Buffalo Mayor's 'Embarrassing' Storm Response Prompts Calls For Resignation

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown is receiving backlash over his response to a winter storm that killed 34 people in Erie County and at least 26 in Buffalo.

Recovery efforts are ongoing after a severe winter storm accompanied by arctic blast temperatures hit western New York city last weekend and pummeled it with nearly 50 inches of snow. On Monday, President Joe Biden approved federal aid for the area, and five days after the storm first hit, snow has finally stopped falling. However, a driving ban remains in Buffalo and only half of the residential streets have been cleared, according to a press conference given by Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

During a press conference from Brown, one reporter asked if the mayor planned to resign because of his storm response. Brown said he hadn't heard Poloncarz's comments but that he wouldn't resign. He said that many warnings were issued regarding the storm and that city departments such as the department of public works and the police department worked "feverishly" during the storm response to reach people in need.

At the Wednesday press conference, Poloncarz delivered a storm update and called the City of Buffalo's response "embarrassing". He criticized the city for repeatedly failing to clear its streets quickly "storm after storm after storm after storm".

Every morning, the county holds a call with other elected officials to discuss the storm and the response. Poloncarz said Buffalo officials didn't join Wednesday's call.

Poloncarz, a Buffalo resident, said the county and the State of New York have worked to clear roughly a third of Buffalo's streets. He said he and state officials were looking into potentially taking over snow-clearing operations for the city in the future.

"I know the mayor's probably not thrilled to hear it, but I don't care anymore," he said.

Poloncarz said he was "sick" of how the city handled the storm response and snow clean-up.

Some residents are still without power, and many are beginning to run low on food and supplies. With the driving ban in place, Poloncarz urged people to "walk" to the stores if possible.

"We know that some people are low on food. We have rations available at area warming centers. Please work with neighbors and friend, walk to open stores if possible," he tweeted. "This is a delicate balancing act to keep tens of thousands of vehicles off clogged roads going to grocery stores."

Erie County officials declined to comment. Newsweek reached out to the City of Buffalo for comment.