Adam Bojak

Adam Bojak received a bachelor's degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2005 and a J.D. from the University of Buffalo SUNY School of Law in 2012. His professional experience includes being an attorney.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Throughout my career, I have been a proven champion of everyday Western New Yorkers. Now, as I run for New York State Assembly as a proud democratic socialist, I remain dedicated to fighting for everyone against the issues we face daily, including: the lack of safe and affordable housing; skyrocketing health care, childcare, and household costs; and the weakening of labor union power. I am running for Assembly to stand up against corporate greed, and to ensure that every New Yorker can lead a stable and dignified life.

Together, we can win the healthy, housed, and affordable Western New York that we all deserve.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Rent continues to rise, and home ownership has never been more expensive. Whether it’s rising utility costs, predatory slumlords taking advantage of desperate tenants, or the continual inflation of household goods, the root cause remains the same. Corporations and landlords, in their reckless pursuit of profit, have made housing a luxury, instead of a right.

As a housing rights lawyer, I see this all firsthand, and is ready to change it. I am ready to fight for social housing statewide, tenants protections for my district, and legislation that will prevent the elderly and those on fixed incomes from losing their homes to tax foreclosures.Corporations and the ultra-rich have been consolidating power throughout the country unchecked for decades, and Western New York is no exception. Our communities run on working people and labor unions on the front lines fighting reckless deregulation, growing privatization, and employers embracing emerging anti-worker surveillance and AI technology.

Now more than ever, we must protect the right to organize and support workers at the state level. I will fight for union and labor rights, and I will also support expanding cooperatively-owned businesses across the district - and the state.Everything is expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. The cost of everyday necessities continue to skyrocket, but the average worker’s wages are stuck in place. Working-class Western New Yorkers are struggling every day, while corporations see record profits. The inequality gap shows no signs of shrinking.

This corporate greed is unacceptable. For too long, workers–the ones who create the profit in the first place–have not seen the fruits of their labor. I will fight for higher wages, higher corporate taxes, and to put the power back in the hands of everyday people, where it belongs. We must tax the rich in order to fund Medicaid properly and provide universal childcare.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I have a background in housing policy, but as an attorney, I am well-versed in many areas of law - and how they are failing working-class New Yorkers. Our tax code is skewed toward the rich and must be overhauled; also, our state election laws are terribly outdated and are actively anti-democratic. In addition, I have worked with various coalitions, such as ones that helped pass the CLCPA, as well as ones that fight back against the carceral state. I ensure that I do not speak on a topic unless I have put in the work to educate myself, or I listen to those who know a lot more than I do and are doing the work on the ground, day in and day out.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Commitment to a clear ideological program on behalf of working-class constituents.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Listening to the various communities and ensuring their individual concerns are addressed, while fighting the overarching problems facing all working people.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

A Governor should be a partner, not a tyrant or obstacle to overcome.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

New York is, ostensibly, a Democratic trifecta. Beating back the conservative wing of the Party to deliver transformative change for working-class New Yorkers is going to be the biggest challenge.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

We do not compromise with fascists.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Democratic Socialists of America, NY Working Families Party, Bernie Sanders, Former Representative Jamaal Bowman, Assemblymember Jon Rivera, Buffalo DSA, NYC DSA, Tenants PAC, Cheektowaga Supervisor Brian Nowak, Cheektowaga Board Member Stephen Nowicki, Assemblymember Diana Moreno, Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha, State Senator Jabari Brisport, Citizen Action of NY, Buffalo Teachers Federation, UAW Region 9, Workers United RRJB, NYS AFL-CIO, CSEA Region 6, IATSE Local 10, IBEW Local 2104, IUPAT DC4, WNY CWA Council, NY Progressive Victory, NY Progressive Action Network

Video for [the profile publisher]

Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased May 12, 2020

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Adam Bojak is a tenants' rights attorney who has spent years working with Buffalo residents in order to help them fight back against their bad landlords and ensure they know their rights; he has also helped homeowners facing the loss of their houses due to bank foreclosure. Through working with so many similarly-situated people, Adam has seen firsthand how the politics and policies of austerity - pushed by both Republicans and Democrats over the past four decades - affect everyday people. He understands how the system is set up to benefit a select few at the top, while leaving the rest to struggle in apathy and despair. He is ready to go to Albany to fight for the rights of the people at the bottom who have been without a political voice for too long.

