Last week was an incredible week for local politics.  Who knew that so few people could have so much influence on a couple of election campaigns that normally are low volume affairs?

The Democratic primary for mayor of Buffalo took pretty much everyone by surprise except for India Walton and her supporters.  The element of surprise can work effectively if you are well prepared to take advantage of the situation.  The Walton team was well prepared.

It also helps a lot if your opponent takes the election and the electorate for granted and feels comfortable that the election will take care of itself.  Just pretend there is no election.  That strategy has reportedly led to finger pointing throughout City Hall.  Information is not available about which finger is being used.

After the shock of India Walton’s victory in the primary began to wear off the natural thing for politicos to do was to consider whether the matter is settled or whether options remain.  Mayor Byron Brown has not yet conceded his loss of the primary, saying that all votes must be counted.  Yes they should and yes they will.  It will not go his way.  Brown announced Monday that regardless of the primary results he will mount a full write-in campaign right through November.

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The thing about June primaries is that it can make the rest of the political year anti-climactic.  In Erie County in 2021 things might be different. 

The Working Families Party got things rolling earlier this year when they flubbed the process for qualifying their candidate for Mayor of Buffalo, India Walton, by failing to have her file an Acceptance of Designation form with the Erie County Board of Elections.  The screw-up kept her from being on the party’s November election ballot.  As things are shaping up none of that mattered.  The party organization was a major part of efforts that won Walton the Democratic nomination for Mayor of Buffalo.

To say that most political observers (including me) did not see this coming is the understatement of the year.  The Walton campaign did their homework and performed the hard work.  Mayor Byron Brown and his people were caught napping.  Where’s Steve Casey when you need him?

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