Rasheed N.C. Wyatt
Rasheed N.C. Wyatt is an American politician who has served as the member of the Buffalo Common Council from the University District since 2014. Before entering elected office, he worked as a chief of staff to the Common Council and in finance and banking. In 2025, he was a candidate in the Democratic primary for mayor of Buffalo.
Early life and education
Wyatt grew up on Buffalo's East Side and attended Seneca High School. According to his official city biography, he earned an associate degree in accounting from Kensington Business Institute in 1986, a bachelor's degree in business resource development from Medaille College, and a master's degree in organizational leadership from Medaille College.
Career
Before joining the Buffalo Common Council, Wyatt worked as a chief of staff to the council and had professional experience in finance and banking. Investigative Post described him in 2025 as a former banker and a recent critic of Buffalo's budgeting practices.
Political career
Wyatt was appointed to the Buffalo Common Council on January 28, 2014, after council members voted 7–1 to select him to succeed Bonnie E. Russell in the University District.
In 2019, he defeated Kathryn Franco in the Democratic primary by a margin of 1,449 votes to 703. He later won the general election over Green Party nominee Dorethea Franklin.
Wyatt won reelection again in 2023. Buffalo Toronto Public Media reported that he defeated Franco in the Democratic primary with about two-thirds of the vote, while City & State described the result as a comfortable victory over a challenger backed by progressive groups. He then defeated Franco, who ran on the Working Families Party line, in the general election.
In December 2024, Wyatt announced his candidacy for mayor of Buffalo in the 2025 Democratic primary. He was defeated in the five-way primary, which was won by Sean Ryan.
As of 2026, Wyatt chairs the Education Committee and serves on the Budget, Claims, Civil Service, Community Development, Police Oversight, and Waterfront Development committees of the Common Council.
Personal life
Wyatt is the son of Norman C. Wyatt, a Buffalo native who served in the United States Army and died in 1963 before Rasheed Wyatt was born. In 2019, Wyatt participated in a ceremony at Jesse Clipper Memorial Park where his father's military service medals were presented to the family.