December 13, 2011
BUFFALO — Erie County Executive-elect Mark C. Poloncarz has appointed his future deputy, who will take charge of the county’s economic plan released in September.
Richard M. Tobe will serve as Poloncarz’s deputy county executive and will take the lead on job creation, which Poloncarz has pledged to aggressively tackle upon taking office.
“My deputy county executive will focus on job creation and creating a streamlined, sustainable and efficient approach to economic development in Erie County,” Poloncarz said. “This position required an individual that not only had a proven track record of successfully navigating the often turbulent local economic development process but who could also help create a better system for tomorrow.”
Tobe has three decades of economic development experience in the public and private sectors as well as academia. He served 12 years as commissioner of environment and planning for the county under the Dennis Gorski administration.
He has also been an adjunct professor with the University at Buffalo’s Graduate School of Planning and School of Law and the commissioner of the City of Buffalo’s Department of Economic Development, Permit and Inspection Services.
“For too long, Erie County has been devoid of a cohesive and focused economic development strategy,” Tobe said in a statement. “I know and love this community and I am confident that by working together with local, state and federal economic development agencies and by leveraging our abundance of resources and strategic location we can realize real, sustainable growth.”
Poloncarz announced in September that a significant portion of his economic vision will involve attracting business from Canada. A Poloncarz spokesperson, Timothy Callan, said Tobe’s years of experience will go a long way toward increasing the region’s job growth, which will go hand in hand with “getting business to come here and stay here.”
http://tonawanda-news.com/local/x1561649220/Poloncarz-taps-deputy-executive