Mark Poloncarz

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For other people named Mark Poloncarz, see Mark Poloncarz (disambiguation).

Mark C. Poloncarz
Mark bio image
Erie County Executive
Incumbent
Assumed office January, 2012
Preceded by	Chris Collins
Erie County Comptroller
In office 2006–2011
Preceded by	James Hartman
Succeeded by	Stefan Mychajliw
Personal details
Born	(1967-11-07) November 7, 1967 Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	University at Buffalo (BA), University of Toledo (JD)
Website	markpoloncarz.com

Mark Poloncarz (November 7, 1967-present) is an American politician, serving as the 8th Erie County Executive, the North East Regional Representative for the National Association of Counties, and second vice president for the National Democratic County Officials.

Early life, education, and career

Mark Charles Poloncarz was born November 7, 1967 in Buffalo, New York to Polish-American parents. His father was a steelworker at Bethlehem Steel and his mother was a nurse.

The eldest of three brothers, Poloncarz was raised in Lackawanna, New York and attended Lackawanna Senior High School before attending the University at Buffalo. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in political science in 1989 and attended the University of Toledo, College of Law, receiving his Juris Doctorate in 1997.

Before entering into politics, Poloncarz worked in the private sector in business and finance law at Kavinoky and Cook. In 2003, he joined the John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign serving as Buffalo and Western New York coordinator and spokesperson. At the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Poloncarz was an at-large district delegate for John Kerry.

Political career

Erie County Comptroller 2006-2011

Following a financial crisis in Erie County, New York government, in April of 2005, Poloncarz announced a run for Erie County Comptroller. Heading into the September primary, Poloncarz was one of three candidates competing for the Democratic nomination. The endorsed Democratic Party candidate, Poloncarz defeated opponents Robert Whalen and Richard Parwarski with 49% of the vote.

Poloncarz ran as the endorsed Democrat in the general election against Republican John J. Canavan and Robert Whalen on the conservative line. On November 8th, 2005 Poloncarz won the three-way Erie County Comptroller race with 56% of the vote.

First term

During his first term Poloncarz set out to restore the credibility of the Erie County government and strengthen its financial position. He soon became known as the ‘watchdog’ for Erie County tax payers.

Poloncarz’s name was floated as a possible candidate for the 2007 Erie County Executive race, however he chose not to run and instead sought re-election as comptroller in 2009.

In 2008, Poloncarz served as an at-large delegate for Senator Hillary Clinton at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

In 2008, Poloncarz obtained the first increase in the county’s bond rating in nearly a decade. Later that same year he was able to arrange a crucial $75 million revenue anticipation note for the county after all credit markets shut down during the 2007–2008 financial crisis and implemented the first electronic payment system for the county.

In 2009, Poloncarz successfully ran for re-election against Republican Phillip C. Kadet and Independence Party candidate Michael J. Abramo earning 52% of the vote. As described in The Buffalo News, “Poloncarz’s re-elecrtion is a rebuff to County Executive Chris Collins, whose team largely fueled the Kadet campaign in an effort to bounce Poloncarz out of office.”

Second term

Early in his second term, Poloncarz secured additional credit rating upgrades for Erie County. Moody’s Investor Services increased the county rating from Baa2 to A2 making it the first A rating in more than a decade. Later that year, Fitch Ratings increased as well from BBB+ to A.

Ongoing disputes with then County Executive Chris Collins, culminated in efforts to cut Poloncarz’s audit staff from 7 to 2 as well as a reduction of his entire staff by 36% in the 2011 county budget prepared by Collins. The Erie County Fiscal Stability Authority, the state-appointed financial control board, condemned Collins decisions citing that the audit as an important check on the county executive's power. In response, Poloncarz filed a lawsuit against Collins to restore the positions. It was dismissed by State Supreme Court Judge Gerald Whalan saying, “it is not yet ripe for judicial determination” because the legislator’s budget process was incomplete. In the final budget, the state appointed control board agreed to provide funding for 6 auditors to report to Poloncarz.

One of the most significant contributions of the Poloncarz comptroller administration was the creation of a ‘whistle blower hotline’ for the public to report waste, fraud, or abuse of county resources.

Following the resignation of Congressman Chris Lee in January 2011, Poloncarz’s name was identified as a potential democratic candidate for the upcoming 26th congressional district special election. Ultimately, Poloncarz withdrew his name from consideration, paving the way for then Erie County Clerk, now New York State Governor, Kathy Hochul’s nomination as the democratic candidate.

Erie County Executive 2011-present

In May of 2011, in front of his hometown of Lackawanna, New York public library, Mark Poloncarz announced his candidacy for Erie County Executive. Later that month, the Erie County Democratic Committee endorsed Poloncarz for election. Poloncarz campaigned on restoring financial aid to the libraries and cultural institutions, reopening closed health clinics, investing in health and human services, and increasing programs and services while promising to be financially responsible with taxpayer dollars.

Despite entering the race as a decided underdog, Poloncarz chipped away at incumbent Chris Collins’ perceived lead. A poll conducted by The Buffalo News one month before the election determined the race was a statistical dead heat.

On November 8, 2011, Poloncarz defeated Collins with 53% of the vote becoming Erie County’s 8th Executive and only the second democrat to hold the office.

