BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Erie County Democratic Committee's endorsed candidate for mayor, state Sen. Sean Ryan, stood in front of City Hall to call attention to what he says are serious ethics violations committed by primary opponent and acting Mayor Chris Scanlon.

"We need to bring change to the city of Buffalo," Ryan said.

He said since Scanlon assumed the duties of mayor in October, he sent a fundraiser invitation using City Hall as a return address and promoted campaign social media accounts on the city's website.

"You can't use government resources to promote your political campaign," Ryan said.

The current state senator said Scanlon's appointment of Deputy Mayor Brian Gould is also highly problematic. According to the New York State Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, Gould has filed a lobbyist for E3Communications in the past for clients including National Fuel, the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association and Montante Development.

The database includes an active account with Arcadis of New York, an engineering firm Ryan says lobbies the Buffalo Sewer Authority.

"The acting mayor recently appointed the lobbyist Gould as a member of the sewer authority board. It smells bad. It looks bad and it is bad," Ryan said.

The Ryan campaign has not filed any complaints to this point about Scanlon. However, the candidate did lay out his plan for ethics and transparency reform.

If elected, he said he will work to prohibit appointments to the ethics board and the board's nominating committee for people who have made substantial campaign contributions to city leaders. He said he will establish new transparency measures including daily public schedules and comprehensive annual ethics training for city employees.

Ryan committed to avoid hiring family members to city-funded positions an plans to institute a nepotism ban for department heads as well. He said he will prohibit top city officials from "significant outside employment."

And the candidate promised to institute a policy banning political donations from companies and executives with active applications for contracts before the city.

"People, they don't have confidence in city hall. They have this idea that city hall works for itself. It's self propagating and that's what we need to root out," Ryan said.

In a statement, Scanlon said it is ironic Ryan would have the "audacity" to propose a plan related to ethics, integrity or transparency. 

"As a state legislator for the past 14 years, Sean Ryan nas accepted millions of dollars in contributions from New York City and Albany special interests who have legislation pending before his Committees, who do business with the State of New York and who are significantly impacted by his budget votes," Scanlon said.

He accused Ryan of trying to "buy the mayor's office" by transferring money contributed from outside the region to his mayoral account.

Petitions to get on the ballot are due no later than April 3rd with multiple Democrats, including Scanlon and Ryan currently circulating them.