Chapo Trap House - Bonus: Interview with India Walton, Candidate for Mayor of Buffalo

Episode Date: September 22, 2021

Will talks to India Walton, the socialist candidate who won the Democratic primary for Mayor of Buffalo in June. They discuss the ongoing opposition to her campaign from the establishment incumbent she defeated in the primary and his corporate allies, how she plans to make Buffalo work for the city’s tenants and renters, and how she will address policing issues as the mayor of a large American city. If you’d like to learn more about India’s campaign or donate, go to: https://www.indiawalton.com/

All right, should we just get into it? I'm ready. Let's do it. Okay, great. Okay. All right. Well, here's a good one for you. Bonus episode. We are very pleased to be joined now by the Democratic primary winner for the mayor of Buffalo. It's India Walton. India. Thank you so much for being on the show. Oh, thanks for having me. I'm happy to be here. Now, under normal circumstances, you know, you're on track to become the only socialist mayor in the United States. We love it. Usually we'd leave it there. Obviously, because the Buffalo mayor's office has been occupied by a Democrat without exception since about 1966. But there have been some developments. I know there's been a recent federal appeals court

in decision in your favor. But for our listeners, can you relate, if they're not familiar, can you relate how when you run and win a primary to be the mayor of a major American city as a Democratic socialist, it's never quite as simple as just winning an election? Yeah. By all intents and purposes, if I were anyone else, after winning the primary, after defeating a 16 year four term incumbent, I would be the presumptive mayor elect. But instead, the current mayor has resorted to some tactics that may sound familiar. First, he waged a writing campaign, and then he circulated independent nominating petitions to create an independent line for himself to remain on the ballot. But the Court of Appeals overturned the decision by a lower court judge

and ruled him off the ballot. So that is a good thing. Yeah. I mean, I'm reading about this story. I mean, it's pretty incredible. Can you talk about referring to that lower court decision? Could you explain who the Sinatra brothers are and how they came to be involved in this race? Yep. So the first judge who ruled that Byron Brown was able to have access to the ballot is named John Sinatra. He is a judge who was appointed by President Trump. And his brother is a major contributor to my opponent's campaign. Local developer who often skips out on paying taxes on many of the hundreds of buildings, many in this repair that he owns in the city of Buffalo. I mean, like, yeah, this is about this is about

real estate developers, basically. And they feel they feel threatened by your victory in the primary. I mean, here in New York City, and I would imagine in pretty much every other American city, real estate developers are really they set the pace for everything. And they seem to keep their hands on the reins no matter who wins elections. Can you talk about how you view the role of real estate developers in city politics and in particular in Buffalo, the Buffalo Billion redevelopment program? Like, how do you see them and how do you think that they feel threatened by your agenda? Well, I think that, you know, large developers who extract from communities without reinvesting in the neighborhoods that they are building in have every right to

to have pause right now when you have someone who's coming into leadership saying, hey, we're going to put people first. Hey, when you are using tax dollars and expecting subsidies, and public land to build your buildings, it's going to benefit the people that actually live there. And you're going to pay taxes on those buildings. It is going to affect the bottom line for folks. But I've been explaining that rich people are always going to be fine, because when poor people have more money, we can afford to live in these apartments that are being created, and we can afford to spend money in their businesses. So I think that, you know, bottom up development and prioritizing working class people is ultimately going to

benefit everyone. There will be some growing pains, but they'll get used to it. They'll be fine. Well, we'll see about that. I mean, they're quite colloquial at the moment. But I mean, yeah, like, I mean, look, in the in the sort of economy and system we currently live under, like cities need development, right? Like, I mean, there is unfortunately a role to be played by private real estate and development. But basically, I mean, all you're saying is they have to pay taxes on the properties they own, and that that public money should not be used to fund what is essentially private endeavors to benefit, you know, private interests. That's that's exactly what I'm saying. And I don't understand how that could be

such a novel idea when we expect individual property owners to pay taxes. It's a shame that we're allowing large developers who make record profits to be able to skirt the the law and absolve themselves of the responsibility of being contributors to the communities that they benefit off of. I mean, I mentioned earlier this this Buffalo Billion redevelopment program. I mean, like, what was that program intended to do? And like, how was real estate developer sort of steered that ship towards their own ends? Well, you know, the Buffalo Billion was really intended to be an economic driver for the Western New York area that had kind of been, you know, starved for investment for so long. So the state came in and provided resources. But

