A Crowded 2025 General Election Ballot

By Betty Jean Grant

Betty Jean Grant

Usually after the primaries, one would have a clearer idea of which candidates would go for ward and win the November General Election. Not so this year as several mayoral candidates have opted to run on the Independent Lines that they have created should they be defeated, this year, in the June 24th Democratic Primary. It has been noted, based on their campaign war chest, Acting Mayor Chrie Scanlon, NYS Sena tor Sean Ryan and former City of Buffalo Fire Commissioner Gar nell Whitfield Jr., are the leading contenders for the office as Mayor of Buffalo. The main reason we don’t know who will be elected is because all three candidates have what I will call: “Political Lifelines.”

Senator Ryan has secured the Working Families Party line, which allows him to be in the race past the June Primary. Garnell Whit field will continue his New Buffalo Line and Chris Scanlon will try to win the seat on the Good Neighbors Line. One mayoral candidate, Micheal Gainer, whose petition was chal lenged by Senator Sean Ryan, was declared invalid and his campaign was knocked off the June Primary ballot. However, mayoral candidate Michael Gainer, along with Erie County Legislature, 2nd District candidate, Betty Jean Grant, are running on an Independent Line they created called: “Restore Buffalo.”

This writer filed over 900 signatures to get on the ballot to run for the legislative seat. A political operative for my oppo nent and the party’s chairman, filed an objection to compete in the Democratic Primary. My petition was deemed invalid because it was 50 valid signatures short of the 300 needed to qualify for the ballot. The irony of this fact is that the only signatures that were challenged, and that challenge upheld by the Erie County Board of Elections, were the ones turned in by Michael Gainer and me. We are also the only members of the East Side Parkways Coalition that are running in this year’s political election.

It became necessary for Mr. Gainer and Mrs. Grant (both long time Democrats) to create the Restore Buffalo line to have a platform to address the fact that no elected official was coming out in support of Restoring Humboldt Parkway even though most voters support ed the full restoration and opposed the idea of installing a tunnel on the Kensington 33 Expressway and the Parkway.

The idea of Democrats running on other lines helps re-enforces the notion that vot ers are not ‘married’ to a single ideology or political party and if they are not getting their needs met, they strive to influence the deci sion makers. If that does not work, then they create an all-inclusive platform or an Inde pendent Democratic Line that shows what Democracy looks like.