First term 2012-2015

During his first inaugural address, Poloncarz set the tone of his administration by saying “government is not a business, and it should not be run like one….government is concerned with the welfare of those it represents, all of its citizens, not just taxpayers.”

Prior to taking office, Poloncarz named Richard Tobe as his Deputy County Executive who would be responsible for Erie County’s economic development efforts.

One of Poloncarz’s first economic initiatives was attracting more Canadian businesses to WNY. His efforts bore fruit when Welded Tube, a Toronto based company, announced it was building a $50.2 million project in Lackawanna at the former Bethlehem Steel site.

Another major economic initiative rolled out during his first year as county executive was his critique of tax breaks provided by the regions industrial development agencies. As reported in The Buffalo News, Poloncarz said, “we currently have an IDA system run amok, where instead of creating jobs and fostering real economic growth, we are simply shifting existing jobs and businesses from one town to another- all at the tax payers expense.”

Poloncarz, early in his first term, negotiated the creation of the first landbank for Erie County with the cities of Buffalo, Lackawanna, and Tonawanda. Additionally, he announced the creation of Erie County’s first Medicaid inspector general office to audit providers to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of the system.

In October of 2012, Poloncarz released his 2013 proposed budget increasing the county’s tax levy and cutting jobs. This began a debate between Poloncarz and the legislature which ultimately resulted in the legislature eliminating the proposed tax hike.

At the end of his first year as executive, Poloncarz joined executives from the Buffalo Bills and NYS Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy to announce the county, state, and professional football team had entered into a new 10 year lease extension at Ralph Wilson Stadium, thereby keeping the Bills in Buffalo. The agreement included $130 million of capital investment at the stadium. The Buffalo News Editorial Board declared the agreement a solid and fair deal.

In Poloncarz’s 2013 State of the County address, he announced two major economic proposals to jump-start the region's economy: ‘Initiatives for a Smart Economy’ and comprehensive IDA reform.

After a number of deaths of children under the care of the Erie County Department of Social Services Child Protective Services division, Poloncarz proposed a major overhaul of the division to better ensure the protection of children and that all cases are handled in a timely manner.

As part of his 2014 proposed budget release, Poloncarz announced a joint collaboration between Erie County and the Albright Knox Art Gallery to bring public art to the community. As well as releasing a budget that held the line on taxes.

In late 2014, Poloncarz received accolades for his handling of the November 13-21, 2014 North American winter storm, one of the worst to hit the region. It was known as "The Knife" storm by government officials and colloquially known as "Snowvember".

In August of 2015, Poloncarz signed into law a bill that prohibited the sale of personal cosmetic products containing microplastics also known as microbeads. This was one of the first pieces of legislation banning microbeads in the country, and later that year the federal government passed the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015.

In November of 2015, Poloncarz ran for re-elecion against Republican NY State Assemblyman Ray Walter. On November 3rd 2015, Poloncarz won re-election with 65% of the vote.

Second Term 2016-2019

Poloncarz was named to the joint National Association of Counties and National League of Cities national task force addressing heroin and opioid abuse in March of 2016. Later that same year, the task force issued its comprehensive report, "A Prescription for Action: Local Leadership in Ending the Opioid Crisis."

Following President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords on June 2nd 2017, Poloncarz issued an executive order directing Erie County Departments to meet the goals set out in the Paris Climate Agreement by 2025.

Poloncarz, a son of a former Bethlehem Steel worker, made it a goal of his administration to revitalize the decades vacant facility. In 2017, Erie County acquired 150 acres of what would eventually become the 250 acre Renaissance Commerce Park.

Following through on two commitments made in his 2017 State of the County address, Poloncarz passed legislation on Fair Housing and reforms on Erie County Ethics laws in 2018.

In March of 2018, Poloncarz signed into law an act banning gay conversion therapy for minors. The law forbids therapists from counseling LGBTQ minors in an effort to make them heterosexual.

Poloncarz announced he would seek a third term as county executive in February 2019. Shortly thereafter, Erie County Legislator Lynne Dixon, an Independence Party member announced she would challenge Poloncarz on the Republican line. During Poloncarz's 2019 State of the County Address, he announced several ambitious plans to improve the lives of Erie County residents. First, he announced an initiative to provide high speed internet access to every town, city, and village in Erie County. The program, known as ErieNet, was one the first comprehensive publicly owned high speed fiber networks in the United States. Second, he announced a new health and human services plan called Live Well Erie to improve the health and wellness of children, working families, and seniors. Additionally, he created a new Office of Agriculture to promote the county's farming industry. Lastly, he established the Office of Consumer Protection.

In September of 2019, Poloncarz published his first book Beyond the X's and O's: Keeping the Bills in Buffalo through SUNY Press. The book detailed the negotiations and discussions that led to the 2013 ten year lease extension between Erie County, the State of New York and the Buffalo Bills.

In the fall of 2019, two televised debates were held between Poloncarz and Republican challenger Lynne Dixon, where Dixon heavily criticized Poloncarz's management of County government and called him a 'bully'.

On November 5th, 2019 Poloncarz became only the second Erie County Executive to win a third term when he defeated Dixon.

Third Term 2020-2023

Early in his third, the global COVID-19 Pandemic hit Erie County and became the administration's primary focus.

References

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