India B. Walton spent part of her day on Bailey Avenue, accepting praise from a member of the Common Council who said she is the right person to turn around the city's fortunes.
Byron W. Brown spent part of his day on Chippewa Street, celebrating the completion of a project that will continue to make downtown a destination.
Just over half of the $1.5 million Byron Brown raised in the first nine months of this year came from supporters inside the city. India Walton reported only about a third of her money coming from city residents.
With one of the nation's most watched local elections less than two weeks away, on the day before early voting was set to begin, the two people who want to lead Buffalo as the city's mayor for the next four years continued to highlight their differences and gather support they hope will carry them to victory.
On a Friday full of developments:
• U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gilibrand said she was supporting Walton in the race, a day after New York's senior senator and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer endorsed Walton.
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• The union that represents Buffalo public school teachers said it was staying out of the election after backing Walton in the Democratic primary.
• The two candidates agreed to take part in a debate that has become a staple of mayoral races dating back almost 40 years.
The candidate, right, travels down the side walk with her security guard Kevin Melvin on Masten Avenue as Buffalo mayoral candidate India Walton campaigns door-to-door on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021.
Walton, the endorsed Democratic candidate by virtue of her primary victory over Brown, held a news conference at Varsity Theater on Bailey Avenue in the University District to receive the endorsement from University Common Council Member Rasheed N.C. Wyatt, who said Walton “will listen to the will of the people.”
“She’s not going to always make the right decisions, but I am hopeful that she will work with the Common Council and other experts to get the right information to make the right decision,” Wyatt said. “And what I’ve seen so far in our interactions, she’s done that.”
Wyatt, who has been at odds with Brown on a host of issues, is the only city lawmaker on the nine-member, all Democrat Council to officially support Walton, a democratic socialist. Brown has picked up the endorsements of South Council Member Christopher P. Scanlon, Masten District Council Member Ulysees O. Wingo Sr. and North Council Member Joseph Golombek.
Walton picked up another key endorsement late Friday with Gillibrand's backing.
"I have spent my career trying to elect more women to office, from city council to Congress and the White House," Gillibrand said. "India’s experience as a working mother and health care professional will have prepared her well to help tackle the challenges facing Buffalo working families as they strive to recover from the pandemic and its economic toll."
Brown has gained a slew of endorsements recently from councils, unions and other organizations, most recently the Western New York Area Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.
One group that neither Walton nor Brown will be able to count for support is the Buffalo Teachers Federation. The powerful union endorsed Walton in the June primary but will not in the general election, BTF President Philip Rumore said.
“The teachers decided it would be too divisive and decided to leave it up to the teachers,” he said.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and members of the Chippewa Alliance cut a ribbon and officially announced the completion of the Chippewa infrastructure and street scape project on Friday.
Brown's day included a stop on Chippewa Street, where he led ribbon-cutting ceremony with members of the Chippewa Alliance to mark the completion of the streetscape and infrastructure project there.
The streetscape and infrastructure project includes a section of Chippewa between Elmwood Avenue and Main Street. The project began in April and includes improvements such a new curbs, expanded sidewalks, new LED street lights and repaved roads.
“The goal of this project is to make the Downtown Entertainment District a more attractive, friendly and engaging place to be, and that was definitely achieved here on Chippewa,” Brown said.
Asked about Schumer’s endorsement of Walton, he said: “The only endorsement that matters in this race is the endorsement of the people on election day Nov. 2.”
The debate is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. Wednesday at the Kenmore Avenue school, six days before Election Day.
Meanwhile, Walton and Brown have agreed to participate in a annual debate at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, a mainstay of the Western New York political scene since 1984.
“It’s a good thing for voters because the more Ms. Walton talks, the more they realize she is unprepared, inexperienced and not ready for the position of mayor of Buffalo,” Brown said.
Walton’s campaign manager Jesse Myerson said Walton changed her previous opposition to another debate because students will be involved in the St. Joe’s event.
“It struck her as a special kind of debate,” Myerson said.
The debate, which is not open to the public, is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. Wednesday at the Town of Tonawanda school.
The candidates have only debated each other once before in September. Before the primary, Brown had refused to debate Walton. After she won, she initially rejected debating Brown, but agreed to the one debate in September.
News Washington Bureau Chief Jerry Zremski contributed to this article
