First Deputy Buffalo Mayor Steve Casey is leaving City Hall. Casey will be departing his longtime position in Mayor Byron Brown's administration to work on a major development project in West Seneca.
Casey has been a powerful political figure in the administration since Brown's election in 2006 and as a campaign operative before that, when Brown was a state senator.
“My decision to leave was very difficult but after 23 years in government, it’s time for change,” Casey said, in a statement. “It’s time to think big and I believe in this West Seneca project. It’s a great opportunity and will forever change Erie County.”
Casey resigned his position to lead a major development project at the site of the old Seneca Mall in West Seneca. He will become CEO of a firm led by developer Scott Congel, who earlier this summer proposed a project called Seneca Place.
The project would include hotels, housing and retail, among other facilities, at a price tag estimated at $700 million. There has also been talk that the land could be the site of a future Buffalo Bills stadium.
"I’m very happy for Steve; it’s an incredible opportunity for him and I think it’s a recognition of his tremendous talent and the effect of what he has done over the course of my three terms in office. Deputy Mayor Casey served the people of Buffalo well, and we wish him nothing but success. This is an exciting opportunity for Steve and, while we will miss his strong leadership in city government, I wish him and his family well,” Brown said in a statement.
