“Waste Of Time,” Buffalo Mayor Brown Challenges With Lawsuit

Buffalo mayor Byron Brown took a loss on a decision that came from Erie county board of election late last week to be placed as an Independent, or “Buffalo Party,” on the ballot this November for the mayoral race. Now, Brown is responding with a lawsuit.

Mayor Brown has served Buffalo for four terms, and he is looking to continue his mayoral run by pushing a write-in campaign, following the loss to India Walton in the Democratic primary. Most recently, Mayor Brown attempted to get on the ballot under the Buffalo Party; however, he was denied, largely due to the fact that Brown filed months after the independent party’s deadline, which was May 25.

The Board of Elections announced their decision to reject Brown’s petition late last week, as one might have expected, but what nobody saw coming was Brown's response. Mayor Brown and his re-election campaign pledged to appeal with a lawsuit. 

The Brown campaign has now filed an eight-page lawsuit that claims the state’s change of the submission deadline for independent candidates earlier this year was unconstitutional. 

Byron Brown’s Petition To Get On Ballot -- Denied

Shortly after the Board of Elections’ ruling, Brown’s democratic opponent in the race, India Walton, referred to the petition as a “frivolous waste of time,” but Brown thinks otherwise.

At an event on Monday, Mayor Brown still had high hopes of getting on the ballot. Brown expected going into the Board of Elections’ ruling that it would be about a 50-50 proposition, and his campaign anticipated that the Erie County Board of Elections might respond as such. However, Brown said, “We respectfully disagree with their action.” 

“My focus remains on our write-in candidacy,” Mayor Brown said. 

For now, you may see more signs popping up that say Mayor Brown’s updated campaign slogan, “Write Down Byron Brown.” 

This is a developing story.

Read More: Will Four-Term Mayor Byron Brown Receive A Spot on Nov. Ballot? | https://wyrk.com/will-four-term-mayor-byron-brown-receive-a-spot-on-novembers-ballot/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral