BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — When Erie County Republicans started planning for the 2023 election for county executive, a host of familiar names entered the conversation.
Former Rep. Chris Jacobs topped most lists, but he seemed content in his return to the private sector. Former State Sen. Edward A. Rath III and County Clerk Michael P. Kearns were also prominently mentioned but passed on the daunting challenge presented by the three-term incumbent Democrat Mark C. Poloncarz.
So the local GOP scoured the private sector and now offers to voters on November 7 a little-known owner of a Clarence marketing firm — Chrissy Casilio. She fits neatly in the role of underdog, with little name recognition and far fewer resources than her incumbent opponent. But she is mounting a spirited challenge that has Republicans hoping for a major upset.
Casilio may summarize the theme of her campaign in one word — affordability.
“On day one, affordability is an issue we are going to tackle,” she said in a wide-ranging interview with 7 News.”We have to lower our taxes even more.”
Poloncarz, on the other hand, enjoys almost universal name recognition and all the advantages of incumbency plus a Democratic registration edge of about 135,000 voters. He seeks a fourth term in the big suite atop the Rath Building, which nobody has ever achieved since the office was established in 1961.
The attorney and former county comptroller says his fourth term will prove his last if successful on November 7. He recognizes the “shelf life” disadvantage often faced by executive officeholders but wants to finish a host of projects he has started before ending his county career in politics.
READ MORE: 'This will be the last time I run for county executive': Mark Poloncarz drops political bombshell
And he believes he has demonstrated leadership ability in crises ranging from a pandemic to blizzards.
“If you’re running for county executive and you’re not willing to take charge of these situations then you shouldn’t be running,” he also told 7 News.”That’s what I’m hearing from people on the campaign trail.”
Here is a synopsis of both candidates’ philosophies and plans as Election Day approaches:
Chrissy Casilio (R)
The mother of three continually refers to the “struggles” of ordinary families to pay bills for heat, transportation, food and other necessities. She appeals to voters who she thinks face the same challenges. Though county taxes comprise a relatively small portion of the overall tax burden, she insists Erie County’s burden remains excessive.
She has unveiled no specific plans nor proposes any major projects or programs — drawing criticism of “she has no plan” from Poloncarz.
Instead, Casilio says her plan revolves simply around cutting county spending.
“I would force the government to cut its spending by one and a half percent,” she said. “If we can’t figure out a way to tighten our belt by one and a half percent, then we have way bigger problems we have to address.”
She has also thrust her opponent’s handling of an influx of mostly Latin American migrants to the forefront of her campaign. She blames Poloncarz for inviting them from New York City, and says she will solve the problem by simply sending them back to New York City.
Does that mean putting them on buses headed for downstate?
“Correct,” she said, rejecting any notion that her plan may prove unworkable.
She blames Poloncarz for crimes committed by the visitors and the accompanying costs.
“On day one I will be suing New York City and I will be suing Albany,” she said, listing expenses she says must be paid by taxpayers on some level.
“It’s our tax dollars,” she said. “That is our money.”
Casilio says Poloncarz failed Erie County in the Christmas blizzard that claimed 46 lives in Erie and one in Niagara County.
“He had days to prepare for this storm,” she said. “He had to get the communications in place and had days to get the driving ban out and that simply didn’t happen. Forty-seven people died. He was more worried about ruining peoples’ Christmases than keeping people safe.”
Casilio avoids overt criticism of the Poloncarz deal to commit $250 million toward the construction of a new $1.54 billion Buffalo Bills stadium in Orchard Park, acknowledging the team’s importance to the community. But she notes a “lack of transparency,” and laments cost overruns (to be borne by the team). She offers no details in her criticism of the deal Poloncarz negotiated.
“I see it as a rush deal to get this done before his next election term,” she said.
But she saves her strongest criticism for how the incumbent handled the COVID-19 pandemic. She claims Poloncarz fell in line with former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to the detriment of local residents, especially those who died in nursing homes and whose businesses were damaged by COVID restrictions.
“We knew early on that kids could have gone to school safely…other county executives across New York State said no to that order,” she said. “The Cuomo approach? To a certain extent, yes. Two years worth? I think it got excessive.”
Casilio's harshest criticism surrounds tweets she issued on various subjects. Poloncarz ads slam her as an “extremist” who espoused conspiracy theories involving an actor portraying Damar Hamlin of the Bills following his collapse on the field in January. She maintains the tweets are taken out of context.
“I’m not going to say I’m a perfect person but I think I have been dramatically mischaracterized,” she said. “Obviously, if I could go back, some of those tweets are a bit insensitive, but it’s not a pressing issue.”
Despite her questions about voting during COVID restrictions, she acknowledges the election of Joe Biden as president in 2020. But, she notably shies away from associating herself with Donald Trump, the leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, refusing to commit to any one candidate.
“If Donald Trump is the candidate who is serious about closing the border and addressing the fentanyl crisis, then I will support Donald Trump,” she said. “If it’s somebody else, I will support them.”
Mark Poloncarz (D)
The county executive lists as accomplishments a host of county projects such as an agricultural-technological park in Evans and the business complex rising on the former Bethlehem Steel site. Completion of a new Highmark Stadium for the Bills also ranks as a major priority for an unprecedented fourth term.
As much as anything he brings to the voters this fall, Poloncarz touts the stadium deal.
“There are some people out there who say if you give them any dollars it would be a bad deal,” he said. “But we would have lost our football team.”
He points to a $100 million community benefits agreement, the end of county game day expenses, and the team's promise to remain in Orchard Park for 30 years.
And he offers new ideas such as curtailing urban sprawl in the county’s suburbs. He says his administration is exploring redeveloping urban areas instead of spending massive amounts for new infrastructure.
He believes extending Metro Rail to the University at Buffalo’s North Campus and beyond is one way of curtailing the need for new roads and bridges.
But Casilio has also put her opponent on the defensive over the migrant crisis, the blizzard, and his personal life.
Poloncarz acknowledges mistakes were made during the worst snowstorm ever recorded in the continental United States below 6,000 feet.
“I don’t think any of us truly understood the life-threatening nature of the storm,” he said. “ If we had that information, we could have said to the public: ‘We're not joking, if you go out you could die’.”
Now, Poloncarz says better safeguards are in place with more equipment, more tracked vehicles to assist those who become stranded, and better lines of communication with the City of Buffalo.
Poloncarz also makes no apologies for the way Erie County and New York State imposed severe restrictions during the height of the pandemic.
“We got an estimate from the (Centers for Disease Control) that if 50% of Erie County caught COVID in the next six months…it was likely that 6,000 county residents would die,” he said. “The decision to shut down was a statewide one, and countrywide one, and it was done for a reason – it was done to save lives,” he said.
The county executive continues to offer familiar responses to questions about the inclusion of his name in a police report filed by a former girlfriend who said she feared for her safety in his presence. Casilio features the report prominently in her ads, raising questions about her opponent’s fitness for such a high office as county executive.
“If I had done anything untoward I would have resigned by now,” Poloncarz said. “I’m moving on and talking with voters about issues that matter.”
Should voters be concerned?
“I think the voters know who I am,” he said.
Election day is Tuesday, November 7 with polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
