Syracuse, N.Y. – Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has another former mayor of a small town in his corner.

John Sullivan is a former mayor of Oswego and a former chairman of the New York State Democratic Party. This year, Sullivan is also one of seven delegates for Buttigieg in New York’s April 28 presidential primary.

“Because I’m a mayor, I get what he’s saying,” Sullivan said. “People at the local level are problem solvers because there’s no one else to pass the baton to. You learn to work with people, and you get the job done.”

If Buttigieg wins enough votes in Central New York’s 24th Congressional District, the delegates would represent him at the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee in July.

That would make it the third Democratic National Convention for Sullivan, who turns 73 at the end of February. His first was as a delegate for George McGovern in 1972. The second time was in 1996 for Bill Clinton.

New York is a key state in the Democratic presidential race because it has been allotted 278 delegates to the national convention in Milwaukee, the second highest total of any state. California will have 415 delegates.

Here’s a closer look at Buttigieg’s six other delegates from Central New York:

Lisa M. Sacco, 46, of Camillus, is Assemblywoman Pam Hunter’s chief of staff. (Hunter is also the chairwoman of the Onondaga County Democratic Committee.) Sacco was a delegate for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Sacco said she’s supporting Buttigieg because he’s a fresh face. “He’s middle of the road, and a little more moderate” than other Democratic contenders, she said.

Jimmy Monto, 45 of Syracuse, serves on several boards in the Syracuse area. He’s on the Syracuse Public Arts Commission and the Greater Syracuse Land Bank’s Citizens Advisory Board. He’s president of the Eastwood Neighborhood Association and board President of Tomorrow’s Neighborhoods Today. He’s also the secretary of the Onondaga County Democratic Committee. Monto said he’d back any Democrat who runs against President Donald Trump. “At this point, it’s Pete,” he said. Monto and his husband live in Eastwood.

Phil Precourt, 44, of Lyons, is a special education teacher. “This is my first venture into anything political beyond voting,” he said. Precourt says he’s inspired to get involved by Buttigieg’s stances on Medicare for all who want it, public education and support for the LGBTQ community. Precourt served as the district captain, coordinating the collection of signatures needed to get Buttigieg on New York’s presidential primary ballot.

Paul F. Lynch, 57, of Syracuse, calls himself a complete novice when it comes to politics. “I just thought in the current political climate I wanted to try to make a change,” he said. He works at Le Moyne College. He’s supporting Buttigieg for reasons similar to the other delegate candidates. He thinks Buttigieg is a “refreshing change from the usual, with a fresh outlook and level-headed ideas."

The two others are: Ramona Ann McConnell and M. Rita Tickle.

READ MORE:

Meet Joe Biden’s delegates from Central New York.

Meet Bernie Sanders’ delegates from Central New York.

Meet Elizabeth Warren’s delegates from Central New York.

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