Local Democracy in Action
Get hands-on experience in local government and help shape Buffalo’s future during the first City Charter revision in 25 years.
Project description
The City of Buffalo is revising the City Charter for the first time in 25 years. The City Charter is like the "constitution" of Buffalo. It lays out the powers and duties of the Mayor, Common Council members, Comptroller, and different City Departments, Commissions and Boards. It explains how taxes are collected, how our City budget is developed and adopted, how laws are passed, and how City government functions. In Spring 2025, the Buffalo City Charter Revision Commission is looking for community input to inform what revisions should go on the ballot in November. This is an exciting opportunity for all voices to be heard including those who are unable to vote in Buffalo elections (minors, non-citizens, those who work or live or frequent Buffalo while maintaining voter registration in other districts).
Be a part of this process by working with the City of Buffalo Charter Revision Commission to promote public hearings, gather community input, balance diverse stakeholder perspectives, and research proposed changes. Build skills in engaging diverse communities, analyzing data, developing fact sheets, producing policy case studies, and drafting updates to major municipal legal documents, all while deepening your network in Buffalo, NY and getting to know your local politicians and municipal leaders.
Come experience local democracy in action.
Project outcome
This ELN is organized into three sequential modules.
Module 1: Community Engagement.
Students will engage the public by tabling at community centers to raise awareness of the City Charter Revision process. They may develop outreach materials such as posters, memes, reels, brief surveys, or conversation scripts. Students will also receive training from City Charter Revision Work Group members on effective one-on-one engagement with diverse community members.
Module 2: Priority Identification.
Using qualitative data from City Charter Revision public hearing notes and email submissions, along with relevant grey literature on city operations, students will identify a policy priority of interest which can be addressed through City Charter revisions. Students will then analyze census data and other relevant sources to contextualize their chosen policy priority, using quantitative and/or spatial methods as appropriate. Each student will draft a problem statement justifying their selected focus.
Module 3: Policy Research and Communication.
Students will research how other municipalities have addressed the problem identified in Module 2 to develop case studies. Case studies will provide specific and tangible arguments for how policy interventions have succeeded, or not succeeded, at addressing the policy problem identified. Students will then synthesize all they have learned throughout the three modules to craft an impactful fact sheet on their policy priority. Each student will present their fact sheet to members of the Buffalo City Charter Revision Work Groups at the end of the Spring 2026 semester. Fact sheets may be used by the Commission to inform ballot decisions and educate voters.
Optional Module 4.
Students may choose to extend their work by converting their fact sheet into an academic-style poster and/or paper for presentation at an undergraduate conference.
Project details
| Length of commitment | About a semester |
| Start time | January 2026 |
| In-person, remote, or hybrid? | In-person |
| Level of collaboration | While each student will develop individual products, collaboration between students and peer feedback on products will strengthen this work. All community engagement in the community will occur in groups. |
| Benefits | Volunteer and research experience |
| Who is eligible | All undergraduate students |
Core partners
- City of Buffalo Charter Revision Committee - https://www.buffalony.gov/1802/City-of-Buffalo-Charter-Revision-Commiss
- Charter Review Work Groups - https://www.buffalony.gov/1807/Work-Groups
- Partnership for the Public Good - https://ppgbuffalo.org/
The City of Buffalo Charter Revision Committee and Work Groups are composed of individuals from City government as well as a wide variety of local organizations including the Western New York Area Labor Federation, Lead Safe Task Force, Home HeadQuarters, Erie County Surrogates Court, The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Children's Museum, and the Erie County District Attorney's Office. Students will have the opportunity to collaborate and network with a wide variety of individuals with experience across many domains and sectors depending on specific student interests.
Project mentor
Micaela Lipman
Civic Engagement Coordinator
Philosophy
Email: micaelal@buffalo.edu
Start the project
- Email the project mentor using the contact information above to express your interest and get approval to work on the project. (Here are helpful tips on how to contact a project mentor.)
- After you receive approval from the mentor to start this project, click the button to start the digital badge. (Learn more about ELN's digital badge options.)
Preparation activities
Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. After you’re approved to begin the project, your mentor will send the relevant materials. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase.
Please email the project mentor (Micaela F. Lipman) including a copy of your resume, and a brief paragraph describing why you are interested in this ELN project. If applicable, please include any specific goals you have for this experience. It is also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the materials on the City of Buffalo Charter Revision Commission website (https://www.buffalony.gov/1802/City-of-Buffalo-Charter-Revision-Commiss).
Keywords
philosophy, community engagement, democracy, government, policy, politics, urban planning, economics, geography, sociology