Meet the Candidates Day 2021 for Buffalo Mayor transcript

Guest:  Todd Vaarwerk

Topic:  Meet the Primary Candidates Day 2021 for Buffalo Mayor

Duration:  5:39

Published:  May 11, 2021

Host:  Welcome to Independent Perspective, a public affairs presentation of Western New York Independent Living (WNYIL). Our guest today is Todd Vaarwerk, Chief Policy Officer of WNYIL and your host is yours truly Ernie Churchwell. Welcome to the program Todd.

Guest:  Always good to be here.

Host:  Now you’re here because we're extending a practice that the agency has had for over 30 years. Every fall we've had a Meet the Candidates Day to have those on the November ballot, express their points of view on the various issues of interest, particularly those affecting individuals with disabilities in particular. Now we're expanding that in that you are having a Meet the Candidates Day for candidates for mayor of Buffalo. Could you give us the particulars of that and mention some of our community co-sponsors?

Guest:  Well the important thing to let the viewers know, in our normal Meet the Candidates Day format we normally wait until after the primary to select folks, makes it simpler to manage and we everybody that's on the ballot. But some of our community sponsors kind of got together, we have Disability Rights New York, Self Advocacy of the Western Region, the National Federation of the Blind Buffalo Chapter and Deaf Access Services, kind of got together and said, I think we might need to hear from the primary candidates for City of Buffalo mayor. As most residents know mayors are pretty important folks, they kind of set the tone for basic services, how we handle police, how we handle fire, how we handle zoning. And for people with physical disabilities that's an important thing about where we can build ramps and how, where curb cuts will be updated, things with Title II of the Americans Disabilities Act and how reasonable accommodations are provided are really important so we agreed with our community partners and set a Meet the Candidate Day for Wednesday, May 26th, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This of course will be a virtual event on Zoom, and you can contact our capable folks at Community Engagement, Jillian Moss at extension 146 to sign up and get the registration information to be on the Zoom call.

Host:  And in case people don't know the main WNYIL number to use to get to extension 146,

Guest:  716-836-0822

Host:  There's been at least one or two candidates that have gone on the public record as running for mayor of Buffalo, could you give us the full lineup?

Guest:  Well we have invited everyone who has publicly expressed a desire. So, we have Mr. Scott Wilson. Ms. Le'Candice Durham, Ms. India Walton, and of course our incumbent mayor, Byron Brown to participate with us now. At this point we don't have confirmations as to who signed up and what time there will be, but closer to that date will have something available on our web page and our social media to kind of give people the idea of when their favorite candidate might be speaking.

Host:  I would think that, as most of them are probably relatively new to the political game as compared to Mayor Brown, that they would look for any opportunity to reach any particular portion of their constituency.

Guest:  Oh yes, we're and we're giving them an extra five minutes. For those regular attendees of our Meet the Candidates Day you know we normally only use 10 minutes slots. This time we're giving them 15. We want to try and get everybody in, and maybe in about an hour so you hear everything that you need to know in order to cast an informed ballot on primary day.

Host:  Very good. We just have a few seconds left, but if you could remind people of where to call to get more information

Guest:  716-836-0822 to sign up, you can call Jillian Moss at extension 146. To get more questions answered about the event, you can call me at extension 101.

Host:  Thanks so much for being with us Todd.

Guest:  Always a pleasure Ernie.

Host:  You've been listening to Independent Perspective, a public affairs presentation of WNYIL. Our guest today has been Todd Vaarwerk, Chief Policy Officer of WNYIL, and I'm your host Ernie Churchwell.