The last council meeting has already been held for two departing members of Buffalo's Common Council.
Tuesday was the final council meeting of 2023, and the last time both Council President and Ellicott District representative, Darius Pridgen, and Masten District representative, Ulysees Wingo Sr., will answer the roll call.
Both councilmen are stepping down from their elected positions, and Dec. 31 will mark their final day in office.
Pridgen has served on the council for 11 years, spending nine of those as council president.
But his farewell remarks - or rather, remark - did not dwell on his time in elected office.
He kept it short, saying: “It’s good to leave the stage while the audience is still clapping."
Wingo has served on the council for eight years.
“To all of you who allowed me to represent you these eight years - thank you. I really appreciate the confidence you had in me,” Wingo said.
Their departures make way for the arrival of two new Democratic councilmembers who will be sworn in Jan. 1.
Leah Halton-Pope will assume office as Ellicott District representative, and Zeneta Everhart will be the councilmember for Masten District.
It is the first time either individual will serve in public office, but both have first-hand experience with the local political world.
Halton-Pope worked as senior advisor to New York State Assembly Majority Leader, Crystal Peoples- Stokes, while Everhart worked as Director of Diversity and Inclusion in the office of State Senator Timothy Kennedy.
The two newcomers will be the first women to sit on the common council in almost 10 years.
Pridgen’s departure means the role of council president is on the table.
It is a position that will be decided by vote from the councilmembers in a public reorganizational meeting scheduled for Jan. 2.