what we saw most proliferate were sort of flagship projects that didn't really amount to any material gain for the folks in the community. The best example that we can point to is a Tesla factory that was built with a $750 million tax incentive and is employing only a handful of people. And even those folks who are employed are normally employed on a temporary basis by agencies with no access to union labor, union negotiating contracts and things like that. So it hasn't materialized in the way that it was presented, definitely. And I mean, you know, if you had your way, I mean, what would like that that billion, how would you see that money invested in development? I would see it go to building infill housing, affordable housing into establishing

revolving loan funds for first time homeowners or folks who don't traditionally qualify for mortgage financing through banks, home repair funds for small hometown landlords and homeowners who don't have access to equity in their homes because we have communities that have been redlined and really just neighborhood centered methods of planning where we're making our neighborhoods livable and walkable investing in infrastructure, street sidewalks, you know, bike lanes, grocery stores, things that really improve the quality of life for a lot of people in Buffalo. You know, this renaissance that we're touting is mostly amenities and recreation and everyone loves that, but it doesn't mean anything to you when your housing situation is unstable, when you don't have

a quality job to be able to go down and enjoy a downtown or a canal side or a concert. So we really have to not only rise the tide, but we have to build boats so that the folks who live in communities are rising along with it and not being drowned out in the process. Yeah, I mean, obviously, you know, everyone loves sports teams, everyone loves like a nice downtown promenade or whatever. But like those things aren't, I mean, the benefit of those things can't be independent of the things you just said, like livable neighborhoods with like, you know, grocery stores and roads and things like that. Yeah, I would rather have a grocery store than a carousel. But you know, I believe in abundance. And I think that they're not mutually exclusive. And we live

in a world that with the proper planning, with bold leadership and visionary leadership, we can have both. Yeah, it's always a bad sign whenever I read a story about a city is building like the new biggest ferris wheel in the world and like a sort of downtown harbor area. That's always, and they're always, oh, think of all the jobs that the ferris wheel will create. It never really works out like that, though, does it? Right. Yeah. I was just reading up on your victory. And just one of the things that caught my eye is that the districts that you won contain a majority of Buffalo's renters. How would you describe the coalition that propels you to the primary victory? And how do you view like a tenants rights, tenants rights as part of

your agenda? You know, so I'll start by saying that a lot of the protections that our New York City counterparts enjoy, we don't have in Buffalo. And the justification is because of the vacancy rate, right? Well, I think one of the things that's most interesting to a lot of folks who are following this race, the renters, is that we are going to look at what is considered vacant in Buffalo, because a lot of what we are counting as vacant is vacant because it's uninhabitable. We have some of the oldest housing stock in the country. There are places you literally just cannot live in, right? And I think that also holding landlords accountable so that they're not able to hide behind LLCs and management companies. And we know exactly who they are and are able to hold

them accountable for a lot of the code violations and less than stellar quality of living that folks have to endure while paying these astronomical rents is a really resonant message with renters in Buffalo. We've all been watching the prices of renting apartments creep up without any sort of relief. And it's all just speculation, because we know that in Buffalo, even though our markets are keeping up with the rate of inflation, our wages are not. And we have had a slower trajectory to getting to a living wage, minimum wage here in Western New York and in Buffalo. So these are a lot of things that folks who are supporters of the Walton campaign are seeing as things that impact and affect their everyday lives. And they want to be a part of the movement that's going to

help change that. Well, I mean, in speaking about that movement, you ran as a member of the DSA and you did not shy away from the word and concept of socialism. Now, obviously, when you do that, the media is going to throw a lot of stuff at you. Like, what were some of the ways in which you turned what has traditionally been an anchor that's hung around the neck of anyone, even mildly progressive to your benefit or at least neutralize a lot of the hysteria surrounding the idea of socialism or democratic socialism in America? The most important thing that we do as a campaign is stay indoors and in front of people and on the phones, right? We're having conversations. It's not about the language you use, call it whatever the heck you want. Bottom line, people want healthcare

for all, housing for all, access to clean air, water, food, right? So it's about having those conversations. But it was also like, like you said, Buffalo is a democratic city. You know, 65% of registered voters are Democrats. And when working class people have had a Democrat in office for so long and has not seen the material condition of their lives change, they wonder, why am I going to keep voting for a Democrat? So I think that being a member of the DSA, running as someone other than what we currently have has given people a sense of hope that when I'm elected, things are going to actually be different. So I really used it as an opportunity to be able to differentiate ourselves from corporate Democrats in the plutocracy.

