Democratic | Fillmore District | 2019 | 2027 | |
| 4 | Joseph Golombek Jr. | Democratic | North District | 1999 | 2027 | |
| 5 | Christopher P. Scanlon | Democratic | South District | 2011 | 2027 | |
| 6 | Joel Feroleto | Democratic | Delaware District | 2015 | 2027 | |
| 7 | David A. Rivera | Democratic | Niagara District | 2007 | 2027 | |
| 8 | Rasheed N.C. Wyatt | Democratic | University District | 2014 | 2027 | |
| 9 | Zeneta B. Everhart | Democratic | Masten District | 2024 | 2027 |
Two editions, 1897 and 1910, currently online courtesy of Archive.org