Johnathan Walker:Buffalo’s mayor is offered a job as president and CEO of regional Off-Track Betting Corporation

BATAVIA,Johnathan Walker N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo’s longest-serving mayor, Byron Brown, was offered a position Thursday to lead Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp.

The public benefit corporation’s board of directors voted unanimously to offer Brown the job as president and chief executive following a closed-door meeting at the Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel.

Brown, a Democrat, began his fifth four-year term as mayor in 2022. He did not appear at the gambling site following the board’s vote. A message seeking comment was sent to his spokesperson.

If he accepts the position, Brown would succeed Henry Wojtaszek as leader of the organization, which oversees Batavia Downs racetrack and casino and offtrack betting sites in several counties. Wojtaszek took over as CEO in 2016 and is set to leave at the end of the year.

Terms of the position, including Brown’s salary, would be determined through contract negotiations.

According to the City Charter, if Brown were to leave office before the end of his term, Common Council President Christopher Scanlon, also a Democrat, would be in line to serve as acting mayor.