And when you said like, you know, knocking on doors, like that was your biggest advantage, you know, because I mean, like you're obviously never going to have the earned media advantage running as a, you know, an insurgent and certainly as a socialist. Like when you're knocking on those doors, like what's the thing that like most commonly would you would connect with the person on the other side of that door or like get over a hump of someone who may be, you know, skeptical of someone knocking on their door or canning them a political pamphlet or asking them to, you know, support a political movement. You know, what's interesting is that people are just happy that someone is showing up. People are just happy that someone is putting in the effort

to come and knock on your door. But the number one concern in this community is infrastructure, especially in certain neighborhoods, people want paved roads and sidewalks. And when we talk about what socialism is and isn't public infrastructure is socialism, right? That is the government serving its function of serving the people who pay taxes and who should have city services that are well run, that are efficient and that work for everyone in every neighborhood and not just certain ones, depending on how much money you have or who you know in City Hall. Well, I mean, you bring up infrastructure and, you know, municipal governments. There is a, you know, an established history in America of sewer socialism, you know, like in Milwaukee.

Like, I mean, yeah, like, so how does how does that just simple things like the roads or whatever? Like, I mean, there's a strong socialist history behind that. And that is those are the conversations that are being had, right? We have allowed a lot of our narrative and language to be stolen from us by our opposition. And we just don't want people explaining who we are, because we can do it for ourselves. We do it better anyway. So, you know, it really is about controlling the narrative and leaning into it, not shying away from it. And it's like, I'm still a Democrat, but I'm a socialist because I believe that neoliberal politics has been a failure of the working class. Neoliberalism and hyper capitalism has essentially wiped out any middle class in Buffalo and in the United States.

And it's time that we do something different. People are tired of working harder for less. People are tired of padding the pockets of CEOs who are making 200 times more than a lowest pay worker. We're ready to reclaim the means of production and just have some equity in the way that we live. On the night of your primary victory, you said to the media, all that we're doing in this moment is claiming what is rightfully ours. We are the workers, we do the work, and we deserve a government that works with and for us. You talked about like, you know, you're a Democrat, but like you've come to the conclusion that, you know, neoliberal democratic policies have been insufficient for the working class of this country, to say the least. I'm just wondering,

how did your background as a nurse and a union representative inform your kind of like political evolution and your vision of what socialism represents in America? I have to tell you, you know, growing up poor with a single mother who worked extremely hard to provide for us and having some challenges of my own. But then, you know, graduating college becoming a registered nurse and still struggling, right? Like feeling like I had done everything right, but still I could not enjoy in that American dream that I saw a lot of my counterparts enjoying in, right? Like home ownership. Just the things that we all want, right? A white picket fence and a home of your own. And it's like, why can't I seem to get ahead? I seem to be working extremely hard and it's just not

working in my favor. And I began to meet people and go through different trainings that allowed me to have the language to begin to name some of the systemic oppressions that I was experiencing. And my desire to want to send families home prepared to be as healthy as possible from the hospital, I worked in a neonatal intensive care unit. So I was sending parents home with very young, vulnerable infants who sometimes had medical challenges, but knowing they didn't have transportation, knowing that our public transit system is not designed to support people with special needs, knowing that they probably don't have access to a healthy living environment. And all of those things, I wanted for a long time for myself, for my children, for my friends,

and for my patients. But I think the first Bernie Sanders campaign was when I had a word to describe what we mean when we say housing for all, healthcare for all, decent living wage, jobs for all. And that is democratic socialism. And that is an all-encompassing, simple way to say what it is that we want for our society as a whole and how we care for one another as individuals, but also the responsibility our government and our elected officials has to have that same level of care for the folks who put them in office. Now, I mean, despite being a strong union woman, a lot of Buffalo's big trade unions have lined up to support Brown in his write-in campaign. You currently have the support of

the Buffalo Teachers Federation, which is pretty big in the city of Buffalo, but you still face reticence from some other big unions, and there are a few big ones still up for grabs in terms of the general. How do you view the role of labor in New York state politics and also national politics as a whole in terms of still this hesitance and an inability of socialism, which ideally should represent labor in the working class, to be a form of partnership with a lot of the bigger and more powerful unions in this country? I should start by saying that Buffalo does still have a significant population of folks that are union members, more so than other areas of the state and country. Union membership is

