By Michael Loffredo
Bengal News West Reporter
This year a
young, Hispanic and driven man is trying to take the power of the city of
Buffalo into his own hands.
Sergio
Rodriguez, 33, is an adopted son to the city.
A native of the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez came here to attend
college. Rodriguez received his associate's degree
from Medaille College in 2007 and in 2009 he received his bachelor’s degree
from D’Youville College. Now he has his
sights set on becoming mayor and making Buffalo a better place.
“This is a
dream come true,” said Rodriguez. “I came here with a mission, with a clear purpose.”
Born into poverty in the Dominican
Republic, Rodriguez knew that he wanted to be a politician and an elected
official since his early years.
“My
grandmother made me stand up on a chair at every family party and act out being
the president of the Dominican Republic by giving a speech,” said Rodriguez.
“My parents were very politically active in the Dominican Republic as well
which also had an influence on my dream. Both these parts of my childhood
helped plant a seed in my mind.”
Rodriguez’s
campaign revolves around four central issues: education, crime, unemployment,
and poverty.
Since 2005,
Buffalo has only had one man in charge. Many think Byron Brown, current Mayor of the city of
Buffalo, has done a lot of good. Canalside became a popular destination downtown, the waterfront has been
booming as of late, and President Barack Obama said in a recent trip to the
Queen City “Buffalo is on the rise. Buffalo is making a comeback.”
Rodriguez thinks the city is far from that point.
“We're not
on the rise,” said the Republican and Progressive party candidate. “The last thing we want to do is continue on the current path that
the institution has placed for Buffalo. That path means more population decline
in this city, as about 20,000 people will leave this city for more prosperous
suburbs and we will just keep getting poorer.”
Another hot
topic among city residents the abandoned houses that line the city
streets. Numerous homes are decrepit, empty, and overall hurting Buffalo’s
landscape and population.
Rodriguez discusses his plans to get rid of abandoned
homes:
When voters
hit the polls on Nov. 5,
some city residents will look at Rodriguez’s name in the voting booth and not know who he is due to the fact that this is his first time running for
public office. Registered voter Matt Braun believes in Rodriguez and thinks he will do a lot of
good for the city.
“I think it
is a question of integrity. Brown lost all of that by putting stuff under the
rug and hiring a buddy to take care of it,” Braun said. “Sergio is honest and actually cares about
Buffalo. He understands the city and its issues while Brown is just another
part of the bureaucracy. We need an honest man in charge, and that honest man
is Rodriguez.”
Rodriguez
said that Brown declined his invite to debate. He believes he is
“worried about all the work and campaigning in the community that my campaign
has done.”
Rodriguez went on
a “Jeep Tour” during October campaigning through city neighborhoods, handing
out flyers and meeting with sidewalk goers, as he stood out of the top of a
Jeep Wrangler.
“Whether
it’s in a McDonalds drive-thru or at an event, I hand someone my flyer and tell
them to vote for me,” he said.
With Election Day looming,
Rodriguez has one thing to say: “Vote for the person, don’t vote for the party.
Vote for solutions. I am presenting Buffalo with a choice that this city hasn’t
had in nearly a decade. Lets get this thing done.”
