A man who served as a commissioner in both county and city government has been tapped as the next deputy county executive.
Erie County Executive-elect Mark Poloncarz Monday announced he has selected Richard Tobe to serve in his administration.
“As I have said, my Deputy County Executive’s will focus on job creation and creating a streamlined, sustainable and efficient approach to economic development in Erie County. 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. Today, I am proud to announce Richard Tobe will serve in that role. It is time that Erie County taxpayers see a return on the investment of their tax dollars into economic development initiatives that show results. Richard’s decades of successful and multi-faceted economic development experience in the public and private sectors make him the perfect choice to lead these efforts," said Poloncarz.
Tobe served for 12-years under the former Gorski administration as Commissioner of Environment and Planning where he negotiated a new long-term lease deal with the Buffalo Buffalo.
“I am supremely honored to serve County Executive-elect Poloncarz as the Deputy County Executive. I strongly agree with the County Executive-elect that, for too long, Erie County has been devoid of a cohesive and focused economic development strategy. 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," said Tobe.
In recent years, Tobe served as the City of Buffalo's economic development commissioner. But in 2008-left the post, saying he had been asked to resign.