really important to us as a locality. It's important to me as a person who knows that moving up the socioeconomic ladder is for a lot of folks dependent on union membership, but I will also say that union leadership is not often representative of union membership. So the folks who make the decision about who to endorse doesn't often come from the members, it comes from the leadership, and I think that's the type of top-down structure that we have to fight both in government and in organizations like labor organizations, but I will say that I've been endorsed by the United Commercial Food Workers, grocery store workers. I've been endorsed by IOTC 10, the stage hands union. I've also been endorsed by Workers United,

who is the union that's currently working with Starbucks baristas to form a union in local Starbucks franchises. So even though I don't have the endorsement of a lot of the bigger sort of corporate unions, the ones that are really centered on the workers themselves, I have their support and that means a lot more to me than what the name of the union is because I know with that support also comes boots on the ground, also comes folks who are actually going to go out to the polls and cast their vote for me because they know how strongly I believe in the workers' rights. Well, I mean, I don't want to jinx anything, so I should knock on wood here, but let's just say like just assuming things go according to plan and you win in the general election,

just could you just sort of like a wish cast for us, you know, India Walton, first 100 days in office, like what are some of the big things that you're hoping to achieve for the city of Buffalo? Yep, the first thing that we're going to do is get out into neighborhoods. We're going to go, I'm going to take my staff on a listening tour. We're going neighborhood by neighborhood. We want to have comprehensive neighborhood development plans for every neighborhood in the city of Buffalo, making sure that needs are met immediately. I'm inheriting an existing budget for six months, so we're going to make sure that we're doing a full audit of the city budget, making sure that we have ethical streams of revenue and that we're able to pursue a balanced budget in our first

fiscal year. And the other thing that is really important to a lot of folks is addressing this housing crisis, right? The eviction moratorium is set to expire December 31st. We have to make sure that folks are housed. We have to make sure that money is getting out of the door. We have rescue plan funding and people applying for rental assistance and landlords trying to help folks get caught up on their rent and money just isn't getting out of the door. So we have to fix what is happening administratively that's preventing that from happening. And the third thing is in the first 100 days, working with the Common Council and by executive order, we are going to begin to establish an independent civilian oversight board of our police department because

there's no way that we're going to restore our relationships, heal our community, and have accountability without that type of transparency in our police department. We have to hold bad actors responsible. So first 100 days, it's going to go by very quickly. We're going to bring in the best and brightest and most talented folks in our administration to make sure that we hit the ground running and get some of these top priorities handled fairly quickly. You bring up civilian oversight of the police department. And I remember last summer at the height of the George Floyd protests, there was that video of that elderly gentleman who had his head cracked open on the sidewalk, and that was in Buffalo, and that was Buffalo Police who did

that. What was it like running for office on a Democratic socialist platform at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement and just increasing anger about police violence? And then also at the at times, a fraught merging of a Democratic socialist working class campaign with one surround the Black Lives Matter message about police violence? A part of my decision to run was because of the lack of response last summer. I was embarrassed. I was embarrassed that police pushed down Martin Gugino, and I saw him bleed on the ground and no one came to help. And then our mayor didn't stand up, and our district attorney didn't stand up for a vulnerable person. And also, there was no effort to bring meaningful change or reform. People were out in the streets

all summer long, outraged protesting, and the mayor was at home. Wouldn't even acknowledge folks, wouldn't even have a productive discussion about real change. I thought that made him extra vulnerable, and I thought that it could also continue to mobilize people beyond the protest and say, hey, look, they think we're a joke. They think that these protests don't mean anything, and they can ignore us. So let's turn this into political power and show them that we won't be ignored. And I think that's exactly what we did when we look at the numbers and who turned out. It was a lot of folks who this is this is not their normal mode of behavior. They don't normally vote in primary elections. So we saw a lot of folks who traditionally are prime voters who would

have come out for Brown stay home. And a lot of the young people who were out in the streets last summer come out and vote for for me. So I'm proud of the work that we've done. A lot of folks are volunteers on our team are folks that we converted from protesters into canvassers. So, you know, this is proof that Black Lives Matter and that that whole movement of folks is not just a bunch of talk. There's a saying from my friends out in Oakland that if we're not prepared to govern, we're not prepared to win. This is what we've been fighting for for so long. And finally, we're going to have that when that's going to allow us to govern in a way that honors Black bodies, that honors working class people, and that honors those that have been living in

