Buffalo mayor to be next CEO of public gambling agency as India Walton responds

Buffalo, New York – Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown has been selected to become the next CEO of public gambling agency Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., raising questions about the future of city leadership.

Western Regional OTB’s board of directors on Thursday voted unanimously to offer Brown the role of president and chief executive at the Batavia-based company.

Brown has not yet announced whether he will accept the position, but if he does, he is expected to retire from his current role. Buffalo Common Council President Chris Scanlon – an ally of Brown – would then take over as interim mayor until a general election in 2025.

Brown, a Democrat, is Buffalo’s longest-serving mayor after winning a fifth term in office in 2021. He launched a write-in campaign after losing the primary to nurse and democratic socialist India Walton.

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The race gained national attention, especially after New York State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs compared Walton, a Black woman, to former KKK grand wizard David Duke.

Walton took to social media on Thursday to explain the next steps in case of Brown’s potential resignation.

“It’s important, if you care about this issue, that you go and get registered [to vote], you learn about all the candidates who are more than likely going to crowd the field in the next six months,” she said in a video address, “and not only do you express your rights and utilize your right to vote but that you get involved in some of these campaigns, knock on some doors, contribute to candidates you believe in, and talk about the issues.”

“Oh!!! I forgot to mention [Brown] stayed in long enough to not trigger a special election- so maybe he resigns now or maybe at years end,” Walton added in her post. “Either way the voters have once again been shut out of democracy in Buffalo.”

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The controversy brewing in Buffalo has sparked speculation about whether Walton herself may take another swing at public office.

The 42-year-old community activist last week teased a potential challenge to Scanlon – to the delight of her many supporters.

“I thought I was certain that I would never run again, but after several conversations I think not only do I owe it to my people, but I think maybe I could beat Chris Scanlon. Some of our greatest leaders have lost more than once before they succeeded,” she wrote on X.

In a comment under her latest video, Walton said she has not yet made the call on whether she will challenge Scanlon: “It’s too soon to say. I don’t know yet. If the support is there I’d consider it.”