Byron Brown used a stamp to "write down" his name Saturday afternoon, as he's hoping other voters will do Nov. 2 in the general election in his bid to beat India Walton, who won the Democratic nomination in June in a stunning defeat of the four-time incumbent.
Hundreds gathered for a downtown rally featuring Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and former gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon.
As Walton held a star-powered rally with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former gubernatorial candidate and "Sex in the City" star Cynthia Nixon that drew hundreds to the Town Ballroom on Saturday, Brown's supporters held three much smaller rallies.
Brown's day began with a rally at his downtown campaign headquarters.Â
Midday, about 100 Byron W. Brown supporters rallied Saturday afternoon in Cazenovia Park, where hot dogs were free and Elton John's "I'm Still Standing" was blasting.
Mayor Byron W. Brown speaks to a crowd of supporters at a rally in Cazenovia Park on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021.
Many in the South Buffalo crowd sported blue t-shirts bearing his slogan, Write Down Byron Brown, while the mayor wore a suit.
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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.
He and his supporters described the election in dire terms, with democratic socialist India B. Walton painted as a threat to Buffalo.
"This race is not just a fight for the mayor's office – it's a fight for the future of this city," South District Council Member Chris Scanlon told the crowd. "It's a fight for her soul."
The election, he said, offers voters a choice between continued progress under Brown and "going backwards in a devastating fashion" under Walton.
Brown targeted Walton's socialist positions on a host of issues, from policing to taxes.
"It's time that we go to the polls and we show people in this community, across the state and across the nation that the firewall to socialism and the bad ideas of socialists ends right here in the City of Buffalo," he said.
The debate is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. Wednesday at the Kenmore Avenue school, six days before Election Day.
"With an unqualified, radical socialist, our community will only go backwards," Brown said, "and we can't allow that to happen."
Lynne Dixon, who is running for Erie County comptroller, was among those in the crowd. Buffalo Police South District Chief Robert Joyce and about a dozen police officers lingered nearby throughout the rally.
At about 2 p.m. Saturday, about 100 people supporting Brown gathered a few blocks from the Delavan-Grider Community Center. The event was billed by Brown’s campaign as a "labor parade to the polls."
Some of the music played from vehicles at the event included a version of "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown," by Jim Croce, with the lyrics rewritten to replace the name Leroy with Byron.
The crowd, which included several people carrying United Auto Workers signs, chanted "write down Byron Brown" and "four more years" as they marched west toward the community center, where Brown cast his own ballot.
The Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency has also sold property or awarded exclusive development rights to campaign contributors without public bidding, though the Brown administration says campaign cash has nothing to do with getting city contracts.
Brown supporters who addressed the crowd prior to the brief march included Masten Council Member Ulysees O. Wingo Sr. and City Comptroller Barbara Miller-Williams.
Contrary to what his opponents allege, Brown has not forgotten any parts of Buffalo during his administration, Miller-Williams said.
"Our mayor is here before you today. He’s going to be with you today, tomorrow and next year," Miller-Williams said. "Those folks who have come into our city who are trying to tell us who our leadership should be, we need to say to them, 'You need to go home.' "
