Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe

Columbia’s mayor to speak at several conferences at Dubai climate change summit

November 28, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe (2022 file photo courtesy of city of Columbia’s website)

Columbia’s mayor will be heading to Dubai later this week as part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors delegation to an annual global climate conference.

The city says that the U.S. Conference of Mayors is covering Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe’s travel expenses to attend COP 28, which begins Thursday and runs through December 8. Mayor Buffaloe has been invited to speak at numerous conference events. Buffaloe says heat kills more people in a year than all other weather phenomena. She says she’ll talk about Columbia’s efforts to measure the impacts of extreme heat in Columbia’s neighborhoods and the plans for addressing its impacts on the most vulnerable.

Mayor Buffaloe serves as the U.S. Conference of Mayors environment committee chair. She is one of at least six mayors that will be attending the conference. Others include Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie and Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

The COP 28 conference is attended by world leaders and is hosted by the United Nations (UN). Mayor Buffaloe says she plans to “showcase Columbia’s leadership in climate action.” The city of Columbia approved a climate action and adaptation plan in 2019. Mayor Buffaloe says she plans to reaffirm that commitment for Columbia at the global conference.

The city notes Columbia city manager De’Carlon Seewood handles the city’s day-to-day operations.

Columbia’s mayor to speak at several conferences at Dubai climate change summit

November 28, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

Columbia’s mayor will be heading to Dubai later this week as part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors delegation to an annual global climate conference.

The city notes Columbia city manager De’Carlon Seewood handles the city’s day-to-day operations.

Columbia’s council appoints Proffitt to fill second ward council seat

November 28, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

A Mizzou professor who’s been active with Columbia Citizens for Roll Carts and with the Highland Park neighborhood association has been appointed to fill the remaining four months of former Columbia Second Ward councilwoman Andrea Waner’s term.

Columbia’s city council appointed Rachel Proffitt at Monday evening’s special meeting. Our news partner KMIZ reports four members of the council voted for Proffitt: Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and council members Nick Knoth, Nick Foster and Betsy Peters.

In Ms. Proffitt’s five-page application, she says she does not plan to run for a full term in the spring and that her service on the council will end in April. Two issues that Profitt is focusing on are affordable housing and homelessness. She says the city has a prerogative to address the current state of homelessness and provide humane and forward-thinking solutions. She also says that the new roll cart system for trash that begins in 2024 might need some adjustments as it is “rolled out.”

Ms. Proffitt says she’ll be able to meet with second ward constituents and engage in outreach in the next four months to ensure that their views are well-represented. Ms. Proffitt will be sworn-in at next Monday’s council meeting. Ms. Waner resigned her seat on the day before Thanksgiving because she’s moving to a new home outside her ward.

(LISTEN): Columbia’s mayor pleased with Madison’s co-response model

October 26, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

Columbia’s mayor says one of the things she was most impressed with during the Chamber’s recent Wisconsin leadership visit is Madison’s co-response model. Mayor Barbara Buffaloe tells 939 the Eagle that Columbia is looking to do this right now.

“This is where we have both somebody who is a first responder responding with a mental health, behavioral health, some sort of a specialist, that is helping meet that person where they are right then. Because it might not be that they need to have a police response,” Buffaloe says.

Mayor Buffaloe was one of 70 Columbia-area elected officials and business leaders that made the trip to Madison. She likes the Madison model.

“It might just be that they need to get into one of our behavioral health clinics or even just de-escalating the situation. So they had some great lessons learned on that that as we implement our own system, I look forward to us doing in Columbia,” says Buffaloe.

Homelessness and college sports were other topics discussed on the trip to Madison, which has about 270,000 residents. It is home to both a state capital and the University of Wisconsin. Columbia Chamber of Commerce president Matt McCormick also made the trip, and is pleased with what they learned.

(LISTEN): CPOA members selling pink patches until end of October

October 18, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

You’ll notice a Columbia Police vehicle wrapped in pink vinyl this month, as the Columbia Police Department and the Columbia Police Officers Association (CPOA) continue to raise awareness about breast cancer.

The CPOA paid for the decals. CPD officer Johnny Quirarte says all of the money raised this month will remain in Columbia.

“In 2019, CPOA teamed up to participate in the pink patch program. Since then, we’ve donated over $4,000 to this program which is pretty cool. So how can you participate? You can purchase a pink patch today for $15 or via our QR code. And the funds raised during October are going towards the purchase of imaging equipment at the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center here in Columbia,” Quirarte says.

Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe has dyed her hair pink for CPOA and to raise awareness of breast cancer awareness month. Mayor Buffaloe, Officer Quirarte, Ellis Fischel representatives and breast cancer survivors spoke at a recent press conference in front of city hall. Chelsea Brunstrom, the wife of CPD officer Ryan Brunstrom, spoke at the ceremony:

“I was diagnosed in 2019 at the age of 31 and both my mother and my grandmother were also breast cancer survivors. So as a third-generation breast cancer survivor you can imagine that this is kind of important raising awareness. It’s near and dear to my heart,” Ms. Brunstrom says.

She’s emphasizing the importance of regular check-ups and self-exams.

“And it was in between those doctors visits that in a regular routine self-exam I found a lump … pretty scary. Because I was aware of my risks, that meant that I could contact my doctor right away and I was able to get started in treatment very quickly,” says Brunstrom.