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If you’d asked me early on Tuesday afternoon how Mickey Kearns was faring in his primary race against Mayor Byron Brown, I’d have said it was close. I’d visited polling places in Ellicott and Masten, where turnout was very high, which boded well for Brown. Turnout in Delaware was high, too, however, and that was supposed to be a good sign for Kearns. And the news coming from South Buffalo was astonishing: Some polling places had already exceeded the 2005 primary numbers, and the after-work rush was still hours away. I’d visited polling places in the University, Fillmore, Niagara, and North Districts, too; turnout seemed comparable to 2005 in all four. Who knows, maybe Niagara would have been more dynamic if Erie County Legislator Maria Whyte had faced a primary from Buffalo School Board President Ralph Hernandez, who was removed from the ballot after his petitions were challenged in court. As the numbers turned out, however, a race in Niagara would not have been enough to turn the tide.
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