When it Comes to Chris Collins, The Rules Don’t Apply
Erie County, NY— When it comes to current County Executive Chris Collins, the rules don’t seem to apply to him and his friends. The Poloncarz campaign has learned that Collins is using his government office to further his political operation.
Recently, Erie County residents learned that Collins’ chief of staff and top political aide, Chris Grant, does not swipe in and out while working on the taxpayer’s dime. Then we learned from the Buffalo News that the Collins’ campaign ignored orders from parade organizers not to campaign at the West Seneca Memorial Day Parade.
Today, it was brought to the attention of the Poloncarz campaign that Collins used his government office to send out an automated call to Erie County residents inviting them to a tele-Town Hall meeting using the county’s phone system to discuss his platform.
Campaign Manager Jennifer Hibit said, “Chris Collins knows that he is forbidden from using his government office to further his political career, yet, as usual he ignores the rules. In an Election Year, Collins is campaigning by using the county’s phone system to call countless county residents to advance his failed agenda. That is wrong and is just another example that Chris Collins chooses to side-step the rules.”
“Mark Poloncarz does not abuse the public’s trust – he follows the rules and expects his staff to do so as well. Mark does not waste the citizens hard earned tax-dollars on what are obviously electioneering efforts under the guise of a governmental function. Mark uses the tools of the Comptroller’s office to fight on behalf of Erie County’s hard-working taxpayers to prevent the waste of scarce government resources,”Hibit said.
“When it comes to Chris Collins, he clearly believes that he has a separate set of rules to follow, compared to the rest of us.”
Hibit went onto say, “Mark Poloncarz doesn’t believe anyone is above the rules. As County Executive, he will never forget that he serves the people of Erie County.”