India Walton answers questions from seven WBFO reporters in this first of two one hour election specials.
The reporters asked questions about their approach to improving the lives of people with disabilities and about issues of equity when it comes to race and gender. They asked about Buffalo's economy and businesses, the health and wellness of our city’s people, and the growing population of older adults.
Highlights:
On the number one issue in the race: The number one issue in this race, in my opinion, from a policy standpoint, is poverty. Right?...When my opponent took office, Buffalo was the second poorest city of its size in the nation. Now, were the third. We've not seen the needle move a lot on that. But you know, I've been having difficulty getting that message across. Right, it seems that the bigger issue is about my personal history, about my positions on policing and things like that. And the advantage of the incumbency has allowed that to become the predominant issue, when we should be looking more at policy.
On Health Care: I know that there's a huge infrastructure bill that's coming down the pipeline that could be used for remediating lead pipes, and that $10 million dollars could be used toward affordable housing. Gun violence in our community is a public health crisis, we have to do more.
On developing Buffalo's East side: My top three priorities for East Buffalo are infill affordable housing, because it's desperately and sorely needed, and in a way that we're providing opportunity for homeownership, because I believe that homeownership is going to help stabilize neighborhoods. We also have a huge problem with racial wealth inequality, and homeownership is going to help address that. And I think it's also going to help reduce crime. And that leads me into the second priority, which is going to be public safety, not only from the standpoint of making sure that officers are outside of their vehicles, interacting with the community, and building relationships, but also, you know, thinking about trauma informed care and violence prevention from a holistic perspective.
On housing for the elderly: Part of our development plan is to develop housing that is... ranch style. Ranch style homes where everything is on one floor. And those those folks who we have identified who desire a home that makes those accommodations for them, can then market their home to a growing younger family. And I think that that's a win win situation, and the Land Trust is actually a great model where those folks can put their existing home in trust, we can make sure that it stays permanently affordable, get a younger family in it and provide them with a ranch style home that they can live out the rest of their days and in community in a multi generational community where we're making sure that you know people, are social and well taken care of and that we're building that spirit of community and maintaining the spirit of community that a lot of people are looking for, as they get up in age.
On access to economic development for Women : I want to make sure that you know, women are paid a fair wage that trans women feel respected and city hall, that we are using the language to identify folks the way they prefer to be identified and that there is no hostility related to gender identity, age, sexuality, religion, or anything.
On services to and engagement with the disabled: So I think the most important thing for me is to have representation, because I can't decide for people who are impacted what they need the most. So I'm committed to having a person in City Hall, who is tapped in, tapped into the disabilities community to be able to better communicate what the needs are, and then going from there. But I think as a starting point, as a basis to make sure that city hall is accessible, making sure that when I am communicating with the public, there's translation services,
Moderated by WBFO News Director Dave Debo, the programs are available here on our website and will air throughout the week, starting Sunday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. on WBFO. Listen at 88.7 FM on a radio or stream it on the mobile app, smart speaker, or here at wbfo.org.
“These programs are different than what our listeners have heard or watched elsewhere so far in the campaigns because our reporters go more in-depth on particular areas. They know their beats, or news desks, so well they can be very specific with the candidates,” Debo said.
“Our reporters asked questions about their approach to improving the lives of people with disabilities and about issues of equity when it comes to race and gender. They asked about Buffalo's economy and businesses, the health and wellness of our city’s people, and the growing population of older adults. These programs will really help our listeners as they head to the voting booth in a couple weeks.”
LISTEN ON-AIR
Two consecutive Sundays:
Sunday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. — Mayoral Election 2021 Roundtable: India Walton (pre-empts The Munk Debates)
Sunday, Oct. 31 at 6 p.m. — Mayoral Election 2021 Roundtable: Byron Brown (pre-empts The Munk Debates)
Two consecutive weekday afternoons:
Tuesday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. — Mayoral Election 2021 Roundtable: Byron Brown (pre-empts Fresh Air)
Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. — Mayoral Election 2021 Roundtable: India Walton (pre-empts Fresh Air)
Back-to-back Friday night:
Friday, Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. — Mayoral Election 2021 Roundtable: India Walton (pre-empts Science Friday, hour 1)
Friday, Oct. 29 at 10 p.m. — Mayoral Election 2021 Roundtable: Byron Brown (pre-empts Science Friday, hour 2)
Back-to-back early Saturday:
Saturday, Oct. 30 at 5 a.m. — Mayoral Election 2021 Roundtable: Byron Brown (Pre-empts BBC World News)
Saturday, Oct. 30 6 a.m. — Mayoral Election 2021 Roundtable: India Walton (Pre-empts BBC World News)