News Editorial Board
A county executive is entitled to put his own team in place and, thus far, we have no arguments with the actions taken by Erie County’s new chief executive, Mark C. Poloncarz. Indeed, and as we have already observed, his hiring of Richard M. Tobe as deputy county executive was a perfect match of man and mission.
Still, it’s hard not to regret the ending of the long service of Dr. Anthony J. Billittier IV as Erie County commissioner of health. If excellence were the only criterion, Poloncarz would have been duty-bound to retain him for as long as Billittier was prepared to stay at his post.
But excellence never is the only criterion in politics. Other issues—partnerships, building your own team—inevitably factor into the equation. In this case, Poloncarz, who commended Billittier on his years of service, said he “thought that we needed a new set of eyes in the department, including the issues that currently exist at the Medical Examiner’s Office.”
Billittier became commissioner of health in 2000, appointed by then-County Executive Joel A. Giambra. Former County Executive Chris Collins retained him for his four years in office.
Billittier demonstrated his value to the county on multiple occasions, but a couple of examples make the point. In 2008, when an employee in the produce department of a local grocery store was diagnosed with hepatitis A, Billittier swiftly put into effect a program to offer hepatitis vaccinations to anyone who was exposed to produce pur-chased at that store. The county vaccinated more than 10,000 people in five days.
Billittier also worked diligently to monitor and minimize the effect of the 2009 swine flu outbreak that swept the country.
Billittier’s successor will be Dr. Gale R. Burstein, a pediatrician at Women& Children’s Hospital. She is an associate clinical professor at the University at Buffalo’s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and is medical director for the county Department of Health’s sexually transmitted disease clinic. Clearly, she has the background to succeed in this job and we wish her well. She has big shoes to fill.
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial-page/buffalo-news-editorials/article694277.ece