Rick Snowden, Strip Club Owner, Millionaire Philanthropist Leaving Buffalo

Buffalo, N.Y. - He is the Rick in Rick's Tally-Ho strip club in Cheektowaga.

But he was also the man who bought, and tastefully refurbished, the historic Miller Mansion on Nottingham Terrace.

And as of Friday, Rick Snowden will be out of the mansion.

And soon he'll be out of the strip club business, and have Buffalo in his rear view mirror.

Last weekend, thousands of people came to Rick Snowden's garage sale to end all garage sales. Many said they were sorry to see him go, and thanked him for what he did for the community.

Scott Brown: "Did that surprise you?"

Rick Snowden: "No, it didn't surprise me, it made me feel sad. It was great to hear the work we had done here was appreciated by hundreds and hundreds of people."

Scott Brown: "Why did it make you feel sad?"

Rick Snowden: "Because I really hate to leave, but it really became necessary for personal reasons, but it's sad to leave this beautiful place."

Those personal reasons were an FBI raid on his club back in March. A number of dancers and two employees were charged with prostitution and drug dealing. And even though he lost his liquor license, Snowden was not charged himself.

Scott Brown: "I think some people say he was there all the time, how could he not have known what was going on?"

Rick Snowden: "In that search they found nothing - no quantity of drugs, no cache of cash, they found no weapons.

"However, I will accept a certain amount of responsibility, it was my property, my business, I apologize to everyone I may have let down."

Snowden grew up in Hornell, N.Y., and always loved politics. He ran for congress when he was just 25 years old.

Five years ago, Snowden wanted to run for Erie County Executive, but quickly learned that people couldn't see beyond how he made his living.

Scott Brown: "Looking back do you think it was kind of a crazy idea, given the (strip club) business?"

Rick Snowden: "Sadly, it wasn't a crazy idea- I think I would have made a tremendous County Executive based on my work ethic, my core of honestly and my long-held interest in public service, and not eating at the trough."

Snowden will be moving to a home he has in Tennessee. He says he'll do a lot of traveling overseas, and from there who knows?

The only thing he knows for sure is that his time in Buffalo has come to an end.

Scott Brown: "Friday, when you turn the keys over to this place to the new owners, are you going to be wistful that this is it?"

Rick Snowden: "There will probably be one more tear shed, but we've worked through it." wgrz.com