the fringes and on the margins of society. And now we're going to cast a bright light, co-govern, and really make Buffalo a safer and healthier community for all. But when it comes to a socialist agenda, as you've been describing about how politics should be working for people and the institutions that govern our lives should really be in our hands. Obviously, the police department is one of the biggest, most powerful parts of any city in America, but the police are a public institution. How do you weave that into, like I said, a broader political campaign and a broader political message outside the obvious anger and just really disaster of unaccountable police departments in this country? Aside from holding officers accountable, the fact that we're being

told that an officer can be witnessed and guilty of misconduct and nothing can be done about it is a lie. Our city charter does allow the termination of officers who are guilty of misconduct. So we're going to begin to weed out those supposed bad apples. But I think there's also a shift in culture that has to happen. And I think that changes don't happen without engaging the people who are doing the job. I look forward to having an open dialogue with police officers who are on the beat who are experiencing these challenges. We've tasked police with doing so many jobs that they're just not equipped to do mental health response, homelessness outreach, quality of life tickets. Like these are not things that we need armed police to go into communities and do. We can have,

you know, civilian public safety force that handles quality of life issues. We can have mental health counselors that go out and handle mental health crises. We can fully support our homelessness outreach to go do homeless outreach. We can stop arresting people for crimes that are caused by poverty, substance use or mental health. And then we can free police up to do actual police work. And it goes a little step further. And I think a lot of people will be surprised by this, but I'm disappointed in how we pay our police. I think that we have a problem with police overtime because starting salary is so low that people have to have overtime to be able to survive. And we're seeing a lot of officers moonlight on second jobs and security, you know,

getting in trouble, having to be in uncomfortable situations, because they have to work second jobs. And I don't think that should be the case. As a nurse, if I'm responsible for someone else's life, you can't pay me $37,000 a year. You have to pay me enough money for me to be comfortable enough. And for my own mental well being to be good enough for me to make prudent decisions. And we have not done that in our police department. So we have a lot of varying issues to address, right? There are good officers. We have to celebrate them and make sure that those are highlighted. Bad officers, we have to stop hiding them. We have to not only expose who they are, but hold them accountable. And we also have to work with the union. We have to negotiate in

earnest and honesty. I mean, there are some bad things happening with police in this country. But at the end of the day, police officers are workers too. They're workers with families, with responsibilities, and we want them to feel just as valued as everybody else in our community. And while we are working to create a safe enough community that we don't need police anymore, we still have to make sure that we have the best possible police force that we possibly can. I can already hear the convection among our listenership after saying police are workers. But could you get into that a little bit more? I know a lot of people would get angry to hear that to say the police are workers because they would say, well, there are union

members that are called in to break the strikes of other unions or that they're something categorically different than worker or working class. But trying to be mayor of a big city, I mean, the fact of the matter is that the police department, police departments play a big role in the maintenance of a city. And unfortunately, to a large degree, to the safety of the people in the city, despite the egregious examples of misconduct and like, but I mean, there's a moment now where people, they don't want, I mean, nobody really wants to hear right now that cops do any good at all. Do you run into that? What do you respond to the people's frustration and anger at hearing anything positive about police departments at all? Yeah, I'm not saying that police

departments are positive, right? What I'm saying is that at this point in our society, they're necessary. There are some things that we just as a society have not created the mechanisms to replace them. There are lots of pilots and programs happening now that are super exciting that show me a vision of a future without police. But I also live in Buffalo. And we have a problem with violent crime. That's that is the bottom line. And I believe that when we reduce poverty, when we increase home ownership, when we increase educational attainment, we'll see those things reduced. The problem is we're not there yet. So what I don't want to happen is that what often happens is as progressive as democratic socialists, we get caught up in the minutia. And we want the

thing that we are trying to get to right away. But we have to take the steps to get there first. We cannot dismantle the bad if we have not yet built the new that we actually want. And that means that we have to put people in position who are able to make those decisions and those policies of reality. And we also have to work with people who are currently in place to be able to shift the entire culture until we get there, right? So it's like either we are going to take some while we push forward, or we're never going to have anything because we're so quick to cancel anyone who is even seemingly reasonable enough to be able to color a little bit outside the lines until we rip up the paper and throw in the trash, if that makes any sense.

