The city of Buffalo is preparing to elect its first new mayor in nearly two decades, which is one of the races to watch across Western New York on Election Day.

Mayor – City of Buffalo

Democrat Sean Ryan, Republican James Gardner and Independent Michael Gainer are on the ballot to be the next mayor of the city. 

The winner will be the first person since Byron Brown to win the job since 2005.

Christopher Scanlon has served as acting mayor since Brown resigned the role in October of last year.

Supervisor – Town of Amherst

Amherst is picking a new Town Supervisor.

The race is between Republican Dan Gagliardo and Democrat Shawn Lavin.

Current Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa can’t seek a third term.

The $1 sale of the former Westwood Country Club is a hot topic. Gagliardo has filed a lawsuit, citing violations of the environmental review process and open meetings law. He recently filed an ethics complaint on the matter as well. Another sticking point is property taxes.

Treasurer – City of Dunkirk

People in the city of Dunkirk will vote on the future of the treasurer position.

The proposal before Dunkirk voters would abolish the elected position.

If abolished, it would transfer under the supervision of the city leadership.

There’s also an ongoing investigation into the treasurer’s office by the state comptroller and Chautauqua County District Attorney.

Mayor – City of Tonawanda

In the race for Tonawanda mayor, Republican incumbent John White is taking on his Democrat challenger, Bill Strassburg.

Both candidates said city finances are a top concern this election cycle.

Democrat incumbent Austin Tylec is looking to hold onto his seat as his first term is coming to a close.

He is facing Republican challenger Tom Krantz.

Supervisor – Town of Hamburg

Republican Beth Farrell Lorentz and Democrat Bob Reynolds are on the ballot for Hamburg Town Supervisor.

A third name is mounting a write-in campaign. Josh Collins calls himself a Republican independent. Collins is a retired U.S. Army major. He hopes to “freeze taxes, crush waste, end insider deals and restore accountability.”

Lorentz says she’s proud to have accomplished a great deal in the past eight years. She says she’s “committed to attaining the best results for our town and ensuring that Hamburg thrives as the community we take pride in calling home.”

Reynolds is another name on the ballot. He was an Erie Council legislator for four years and has been on the Hamburg IDA board for eight years. Reynolds says during that time, they’ve brought more than $300,000 and 1,200 jobs to Hamburg.

Comptroller – Erie County

Republican Christine Czarnik is looking to unseat incumbent Democrat Kevin Hardwick. There’s a focus on facts and nonpartisan politics for both campaigns.

Czarnik says her 30 years as an accountant provide knowledge Hardwick doesn’t have, pointing to an unredacted check he gave to local media.

Hardwick says that it “was not a huge deal,” but changes were made afterward to prevent it from happening again. He points to audits, which found counterfeit checks and embezzlement, as a measure of success.

Polls are open across New York from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday after nearly 1.2 million people took part in early voting in New York state, according to the state Board of Elections. That includes 37,170 voters in Erie County.

If you are voting absentee, those ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 4 and reach the Board of Elections no later than Nov. 12 to be counted. You can also drop off your signed absentee ballot at your local Board of Elections office no later than 9 p.m.

Because of expanded absentee voting, some winners may not be announced until days or weeks after Election Day.