James D. Griffin

This article is about the former politician; for other James Griffins or Jimmy Griffins see James Griffin (disambiguation).

James Donald Griffin (Born June 29 1929 in Buffalo, New York) is 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 is commonly known as Jimmy Griffin.

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.

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. During a blizzard he recommended Buffalo residents 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."

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 long second 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.

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 and in the Erie County Legislature. 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 2003, Jimmy 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, Griffin has said he may once again run for Erie County Executive as a Democrat. The County Executive at that time, Joel Giambra, has announced he would not be seeking re-election. However, on April 15, 2007, he announced he 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. He is considered an underdog, and does not have much -- if any -- money with which to run a campaign.