New York’s second-largest city is facing some major changes, but a long-time elected official is ready to help.

Mayor Byron Brown is stepping down to take a new job as president and CEO of Western Regional Off-Track Betting Association, but he leaves behind a city facing financial uncertainty.

According to the city’s financial control board, Brown’s four-year financial plan relies on uncertain revenues, and conservative estimates indicate Buffalo faces budget deficits of between $15 million to $25 million, if not more.

New York state Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes tells Capital Tonight that she’s ready to step in to assist the city, especially since, in her opinion, Buffalo has been overlooked when it comes to opportunities to create new revenue streams. 

“You can’t keep leaving the city out and expect that its finances will get better,” she told Capital Tonight. 

When asked how the city has been left out, the Western New York lawmaker said that unlike other upstate cities, Buffalo doesn’t share in Erie County’s sales tax revenue, nor does it access any bed tax.

She’s also unhappy that the Bills' stadium wasn’t located in the city proper.

“That actually should have been in the city of Buffalo,” she said of the Orchard Park stadium. “That’s the sort of thing that builds a municipality’s economy.”

Peoples-Stokes said that while the state’s Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) program was increased last year, the program needs to be a consistent source of revenue for cities like Buffalo.

“There was an increase, but it should be sustainable,” Peoples-Stokes said of AIM.

Is increasing AIM aid a priority for the long-time legislator this coming legislative session?

“It absolutely is. My beloved Buffalo is important to me,” she said.