© 2024 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace
Buffalo, NY 14202

Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
WBFO Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Your NPR Station
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Poloncarz retains his emergency COVID powers, after failed legislative effort

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz at a January COVID-19 briefing. He's wearing a tan suit with white shirt and gold polka-dot tie with the county logo behind him.
Erie County
/
YouTube
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz has retained emergency powers since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic nearly two years ago.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz remains in control of county government, after County Legislature Democrats on Thursday stayed united against a push to strip him of his COVID-19 emergency powers.

It's been almost two years since the ceiling fell: COVID stormed across the country and Poloncarz began exercising emergency powers to fight the virus. His actions have ranged across the economic and political spectrum.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo also took emergency powers, although the State Legislature eventually took away most of them.

The Minority Caucus in the County Legislature has been pushing back against Poloncarz's powers and on Thursday tried unsuccessfully again to take them away.

Minority Leader Joseph Lorigo explained the latest plan, saying this isn't a government of checks and balances.

"Not the way government was meant to be run. It's not the way our constituents expect it to be run. That's why we put forward two plans," Lorigo said. "The first plan would end the State of Emergency immediately. We understand that maybe the Majority Caucus doesn't agree with that. So our second plan, Intro 3-2, would end the State of Emergency two weeks from today, at the end of our next legislative session."

Legislator John Gilmour said it's not clear the legislators can take away Poloncarz' emergency powers.

"There is uncertainty whether or not we have the authority through either one of these resolutions to make him give up his emergency powers," Gilmour said. "It seems more this is political pressure. It seems to me that, but for the $10,000, we've stripped him of all the authority that we have the authority to give him. I'm not against having a discussion about it. I'm open to that. I agree with you that there should be open dialogue."

The $10,000 is what Poloncarz can spend without legislative approval.

"This is not part-time for me. So I'm in my district. We talk about the legislative process," said Legislator Howard Johnson. "I'm like, 'I'm sorry.' I take offense to saying that we're not part of the legislative process. It actually angers me because I know what I do on a daily basis in regards to the constituency in the First Legislative District. Maybe they can speak for their district, but for my district, I know what's going on."

After much sparring across the virtual legislative center aisle, Democrats rejected both plans, arguing the county executive needs those powers to help fight COVID as the virus recedes — for now.

Mike Desmond is one of Western New York’s most experienced reporters, having spent nearly a half-century covering the region for newspapers, television stations and public radio. He has been with WBFO and its predecessor, WNED-AM, since 1988. As a reporter for WBFO, he has covered literally thousands of stories involving education, science, business, the environment and many other issues. Mike has been a long-time theater reviewer for a variety of publications and was formerly a part-time reporter for The New York Times.