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County exec race begins to take shape; McMurray mulls primary [1]

['Robert J. Mccarthy News Political Reporter', 'Robert J.', 'Video Provided Erie County', 'Derek Gee Buffalo News']

Date: 2023-01

In the local party offices and backroom haunts where political deals are often sealed, attention is turning to potential candidates for the 2023 county executive contest.

Democrat Mark C. Poloncarz is widely viewed as planning for an unprecedented fourth term while showing every indication of running again. But even amid renewed speculation that he could assume a post in the Hochul administration, he is making nothing official.

Elections, constructions and negotiations: A look ahead at 2023 in Western New York Buffalo News reporters share a glimpse of what is to come this year on a variety of topics.

As a result, no clear picture of the race has yet to take shape. But here is a synopsis of what candidates are contemplating a candidacy, as well as those who are not, with just a few weeks remaining before designation petitions begin circulating on Feb. 28:

• Nate McMurray, the former congressional candidate and Grand Island supervisor, said he is "considering" a Democratic primary challenge to Poloncarz after what he calls an unsatisfactory response by government at all levels to the Christmas weekend blizzard that killed at least 44 people.

• Former Rep. Chris Jacobs, viewed in many Republican circles as the strongest candidate to challenge Poloncarz or another Democrat, said he is not planning to run for office again just days after ending his congressional term.

• West Seneca Supervisor Gary Dickson also says he will most likely not run after he was receiving prominent mention among many GOP supporters.

• Former Republican State Sen. Edward A. Rath III said he may launch a candidacy, just after his defeat for re-election in November.

• County Clerk Michael P. Kearns, a Democrat who won re-election in November on the Republican line, says he would also consider running, though some Republicans appear reluctant to grant their nod to a member of the opposite party.

At this early stage, the central person in the discussion remains Poloncarz. He has been building his campaign treasury and told supporters at a recent party that he would soon announce.

On Wednesday, he would make no commitment to a re-election bid, but promised to address the situation sometime in February. He also acknowledged "the rumors are out there" about taking a post with Gov. Kathy Hochul.

"Gov. Hochul and I talk frequently," he said, noting he was invited to the Governor's Mansion in Albany for a special reception following last week's State of the State address.

Poloncarz calls Buffalo blizzard response 'embarrassing'; Brown suggests county exec struggling under the pressure Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz said during a news conference Wednesday said that the county had taken over snow removal efforts in a large chunk of the city, from Broadway at the Cheektowaga line to the waterfront.

The county executive has emerged a bit battered and bruised from commanding county forces in the blizzard, though he was widely criticized – and later apologized – for his broadside against City of Buffalo snow fighting efforts led by Mayor Byron W. Brown. Still, he is known to enjoy the support of organization Democrats led by Chairman Jeremy J. Zellner.

But for the first time, the county executive could also face a challenge from within his own party. McMurray lost a razor thin special election to the then-indicted Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence, in 2018. Now he says he represents a significant number of voters who are tired of Poloncarz, resent his performance during the storm and thinks the Erie County Democratic Party is a "mess."

"The storm tipped it over for me," McMurray said Wednesday, "because of how quickly they were blaming each other, with no accountability. And how could they be so unprepared?

"Yes, it was a bad storm," he added. "But dozens of people don't die without a major failure of government."

Though they are nowhere near settling on a candidate, Erie County GOP Chairman Michael A. Kracker said Republicans are "dialed in" on finding an opponent to challenge Poloncarz.

"Fielding competition against our far left county executive is a top priority in the year ahead," he said, providing a hint of the GOP campaign that lies ahead. "He has driven County Hall far to the left, along with his friends in Albany and Washington. He is out of step with the conservative values of the average voter here in Erie County."

Poloncarz won re-election in 2019 over former County Legislator Lynne M. Dixon in a well-orchestrated and well-financed campaign, but by about only 7 percentage points. The GOP has been eyeing a rematch since, and hopes to respond with a familiar face like Rath, Kearns or possibly someone new.

Poloncarz is attempting what no other county executive – Democrat or Republican – has ever accomplished by winning a fourth term. Democrat Dennis T. Gorski tried unsuccessfully in 1999, losing to Republican Joel A. Giambra.

He would face the inevitable question of whether his political "shelf life" has expired, even though he enjoys myriad advantages of money and incumbency.

Jacobs, who last year opted against seeking another term after voting for strict gun control measures advocated by House Democrats, said he has been encouraged to run and knows his name has been tested in countywide polling.

"At this point, I would say it's unlikely I will run," he said. "I'm hoping to really focus on my private business and my volunteer things."

Rath, meanwhile, said he and his team are "actively looking at the contest."

"I do believe it's appropriate to have a viable opponent to County Executive Poloncarz to hold him accountable for the decisions he has made," Rath said. "And it's certainly important to have some set of checks and balances where you have single party government."

And Kearns said he has had discussions about running, and that he is "open to anything."

"A lot of people are not happy with the 16th floor right now," he said, referring to Poloncarz's office atop the Rath County Office Building. "And I think I would be the best candidate to oppose Mark Poloncarz."

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