Yeah, I mean, I mean, it's just it's so it's so impossible because, like you said, Buffalo, like most American cities, violent crime is an issue. But when the people tasked with public safety are also committing a large number of violent crimes against the residents of these cities, I mean, like you can understand the frustration that people have with like just get rid of all of it. Like I don't want to hear anything about the police. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And that that is the frustration, right? Is that because if you're saying there's only a few bad apples, right, because that's what they tell us, then why don't you just get rid of them? I know that it's not just a few bad apples, right? It's a bad culture.

But we got to start somewhere, right? So where we start is with accountability. We start with getting rid of those officers who have been found guilty of misconduct. We start with community, real community policing, where officers live in the neighborhood they serve, where they're building authentic relationships with the communities that they serve. I'm not talking about basketballs and barbecues. I'm talking about real authentic relationships so that we know each other so that we care for each other. It feels different. And I know that a lot of folks are going to be disappointed by what I'm saying, but like it's just it's the reality of what we've been given. And there's no way that I can go into office

being responsible for the care and safety of a city like Buffalo and just get rid of an entire police department. It does, it just, and listen, DSAers are smart folks, right? By and large, these are college educated, middle class folks who live in neighborhoods that are safe. So I know that people understand what I'm saying. They might not want to hear it, but it's just the fact of the matter. And I'm just not one that is going to gloss it over and bullshit you, right? Going to be realistic about what it is that we must do in order to get what we want. I mean, I think a lot of these people would be disappointed or angered or to hear that. I mean, they came face to face with this in New York City recently. Eric Adams,

our Democratic nominee for mayor, used to be an NYPD officer. He's a big friend of the cops, but he won all of the neighborhoods and districts that were like the poorer, the poorer, higher crime, marginalized communities that a lot of these people view themselves as representing or speaking on behalf of. And in those communities, a lot of the times you can be disappointed by it or not, but they say they want essentially more police in their neighborhoods. Or not everyone, but I'm just saying like that is not an uncommon view that is had among voters in these communities. It's not an uncommon view, but also what folks are asking for is well lit streets, right? If you are claiming that you're surveilling a community, which I don't believe in that, but if there are

cameras and crimes are committed, but there's never any footage, I mean, you know, it's simple things like that on apartment buildings. People want buzzers to work so folks don't just have access to their buildings. Things simple things, reducing blight, reducing vacancy, reestablishing neighborhood watches, building communities so that people are actually looking out for one another. We live in a community now where people don't even know who their neighbors are anymore. And until we have reestablished that sense of community, we can't begin to have conversations about what a post police world looks like. Chris, do you want to jump in here at all? I mean, you hit most of the questions I had.

I guess my question is on the way we were just talking about about DSA statewide. I guess between like Cuomo stepping down and self-described socialists and DSA back candidates winning state senate seats here in New York, city council seats, congressional seats. I was just wondering if you thought had any thoughts about your candidacy and potential mayorship, how it fits into maybe a greater New York state political project from the laughter from the DSM. Yeah, I think it's just that, well, y'all call us upstate, right? I think that there has been sort of this myth that Western New Yorkers are very conservative, that we don't care about progressive politics. I think that this campaign is proof that we do, that we would love to see it done at the executive

level as well. And I believe that, well, I know for a fact that this candidacy is creeping up the 90. And we're seeing progressive politicians be elected in all levels of office in Rochester and Syracuse. And I think that we're going to continue to see this trend all across the state. To that end, like, I mean, a lot of people will, you know, are looking and will be looking to your campaign. And, you know, once again, knock on wood, your impending mayoralty as a kind of template for people who support a socialist agenda, the Bernie Sanders agenda, whatever you want to talk about it, and would be inspired by you. We're looking to your campaign in terms of like, what works, what doesn't. I mean, like, as a foundation or like just a guide, it's like a how-to. Like,

what would be some advice you would give to anyone like considering running for office at like any city, county, like state level, or even national, running on a socialist agenda? Yeah, I think that sticking to your core values is important. But we create a big tent. I think what's different from this campaign than a lot of other campaigns is that when we talk about centering people with care and love, the care and love is central to our core beliefs as a campaign. We accept people wherever they are with years of political experience or none. Folks who are woke as F, and folks who still have a ways to go, but being able to have that level of patience, really finding commonality rather than differences and creating a big tent,

