By Rachel Kingston
Buffalo, NY (WBEN) — Weeks of interviews and internal polling have led members of the Erie County Democratic Committee to unanimously endorse Mark Poloncarz in the race for County Executive.
The Democrats announced on Tuesday night that they will back Poloncarz, the current Erie County Comptroller, in this year’s election.
“This is really a moment in time, an opportunity for new, fresh leadership in Erie County,” Democratic Committee Chairman, Len Lenihan, told WBEN. “Mark, as our County Comptroller… has done a good job, understands our county finances probably better than anyone, and is positioned well, now, to make this run.”
Lenihan believes Poloncarz is an even match for Collins; he isn’t concerned about the incumbent out-spending Poloncarz’s campaign.
“Back five years ago, they said he couldn’t win [the race for Comptroller], and he came from behind, running against someone who was much better-known. They said he didn’t have enough money. He raised more than enough money to run a competitive campaign, and was re-elected four years later,” Lenihan said. “Just like Kathy Hochul, a week from tonight, is going to be in a race for Congress and she’s positioned well to pull an upset off, we think Mark Poloncarz will replicate that effort in this race for County Executive.”
Lenihan cited internal, Democratic polls that he said show a level of public support for Poloncarz.
“He works closely with the business community. He has strong ties to organized labor. He has a lot of support in the minority community. Professional women support him. He’s got a strong foundation to run.”
Poloncarz said he was both “humbled and proud” to receive the Democratic endorsement.
One of the themes Poloncarz seems to have chosen for his just-launched campaign is that of him being a “regular guy” – someone who came from a blue-collar family and can relate to the average Erie County resident.
“That’s why I’m running. To restore responsible leadership that truly represents the people who elect the County Executive,” he said. “I have a proven track record, as the comptroller after the ‘red-green’ fiscal crisis, of cleaning up the mess that happened then. And I’m going to clean up the mess that is what Chris Collins is leaving this community today.”
To support his claim of Collins leaving Erie County a “mess,” Poloncarz pointed to the series of “frivolous lawsuits” the Collins’ administration has been party to, cuts to arts and cultural organizations and county libraries, what he perceives as Collins’ misuse of federal stimulus funds and Collins’ failure to go after Medicaid fraud, as aggressively as Poloncarz himself would like to.
Still, Poloncarz said his motivation for running isn’t just personal dissatisfaction with, or dislike of, his opponent.
“It doesn’t matter about the personalities. What matters is a new generation of leadership coming in, and cleaning up the messes of the old,” said Poloncarz. “I’ll say this: it doesn’t matter who the County Executive is. If it had even been a Democrat with the record that Chris Collins has, I’d be running.”
In response to the Democrats’ endorsement of Poloncarz, Collins’ spokesman Grant Loomis released the following statement:
“The County Executive looks forward to running on his administration’s strong record of achievement on behalf of Erie County’s hardworking taxpayers. Mr. Poloncarz is on the wrong side of taxpayers and supports more spending, more government and more taxes.”
“I think my track record as the Erie County Comptroller proves Mr. Collins wrong,” Poloncarz replied, after hearing Loomis’ statement. “I’m not in favor of more spending; I’m in favor of providing better, more efficient government.”
Also Tuesday evening, the Democrats announced they are backing Sharon LoVallo in the race for Erie County Family Court this fall.
LoVallo currently serves as a judge for Buffalo City Court, but has been temporarily assigned to the Family Court system.
“So, she’s already doing the job,” Lenihan explained. “Really, it takes somebody special to serve in the Family Court. One observation I would have, being chairman of this party for almost nine years, is that all the lawyers in this town want to be Supreme Court judges, they want to be County Court judges. Very few want to be Family Court judges. Usually, people who are in Family Court are in the throes of family problems, marital problems, custody disputes, protective orders. It’s a tough place to be. It takes a special person to do that job, and Sharon LoVallo has been doing that job, and loves doing it.”