Buffalo mayoral election, 2005

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Buffalo mayoral election, 2005
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←  2001 November 4, 2005 (2005-11-04) 2009  →
Turnout 24.97%

  20081021 Byron Brown headshot.jpg No image.svg No image.svg
Nominee Byron Brown Kevin J. Helfer Judith Einach
Party Democratic Republican Green
Popular vote46,613 19,853 3,525
Percentage63.79% 27.17% 4.82%
 
Nominee Charles Flynn
Party Independence
Popular vote 3,082
Percentage 4.13%
Mayor before election

Anthony Masiello

Elected Mayor

Byron Brown

The 2005 election for Mayor of Buffalo, New York took place on November 8, 2005. After incumbent Anthony M. Masiello, a Democrat, announced on April 29, 2005 that he would not seek a fourth term as mayor, [1] a field of several Democratic candidates emerged, from which New York State Senator Byron Brown emerged victorious in the primary election. In the general election, Brown went on to defeat Republican challenger Kevin Helfer, former member of the Buffalo Common Council for the University District, as well as two minor-party candidates. Buffalo's 2005 mayoral election is notable as the first in the city to be won by an African-American candidate.

Buffalo, New York City in Western New York

Buffalo is the second largest city in the U.S. state of New York and the largest city in Western New York. As of July 2016, the population was 256,902. The city is the county seat of Erie County and a major gateway for commerce and travel across the Canada–United States border, forming part of the bi-national Buffalo Niagara Region.

Anthony M. Masiello was Mayor of Buffalo, New York from 1994 to 2005. Prior to being mayor, he served as a New York State Senator.

Democratic Party (United States) political party in the United States

The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's Democratic-Republican Party, the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by supporters of Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party.

Contents

Democratic primary

Candidates

In addition to Brown, candidates for the Democratic nomination for Mayor in 2005 included Brown's predecessor as State Senator for the 57th District, Al Coppola, attorney and government reform advocate Kevin Gaughan, restaurateur Steven Calvaneso, neighborhood activist and perennial candidate Judith Einach, and Erie County Democratic Committee member Darnell Jackson. [2] Coppola dropped out of the race early, while the latter two hopefuls were removed from the ballot in August 2005 by the Erie County Board of Elections due to petition irregularities, [3] leading to a three-way contest between Brown, Gaughan and Calvaneso for the Democratic nomination.

Alfred "Al" Coppola is a former state senator and politician in New York. A resident of Buffalo, New York, Coppola is a long time political figure in the city, who served briefly as the 57th District member in the New York Senate at the turn of the 21st century.

Kevin P. Gaughan is an attorney and an advocate of government reform, in particular for the establishment of regional government and regional consciousness within the Buffalo-Niagara region, which encompasses the cities of Buffalo, New York and Niagara Falls, New York, their suburbs and surrounding rural areas.

A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for an elected office but seldom wins. The term is not generally extended to incumbent politicians who successfully defend their seats repeatedly.

Primary election

The Democratic primary election was held on September 13, 2005. Brown placed first in the polls with 16,900 votes cast, or 60.6% of the total, winning the Democratic nomination. In second place was Gaughan with 9,264 votes (34.5%), and Calvaneso placed third with 1,362 votes (4.9%). [4]

Conservative primary

Candidates

Despite the fact that Brown was cross-endorsed by the Erie County Conservative Party under the terms of New York State's electoral fusion law, [2] Republican candidate Kevin Helfer mounted an unprecedented write-in campaign [5] in the Conservative primary election on September 13, 2005 that was described as "crucial" for his hopes to win the general election. [6]

Conservative Party of New York State Conservative third party in the United States

The Conservative Party of New York State is a political party founded in 1962. The Party was founded due to conservative dissatisfaction with the Republican Party in New York. Since 2010, the Conservative Party has held "Row C" on New York ballots—the third-place ballot position, directly below the Democratic and Republican parties—because it received the third-highest number of votes of any political party in the 2010, 2014, and 2018 gubernatorial elections.

Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate. Distinct from the process of electoral alliances in that the political parties remain separately listed on the ballot, the practice of electoral fusion in jurisdictions where it exists allows minor parties to influence election results and policy by offering to endorse or nominate a major party's candidate.

