Just one week before primary elections for mayor of Buffalo in which the only candidates are incumbent Mayor Byron Brown and challenger Councilman Mickey Kearns, Brown has been accused of wrongdoing, once again involving star basketball player Leonard Stokes.
Already under investigation by the FBI is Stokes’ failed One Sunset Restaurant, heavily financed by the City. Now in question is whether or not Mayor Brown helped Stokes dodge jail time for unlawfully having a handicapped mirror tag in his car.
When asked about the allegations by Buffalo News reporter Brian Meyer, Brown became highly agitated and answered that the he has done nothing wrong, saying that the question of the 2-year-old incident being alleged has nothing to do with actual wrongdoing, but is clearly politically motivated leading up to the primary. Fellow councilmembers of Kearns have called for an FBI probe into the matter.
Brown has challenged anyone with accusations to step forward. Kearns, for his part, says he learned of this only when the news broke to the rest of the public. The most likely source to step forward with claims of obstruction of justice would be a member of the Buffalo Police. The police union endorsed Kearns in his campaign for mayor last month.