BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Former Erie County District Attorney John Flynn was appointed the new supervisor of Tonawanda following a vote by the town’s board on Monday night.
Flynn was appointed to the role following Joe Emminger’s retirement last week. Emminger had been the town’s supervisor since 2016.
Flynn served nearly two terms as the county’s top prosecutor. He stepped down from his post in April 2024, joining the Buffalo-based law firm Lippes Mathias. As DA, Flynn was best known for handling the criminal prosecution of Payton Gendron, who killed 10 Black people and injured three more in the racist Tops supermarket mass shooting on May 14, 2022. Gendron pleaded guilty to 15 state charges six months after the attack.
“As I’ve said before many times, I have raised my family here in Tonawanda. I have lived here now since 2001 … for what you’ve done, Tonawanda, for me and my family, I can never repay,” Flynn said. “But every time I sit up there and every day that I’m here and do this work is to repay each and every one of you and repay the town for what you did for me. And with that, I say thank you. Let’s get to work.”
Flynn will serve as Emminger’s replacement until the end of the year, and there will be a special election in November for the remainder of Emminger’s term, which expires at the end of 2027.
In 2003 Flynn previously won a seat on the Town of Tonawanda Board and later served as Town Justice and Town Attorney.
The Western New York native attended East Aurora High School before going to Bowling Green State University; he returned to Buffalo to earn a law degree at the University at Buffalo following a stint in the U.S. Navy. He was a personal injury attorney from 2002 to 2016 before being elected Erie County District Attorney.
Latest Local News
***
Mark Ludwiczak joined the News 4 team in 2024. He is a veteran journalist with two decades of experience in Buffalo. You can follow him online at @marklud12.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.