Primary election

The Conservative primary was held on September 13, 2005. Helfer won the election handily, earning 190 votes (65.1%) to Brown's 95 (32.5%). Gaughan also earned 7 write-in votes (2.4%). [7]

Independence Party primary

Candidates

Despite the fact that the Erie County Independence Party officially endorsed Brown for mayor, there were two candidates from that party who also sought the nomination: Louis P. Corrigan, the Secretary of the Erie County Independence Party, and former local party chairman Charles J. Flynn. Corrigan was ruled ineligible for the ballot by the Erie County Board of Elections due to petition challenges, [8] while Flynn's petitions withstood a similar legal challenge. [9]

Independence Party of New York Third party in New York, United States

The Independence Party is an affiliate in the U.S. state of New York of the Independence Party of America. The party was founded in 1991 by Dr. Gordon Black, Tom Golisano, and Laureen Oliver from Rochester, New York, and acquired ballot status in 1994. Although often associated with Ross Perot, as the party came to prominence in the wake of Perot's 1992 presidential campaign, it was created prior to Perot's run. As of April 1, 2018, there were 436,312 members statewide. It currently has one registered member of the New York State Assembly, Fred W. Thiele, Jr.

Primary election

The Independence Party primary was held on September 13. Flynn placed first with 135 votes (45.2%); Brown took second place with 128 (42.8%). Also, Helfer earned 32 write-in votes (10.7%), and Gaughan won four (1.3%). [10]

Other candidates

Helfer was unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Despite the petition irregularities which kept her off the ballot in the Democratic primary, Judith Einach was able to secure the nomination of the Green Party and contest the general election.

General

The general election was held on November 8, 2005. Brown placed first with 46,613 votes cast, or 63.8% of the total. Helfer placed second with 19,853 votes (27.2%). In third place was Einach, with 3,525 votes (4.8%), and in fourth was Flynn with 3,082 votes (4.2%). [11]

Endorsements

In addition to the Erie County Democratic Party, Brown received the endorsement of the Erie County Working Families Party. Brown was also endorsed by both of New York's United States Senators, Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton, as well as New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, and New York State Assemblyman and future Congressman Brian Higgins. [12] Helfer was endorsed by the Erie County Republican Party as well as the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, [13] the Buffalo News , [14] and local businessman and future gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino. [6]

Related Research Articles

A write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. The system is almost totally confined to elections in the United States. Some U.S. states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker, with the write-in candidate's name, to the ballot in lieu of actually writing in the candidate's name. Write-in candidacies are sometimes a result of a candidate being legally or procedurally ineligible to run under his or her own name or party; write-in candidacies may be permitted where term limits bar an incumbent candidate from being officially nominated for, or being listed on the ballot for, re-election. In some cases, write-in campaigns have been organized to support a candidate who is not personally involved in running; this may be a form of draft campaign.

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Byron Brown American politician

Byron William Brown II 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.

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References

  1. ↑ Kryszak, Joyce (April 29, 2005). "Mayor Masiello Declines to Seek Re-Election". WBFO News. Retrieved July 14, 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. 1 2 Hicks, Jonathan P. (June 4, 2005). "All Eyes on a Black Candidate in Buffalo's Mayoral Race". New York Times. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  3. ↑ McCarthy, Robert J. (August 5, 2005). "Einach taken off ballot for primary". Buffalo News. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Our Campaigns - Buffalo NY Mayor - D Primary Race - Sep 13, 2005". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  5. ↑ Lakamp, Patrick (November 9, 2005). "Lack of momentum in mid-campaign proves insurmountable for Helfer". Buffalo News. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  6. 1 2 McCarthy, Robert J. (October 9, 2005). "Developer stands out among group of advisers assembled by Helfer". Buffalo News.
  7. ↑ "Our Campaigns - Buffalo NY Mayor - C Primary Race - Sep 13, 2005". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  8. ↑ McCarthy, Robert J. (August 2, 2005). "Corrigan loses in first round of petition fights". Buffalo News.
  9. ↑ Gryta, Matt (August 9, 2005). "Flynn's petitions ruled valid". Buffalo News.
  10. ↑ "Our Campaigns - Buffalo NY Mayor - IDP Primary Race - Sep 13, 2005". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Our Campaigns - Buffalo NY Mayor Race - Nov 08, 2005". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  12. ↑ Hicks, Jonathan P. (October 12, 2005). "Race Plays Silent Role in Campaign for Mayor of Buffalo". New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  13. ↑ "BREAKING: The Partnership Endorses Kevin Helfer". Buffalo Rising. October 26, 2005. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Brown offers much, but vision and new directions are required of next mayor". Buffalo News. October 30, 2005.
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