Adam grew up in East Aurora. His father worked at the William Street Buffalo Post Office for over 30 years before retirement, and his mother spent almost two decades as an administrative assistant in the Hamburg school district; his blue collar parents worked hard to provide him with the opportunity to go to college, and then to law school. He moved back into the City of Buffalo ten years ago and was a homeowner in South Buffalo before getting married to a public school teacher and settling on the upper West Side. He is active in the community and works closely with local non-profits to promote safe housing and tenant advocacy and provide free legal services for all renters who need help.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We believe that every single person, regardless of who they are, deserves a safe and stable home.We must demand our schools are funded fully and properly, not only what is already owed to them, but increase that funding in the future to ensure every child gets the education they deserve.We believe that, in one of the richest states in the richest country in the history of humankind, rampant wealth inequality is simply unacceptable.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am very passionate about housing. I have worked closely with tenants during disputes with their landlords for years, and I have seen the worst that Western New York has to offer as far as living conditions. NO ONE should be forced to live in an unsafe, unhealthy home only because they cannot afford to move anywhere else.

I am also very invested in overhauling our tax code so that those with billions of dollars stop getting a free ride. There is absolutely no reason that the working class should be forced to tighten our belts over and over and over again, while the people in power continue to turn their backs on us in order to avoid angering their rich donors.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my parents. My father worked for over 30 years at the Buffalo post office, and when I was a kid, he worked the overnight shift for years. My mother worked part time jobs for a while until my sister and I got older, at which point she worked for our local school district (East Aurora) before eventually moving to Hamburg middle school full time. The two of them made sacrifices and worked incredibly hard so that my sister and I were able to live a stable and happy life.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to be known, and I want my campaign to be known, as a force for the people of New York. I want to be remembered for lowering the bar to entry for our political system, for making it easier for more people of lesser means to run for office - and win. I want my political enemies to worry about me, and I want my political allies to be fearless in their convictions because I am at their side.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I vaguely remember the fall of the Berlin Wall - I would have been 8 years old at the time. I remember it being quite momentous and historic, but having absolutely no idea why it was so special, of course.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked as part-time as a do-anything/gopher type for a local art gallery and its eccentric owner. I worked there for about 5-6 months, until I realized that I need something more solid and regular - some of the jobs I was doing around the shop, and her home, were quite strange.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Stephen King's "The Stand" is my favorite novel. It's an incredible study of humanity and how it reacts, en masse, to a worldwide pandemic of epic proportions. It tells the story of what happens after the entire world grinds to a screeching halt, and how people gather together and democratically rebuild society. On top of all that, there is the ultimate, unending battle between good and evil that is waged throughout it all.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

No, I don't believe experience in government is a prerequisite to be a good legislator. If a person is elected right out of their neighborhood, still fresh from living and struggling daily with the circumstances facing ordinary, everyday people, they will likely have an easier time carrying the needs of the community into state legislation. As for politics: I almost think having experience in that is a hindrance, because for many, politics is nothing but a game to strike self-serving deals. I do not aim to be a politician - I aim to be a REPRESENTATIVE.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, having those relationships with other legislators is very important to passing important legislation. If they write you off and have no dialogue with you, then you have no way to speak to them about what you're trying to do and present your case to win them over to the cause. Being elected as the most progressive member of the legislation does not mean anything if nobody will work with you to get anything accomplished.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Right now, I am an enormous fan of Yuh-Line Niou in the Assembly and Julia Salazar in the Senate. They are both amazing, strong, fierce advocates for not only their constituents, but New Yorkers across the state. They introduce legislation that will have universally positive impacts, and are not afraid to stand up to the statewide party machine.