Buffalo Mayor-Elect Sean Ryan has announced the first of his appointments for his incoming administration, introducing four individuals who will serve as deputy mayors.
“We all know city government is facing immense challenges. Some people prefer to walk away from challenges. Other people prefer to headlong face challenges, and the people we have assembled behind us are up for the job of facing the challenges of City Hall,” said Ryan Friday morning during his event, held at D’Youville University.
The four deputy mayors are Thomas Baines, Eugenio Russi, Benjamin Swanekamp, and Maria Whyte.
Baines, Ryan explained, will oversee the Office of Strategic Planning and Permit and Inspection Services. Baines already looks ahead to the direction the Office of Strategic Planning will take.
“We have many visions for the City of Buffalo. We intend to hire a Director of Neighborhoods, a person whose focus is to identify the needs of the respective neighborhoods, so that each neighborhood can have an intentional plan for it,” Baines said. “We have great plans for revitalizing downtown. We know that we have to deal with downtown in a contemporary way, and we hope to do that.”
Russi will oversee the police and fire departments. Swanekamp will oversee the departments of Administration and Finance, Assessment and Taxation, Management Information Systems, Public Works and Parks, and Parking Enforcement. Whyte will oversee Citizen Services, Community Services, Human Resources, Labor Relations, and the Law Department.
“The workforce in city government desperately deserves to be invested in to support their professional development so that they can deliver quality service to our community,” Whyte said. “They are civil servants. They are dedicated civil servants. They deserve that investment.”
Each city department will continue to have commissioners, but Ryan says they’ll meet more regularly with the respective deputy mayors to monitor operations and budget. This model, he suggests, will actually improve efficiency of services provided to the citizens of Buffalo.
“This is the best way to structure a management team for the City of Buffalo,” Ryan said. “This will be budget neutral. We're going to pay for it by eliminating redundant positions that currently exist in City Hall. So it's a win-win in terms of bringing in a fantastic new management style with a fantastic new management team, and at no additional cost to the residents of the City of Buffalo.”
Each appointee has current or past experience in either Erie County or New York State government. Swanekamp is currently Chief of Staff for County Executive Mark Poloncarz’s office. He previously served as the county’s Deputy Budget Director. Whyte is a former deputy county executive under Poloncarz and currently serves as Chief Community Impact Officer and Chief of Staff for the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. Baines is currently the Deputy Commissioner of Planning and Economic Development for the county.
Russi is currently the chair of Erie County Medical Center Corporation Board of Directors, and a former executive director of Hispanos Unidos de Buffalo, and served nearly three decades as regional director for the New York State Division of Parole.
Ryan is also bringing one of his current employees into City Hall. He announced he has appointed Gabrielle Harrington as his administration’s Chief of Staff. She currently serves as a deputy chief of staff in his State Senate office.
His inauguration ceremony will be held New Year's Day at Kleinhans Music Hall.