right? This is a campaign that is very welcoming. We try as hard as we can not to other people, even when they are not exactly our cup of tea. And, you know, I would say that even for myself, I'm not all the way there yet. We all have work to do. But I think that the number one thing you can do is to just do it. Do it, ask questions, reach out to people who you admire. You would be shocked at how friendly and helpful other progressive electeds are. And just start, challenge, and have confidence that you will win. And if it's the right thing to do, you have every right to do it. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't. To that end, who are some politicians, either historical or currently holding office, that you look to for inspiration? Or, I mean,

if they're still alive, who have reached out to you to, you know, congratulate you, support you, be an ally? I definitely am a huge fan of Ferris the Front Forest. I just thought she is my representative in my neighborhood here. Oh, is she? Yeah. So, Ferris a nurse and just awesome powerhouse. And, pre-primary, when no one was paying any attention to what I was doing, I think we first met like on Clubhouse. Senator Gustavo Rivera would always get on there and, you know, top junk and sometimes Ferris was in the room and I'd be like, I'm running for Mary Buffalo. And they began to root me on and we eventually exchanged numbers and she's been a constant source of encouragement and inspiration. I think Corey Bush is another person, you know, I mean,

like nurses who run for office are a very special breed. We are trained to be advocates, right? We're trained to be advocates. We're trained to not hold people's stupidity against them. So, I'm always inspired by nurses who run, but I think traditionally like the Shirley Chisholms of the world, the unbought and unbossed, the people who stay true to their values, no matter what or the folks that admire most. Okay, I mean, last question I want to ask you about is just about leaving politics aside for a second. Just Buffalo as a city. Buffalo is, of course, a great and historic American city, but it's one that's often forgotten and you becoming mayor of it would be very exciting because Buffalo is not like some college town, you know,

like Buffalo is a major American city. I've only really had the chance to visit Buffalo only pretty recently because thanks to our good friend Keith Buckley and his band, Every Time I Die, are you familiar with them? They're sort of like princes of the city in Buffalo. We went to their musical festival, Tid the Season, which they hold every year on Christmas, unfortunately not last year. Anyway, we had a wonderful time in Buffalo. I really, really enjoyed visiting, but like as a whole, Buffalo is experiencing a sort of cultural renaissance and national profile for the first time in a long time, whether it's through the bills or really a lot of the

really great music and culture that's being produced by the people of the city and the rest of the country is sort of catching on. So I just want to ask you, what does a city of Buffalo represent to you? How do you view yourself as a Buffalo native and what is the essential Buffalo character that you're sort of bringing here? Yeah, Buffalo, this is the Buffalo that I've always known, right? We've always had a great hip hop scene, a great arts and culture scene. It's just a light is being shined on us now, and I'm so proud, but Buffalo really has a do it no matter what type of attitude, right? Buffalo and Buffalonians are some of the toughest folks you ever want to meet. We survive snowstorms and

then sub freezing weather bills pre games. Listen, we're still in this baby, but that that really is you. You won't find the person from Buffalo who was weak, but it's also just this this culture of love. I can't tell you how caring people are when they call us a city of good neighbors. It really is just that we care a lot about one another. And I think that my candidacy is going to only, you know, solidify that as the culture of who we are. And I'm just so excited to lead the city into the next era of greatness. We're going to win this in 2022. Well, I mean, yeah. All right, you heard you heard it here first. This is India Walton's lock of the week. Yeah, no, it's also Buffalo, a city of vital strategic importance to America,

because it is our first line of defense against Canada, against Canada. Yeah, no, I guess just yeah, please, please check out every time I die, Keith Buckley and his band, they're great guys. So yeah, maybe I'll get you commit right now. Famously, other Buffalo native and musician West Side Gun, he was he had a West Side Gun day declared in Buffalo. So I'm just going to put you on to Keith Buckley every time I die. I want an every time I die day in Buffalo. So, you know, just going to see that idea right now. And we'll see where it goes. All right, we'll see what we can do about that. Very, very, very, very diplomatic answer here. You're already you're already doing the job

wonderfully. All right, let's leave it there. India Walton, I want to wish you the best of luck in the general election. And thank you so much for your time today. Thank you. Final words if folks want more information or to donate and support the campaign. There's lots of money being flung at us. A lot of horrible ads. They can visit www.indiawalton.com. Links to that will be in the show description. Once again, India Walton, congratulations and best of luck in the future. Thank you so much and have a beautiful day. You too. Bye bye. Thank you.