“We Must Put our Skilled Workforce Back to Work”
ERIE COUNTY, NY – County Executive Candidate Mark Poloncarz kicked off the 2011 Labor Day Parade by discussing Erie County’s potential for job creation and economic development.
“Chris Collins said Erie County must grow or die, and we should hold him accountable for his promises. So let’s hold him accountable,” Poloncarz said. “Despite constantly touting his ‘business credentials,’ the fact is, since Chris Collins was elected, Erie County has lost 14,100 jobs and his administration has done little to put anyone back to work. The only job creation Chris Collins can boast is at his own companies. He has laid off county workers left and right, decreasing your services, while giving his highest-paid patronage employees raises.”
Among a crowd of labor leaders, Poloncarz focused on the need for capitalizing on Erie County’s strengths. Because of the county’s proximity to Canada and other Northeastern cities, the community, led by the efforts of the County Executive, should be competing for jobs on a national and global scale instead of poaching jobs from one town in the county to another. As County Executive, Poloncarz pledged to make job creation his number one priority.
“I’m proud to be endorsed by organized labor because they understand that we must put our skilled workforce back to work,” Poloncarz said. “Erie County has strong potential for job growth, but we aren’t using our resources to their full potential. We must find new uses for our existing building infrastructure; we must capitalize on our proximity to Canada and the rest of the cities in the Northeast. And most importantly, I will not just move jobs around one part of the county to the other, but I will encourage new businesses to relocate to Erie County which will create jobs.”
Poloncarz promised to make job creation and economic development the top priority for his Deputy County Executive. This “Job Czar” would pool all of the county’s economic development tools and agencies to provide assistance to businesses wanting to expand into or relocate to Erie County. This person would also chair quarterly meetings with all local development entities to ensure that towns and cities are not fighting with each other to attract businesses, but that they are all working together for the good of the county. Lastly, this person would also oversee the creation of an inventory of available buildings and sites for development so that we can reuse and redevelop our existing infrastructure.
“Chris Collins’ record on job creation is one of failure,” said Poloncarz. “Erie County needs a comprehensive plan to get us out of our rut. I will bring all of our partners in Erie County to the table so that we can begin to work together and build upon or strengths rather than continue to compete against one another and watch our jobs and young people go elsewhere.”
JOB NUMBERS IN ERIE COUNTY
Source: New York State Department of Labor, “Data for New York State, Labor Market Regions, Metropolitan Areas, Counties, and Municipalities of at least 25,000 Population,” http://labor.ny.gov/stats/LSLAUS.shtm.
July 2011 – Current number of unemployed in Erie County = 35,800
July 2011 – Current unemployment rate in Erie County = 7.6%
November 2007 – Chris Collins elected County Executive
November 2007 – number of unemployed in Erie County = 21,700
November 2007 – unemployment rate = 4.6%
Difference in unemployment rate between Collins election and today = 3% higher
Since Collins elected, number of jobs lost in Erie County = 14,100