“I’ve certainly learned you can’t please all the people all of the time,” Collins said. “Four years ago Erie County was broken. You hired me to fix it and we have.”
They also agreed on not raising any property taxes. But they sparred on whether one had been raised previously, with Poloncarz claiming that Collins raised it in 2009.
And they both were challenged to discuss their connections and financial backers.
Collins was asked to defend a contract at the Erie County Industrial Development Agency, that placed $80,000 campaign donor Harris Beach as the agency’s new counsel. Collins said the switch was not pay to play, and that the new firm actually charged a lower rate- despite billing more because of extra work.
“When I came to office what I found was no bid contracts at the IDA. … Lo and behold Harris Beach came in 20 percent under(previous counsel Robert Fine, of Hurwitz & Fine). The reason there’s more money going to Harris Beach today is it is creating more jobs. That’s a good thing.There are more deals being done.”
Poloncarz countered: ” This is ‘pay to play’ at its base level. $80,000 in donations and we’ll get back millions of dollars. and it happens across the board.”
Poloncarz was asked about labor union support — which comprise a third of his funding base- and why the Service Employees International Union is loaning a top official as his campaign manager and paying her salary. Poloncarz said he’s proud of working family support, and that SEIU does not have any county contracts.
“All you have to do is look at my record as county comptroller, standing up to unions and telling them what they don’t want to hear. The strong working men and women want a leader that can represent them, they want someone from Main Street, not Wall Street,” Poloncarz said.
Collins countered: ” It is clear he is serving the unions and will.”
The two also disagreed over over whether Erie County’s $16 million subsidy for Erie County Medical Center represents the total withdrawal of county control over the facility that Collins has touted as part of his record.
At it’s core, the debate often became one over the role of government.
“We certainly as voters in Erie County will have a choice here because these two candidates not only don’t like each other, but they couldn’t be further apart on the issues,” says Bruce Bryski, a political science and communication professor at Buffalo State College.
Most of the hard issue discussions were put forth within the broad framework of caring and empathy versus tough choices and fiscal responsibility. Collins regularly pointed at his record, and Poloncarz questioned his level of engagement and awareness of middle class struggles.
“I think that they both performed well,” says Michael Haselswerdt, a professor of political science at Canisius College. “both of them suggested that they could be the next county executive.”
Adds Bryski : “Both candidates were good I agree with Mike Haselswerdt.”
Haselswerdt says the biggest stumble of the night may have been when Collins couldn’t immediately recall the agency he contracted to handle some of the county’s WIC program for the poor. Bryski says Poloncarz scored points on the cronyism charge, when Collins didn’t completely answer questions about the Harris Beach hirings.
“This is going to come down to likability and trust. Certainly both men are competent to lead this county for the next four years,” Bryski says.