Jim Walden Loves Green Space

Jim Walden is running to become the next Mayor of New York City. As an independent candidate, he’s not participating in the Democratic primary election on June 24, and instead plans to be on the general election ballot in November.

Running as an independent, for Walden, made the most sense because of the increasing animosity between the Republican and Democratic party. In his view, that polarization has reduced the feasibility of working together to actually fix problems. He said he sees his own campaign inspiring more independent candidates to toss their hat in the ring.

In his conversation with me, Walden touted his legal experience as a major reason he’s the right choice to lead the city. He outlined his plan for a new agency that focuses on keeping city leadership accountable. Currently, he said, “we have endemic corruption.”

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Jim Walden.

This is the fifth installment of WFUV’s 2025 Mayoral Election interview series. The NYC Mayoral Election Tuesday, November 4, 2025.