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Common Council Conversations: Council President Darius Pridgen on The Public Good

Presenter(s): Tanvier Peart
Date: July 19, 2022, 10:30-11 am
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Over the next few months, PPG is hosting Buffalo Common Council members on The Public Good as they discuss their goals and plans for the upcoming year. 
 
This week on The Public Good, we feature Council President Darius G. Pridgen of the Ellicott District. 
 
Council President Pridgen is a veteran of the United States Air Force. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from SUNY Buffalo State and a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Medaille College.Council President Pridgen began his political involvement serving on the Buffalo School Board. He was first elected to the Buffalo Common Council in 2011 and has served as Council President since 2014.
 Outside of his role as Council President, Pridgen is a bishop and senior pastor at True Bethel Baptist Church on East Ferry Street.
 
The Ellicott District stretches across – and includes much of - downtown Buffalo. While it covers a small portion of the Lower West Side and, most of the Ellicott District encompasses neighborhoods in the lower section of Buffalo’s East Side. Demographically, nearly 60% of Ellicott District residents identify as Black. The Ellicott District has the highest percentage (16.7%) of senior citizens of any other Council district. A quarter of residents have a disability, the highest of any Council district.
 
The Ellicott District covers many neighborhoods including downtown Buffalo, Willert Park, the Fruit Belt, and a portion of Masten Park. Community landmarks include the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor (including the Nash House and the Michigan Street Baptist Church), Shea’s Theater, Buffalo City Hall, and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

This episode is part of an ongoing series Common Council Conversations, where members of the Buffalo Common Council discuss what's going on in their district and priorities for the coming year.
The interviews will span a variety of topics. Each Common Council member will be asked about:

  • Priorities for the year ahead
  • What’s going on in their district
  • What improvements or changes they’d like to see in their district over the next few years
  • What community organizations, block clubs, cultural groups, and other groups should be highlighted as doing really positive work in their district, and
  • Which of the 2022 PPG Community Agenda items they support

The series will allow Buffalo residents to hear from their council members on these important topics and hear more about what’s going on in districts across the city. 

To visit Council President Pridgen’s web page, click here.

And to read more about the Ellicott District, check out PPG's fact sheet here. 

Listen in on Tuesdays at 10:30 am on POWER 96.5 FM or MIX 1080 AM, or watch the video on our Facebook page.