Politics

Erie County Legislature Majority Leader Thomas Mazur announced his future retirement Friday. Mazur, a Democrat, will step aside from his 7th District seat when his current term expires on December 31.

Citizen groups continue putting pressure on Albany to clean up campaign financing. The rally cry was "people not profit" in front of Buffalo's City Hall Thursday.

Hundreds gathered at the State Capitol Wednesday to rally for public financing of political campaigns. The measure remains in limbo in the State Senate and Governor Cuomo faces questions on whether he is working hard enough for the proposal to pass.

There was Democratic amity last night, as the party's Executive Committee overwhelmingly endorsed Mayor Byron Brown for another term.

Governor Andrew Cuomo, who still has not issued a decision on whether hydro fracking should be allowed in New York,  is backing further away from the controversial gas drilling process in his economic development plans for the future. 

Erie County's Republican party chairman says democratic State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver should go in the wake of the burgeoning sex scandal in his legislative house.

Western New York Assemblyman Michael Kearns says he is quitting his Democratic conference based on the way Speaker Sheldon Silver handled the scandal involving disgraced Assemblyman Vito Lopez.

The scandal enveloping Brooklyn State Assemblyman Vito Lopez could have wider implications.  Lopez is resigning from the Assembly Monday in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal.  But as WBFO's Mark Scott reports, there are growing calls for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to step down.

The Legislative Ethics Commission released a report on the sexual harassment allegations against Assemblyman Vito Lopez. It finds Lopez violated the public officers law and engaged in “willful and prolonged mistreatment” of his female staff.

Three candidates are vying for the office of Mayor of Buffalo, two Democrats and one Republican. But it appears one of the candidates may have been offered a job if he agreed to not run.

It appears the flap over how the Peace Bridge is run is not over yet. As WBFO's Chris Caya reports, a bill proposed to dissolve the Buffalo and Ft. Erie Public Bridge Authority is still alive in Albany.

The chairman of Erie County's Democratic party is recommending his committee endorse incumbent Mayor Byron Brown for re-election.

Though most consider Bernie Tolbert an underdog in the race for Buffalo mayor, Buffalo News Political Reporter Bob McCarthy believes the former FBI agent brings some solid credentials to the campaign.

Former FBI special agent-in-charge Bernie Tolbert appears to be ready to announce a run for mayor of Buffalo. Tolbert says he will be making an announcement Saturday morning.  But as WBFO'S Eileen Buckley reports, Tolbert would not confirm that he will be launching a campaign.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer is urging both sides in the dispute over running the Peace Bridge to "bury the hatchet." Schumer says cooperation could lead to lots of new jobs.