A Community Conversation: Buffalo mayoral candidates speak at forum on addressing food insecurity

"Comes to environmental stability and food safety. I want to make sure that we have free soil testing and also have grants for water access. So when people are looking to do the gardens, they don't have to worry about fitting a bill to pay for water. All of these things together can help our city become a more safer, healthier place."

"I want to make it easy. I want to make it easy if you want to get water to a community garden or an urban plot. I want to work with you. I want to make it so that it doesn't require a tremendous investment in your timeor money to achieve that end because, as I said, the goal is to return these spaces to a more productive use."

"We should look at water to community gardens just like we look at any other water infrastructure. The water board bonds out infrastructure, it all goes to our water bill. That's how we pay our water mains. So we can simply add that in as something that we need to add on. So you go through the capital process, you get approved. And then you could have water."

"We have a lot of licensed plumbers in the City of Buffalo. I would want to negotiate low-bid contracts to identify areas where there is a dramatic need for water access, collaborate that conversation with folks at Grassroots Gardens and other community gardens to figure out where, and create a plan for, implementing water access from the city's direct water supply."

"As Mayor of the City of Buffalo, I am working everyday to make Buffalo a better place to live, work, and raise a family. My priority is improving the quality of life for all residents in every corner of the city. Since becoming Mayor, my administration has filled over 2,000 pot holes, worked with small businesses to create jobs, created more housing that people can afford, and put more police on our streets.

As South District Councilmember, I supported several programs and legislative items that helped support the local food ecosystem in Buffalo. I began the South Buffalo Farmers Market over a decade ago. My team worked to bring several local vendors to Cazenovia Park providing fresh fruits and vegetables and other food options to the South District every Sunday for the past twelve summers.

Since becoming Mayor, my Office of Strategic Planning (OSP) has worked to improve the process by which city-owned vacant land is sold for productive reuse, including for urban agriculture. At my direction, OSP is also working to support the newly established Broadway Market Management Inc. to redevelop the historic Broadway Market into a welcoming, busy, and diverse market. Once complete, this project will boost the number of year-round vendors at the market, expanding food access in our underserved communities.

Many view this as an exhausting and difficult job, but I have found it to be exhilarating and challenging in positive ways. My short time in this office has been an exciting experience, and this opportunity has prepared me to serve a full four-year term. My commitment to all who live and work in Buffalo is to ensure excellent quality of life, reliable city services, healthy and affordable housing, enhanced public safety, and economic growth. We can and will overcome any challenges with collaborative solutions to make our City a place where future generations want to live, work and raise their families. I look forward to continuing our work to build a City of Buffalo that is safe, healthy and strong."

"I want to thank the Good Food Buffalo Coalition and all participating organizations for hosting such an important and timely conversation about food justice in Buffalo. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict with a previously committed meeting focused on the restoration of Buffalo's historic parkways. However, my absence does not reflect a lack of support or commitment to the issues being discussed. Access to healthy, affordable, and culturally relevant food is a cornerstone of community well-being. As someone born and raised on the East Side, I understand firsthand the impact of food deserts and decades of systemic disinvestment in our neighborhoods. My administration will prioritize community-led solutions to food insecurity, support local growers and vendors, and invest in long-term infrastructure that puts people over profit. I look forward to engaging directly with residents and coalition members at future events. Together, we can build a more just, equitable, and nourished Buffalo."

"Thank you for the opportunity to address Buffalo's food access crisis, an issue that demands immediate and sustained action. While prior commitments prevent me from attending today's forum, I stand firmly behind the Community Fair Food Access Policy Priorities and applaud your leadership in advancing this critical work.

The data is stark: According to Erie County's 2023 Health Equity Report, 1 in 4 Buffalonians live in a food desert, with neighborhoods like the East Side and parts of the West Side experiencing the highest disparities. Over 30% of Black and Latino households report food insecurity, compared to 12% of white households, which is a systemic inequity we cannot ignore.

As Mayor, I will combat this crisis with policies that prioritize equity, sustainability, and community power, including:

• Expanding funding for urban agriculture and community gardens to empower local food production.
• Strengthening partnerships with grassroots organizations and farmers of color to bridge gaps in fresh food distribution.
• Advancing zoning reforms to incentivize grocery stores and healthy food retailers in underserved areas.
• Amending the Buffalo Green Code to foster sustainable growth of urban agriculture and food access in Buffalo's underserved communities

These priorities along with your calls for urban growers' access to water, expansion of programs and resources to bolster Buffalo's natural ecosystems, and the establishment of a municipal office of urban agriculture and food access are not just aspirational, they are actionable. My administration will treat food insecurity as the emergency it is, using data, community input, and targeted investments to deliver results.

I look forward to working with your coalition to turn these plans into policy."