Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown has committed to participating in a debate against his opponent in the mayoral race, Democratic Party nominee India B. Walton, in an event being sponsored by The Buffalo News, WGRZ and Buffalo Toronto Public Media.Â
Walton, who defeated Brown in the Democratic primary, was out of town, and her campaign has not yet committed to participating in the 7 p.m. Oct. 12 debate.Â
The debate will air live on WGRZ-TV, WNED-TV and WBFO-FM. It will also be simulcast on each outlet's website, as well as at BuffaloNews.com.
Walton, a 39-year-old nurse, union leader and community activist, criticized Brown during the primary campaign for refusing to debate. She surprised many when she defeated Brown in the June 22 primary. During the primary campaign, Brown, who has already matched the record of James Griffin as the longest serving Buffalo mayor, largely ignored his challengers and declined Walton's request to debate.
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Brown, 62, who is not running on any other political party ballot lines in the general election, announced late last month that he would mount a write-in campaign. Otherwise, Walton, a self-described socialist in her first run for public office, would be likely to win the general election in overwhelmingly Democratic Buffalo. If elected, she would be Buffalo's first female mayor and the second African American to hold the office.
If he loses the general election, Brown will become the first incumbent to lose the Buffalo mayor's office since Democrat Frank A. Sedita in 1961, who lost to Chester Kowal – the last Republican mayor.
