James Griffin

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James Donald "Jimmy" Griffin (June 29, 1929 – May 25, 2008) was a former American politician who served in the New York State Senate (56th District, 1967-77) and then for 16 years as the Mayor of Buffalo, New York (1978-93). He later returned to public life serving as a member of the Buffalo Common Council.

He first entered political life as a Councilman in Buffalo in the 1960s. From the Council he was elected to the New York State Senate for several terms before he ran for mayor. He was a Democrat during his service as a councilman and senator. While officially a registered member of the Democratic Party, Griffin was very conservative compared to the party platform and was frequently cross-endorsed by the Conservative and Republican Parties.

[edit] Mayor of Buffalo

Griffin was elected Mayor of Buffalo in 1977. He lost the Democratic primary for Mayor to then Deputy State Assembly Speaker Arthur Eve. In the general election he was the nominee of both the Conservative and Right-to-Life Parties and defeated Eve to be elected Mayor. He was reelected in 1981, 1985, and 1989.

As Mayor, Griffin was known for his outspoken personality and sometimes blunt comments. In one of his first statements as mayor, he recommended Buffalo residents respond to the Blizzard of 1977 and "go home, watch channel 7 and buy a six pack of "Genny" (A beer brand from High Falls Brewing Company in Rochester, NY) and stay home. This earned him the nickname "Six Pack Jimmy." In 1983, he endured minor controversy when he labeled homosexuals with the epithets "fruit" and "queer." [1]

While mayor he was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Erie County Executive in 1991, losing to incumbent Dennis Gorski. In 1996, Griffin sought the Democratic nomination for President in the New Hampshire Primary, finishing a very distant eighth to Bill Clinton. After the "Spring of Life" demonstration in early 1993 where Griffin encouraged anti-abortion groups such as Operation Rescue to protest in Buffalo, he declined to seek a fifth term as Mayor and was succeeded by Democrat Anthony Masiello.

[edit] Post-mayoral career

Griffin remained as outspoken and controversial as a former Mayor as he was during his career in City Hall. He frequently commented on public policy issues in Buffalo. He unsuccessfully sought a seat in the New York State Assembly against future Congressman Brian Higgins (where Griffin was defeated by Higgins in his home base of South Buffalo for the first and only time in his elector career) and was rumored to have an interest in a seat in the Erie County Legislature that was vacated in 2001, although in the end he did not run. In 2002 he led an effort to recall Masiello from office. This effort fell through because of petition discrepancies and disputes over whether a recall election was legal in New York State.

In 1996, Griffin entered the New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary election, finishing far behind incumbent President Bill Clinton.

In 2003, Griffin was elected to a two-year term in the Buffalo Common Council, representing the South District. Taking office in 2004, Griffin was named Chairman of the Claims Committee and started working on fiscal issues relating to the Buffalo fiscal crisis. He also criticized Masiello's handling of city finances. Griffin focused much of his time on issues in his district.

In the spring of 2005, Griffin resigned from the Council with several months left in his term. He said he had completed what he sought to accomplish as a councilman and was retiring from public life.

Griffin served in the United States Army during the Korean conflict.

On January 28, 2007, during an interview on the Hardline with Hardwick radio program on Buffalo radio station WBEN, Griffin said he might once again run for Erie County Executive as a Democrat. The County Executive at that time, Joel Giambra, had announced he would not be seeking re-election. Then on April 15, 2007, he announced on WWKB's "Public Opinions with Wayne Mack" that he had discussed running again with his wife, and decided he did not wish to seek public office anymore.

However, on July 17, 2007, Griffin announced that he was joining the race for the Erie County Executive seat, against fellow South Buffalonian and endorsed Democratic Party candidate Jim Keane. Griffin was correctly considered an underdog and did not have much--if any--money with which to run a campaign. When the votes were counted after the primary on September 18, 2007, Griffin ran 3rd in a three way race with about 23% of the vote. He ran his campaign with only $11,000.00 against the millions his opponents spent on their campaigns. Griffin then said he had run his last electoral race and considered himself retired from political competition. Griffin later endorsed the candidacy of Republican candidate and with the assistance of his group of campaign volunteers, helped Christopher C. Collins win the election for Erie County Executive.

Griffin died peacefully on May 25, 2008 at the Father Baker Manor in Orchard Park. He is survived by a wife and three adult children.

[edit] References

• McKinley, Dave. Funeral Arrangements Announced For Former Buffalo Mayor James D. Griffin. WGRZ-TV. 26 May 2008.