The state of Erie County is strong because of good governance
by Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz
Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz
I recently presented the 2026 State of the County address at Shea’s Per forming Arts Center. I was joined by elected officials, small business owners, representatives of not-for-profit organizations, religious leaders and various other community stakeholders, all of whom heard my review of the past year and what Erie County has planned as we continue along with my administration’s ongoing commitment to good government.
I discussed many initiatives and programs during my speech, including our plans for Erie County to use surplus funding to assist first-time home buyers, the introduction of an energy efficiency program to replace older style light bulbs, and the continued growth of the Erie NET broad band internet project.
A recent editorial published in The Buffalo News support ed my agenda and celebrated Erie County’s many accomplishments. It applauded my efforts of good governance and how we remain focused on actions, policies and programs designed to address quality of-life issues impacting county residents, including those living in poverty.
If you were not in attendance last month and haven’t taken the time to watch my speech, I urge you to view the video of my presentation of the 2026 State of the County address by visiting www.youtube.com/ErieCountyNY.
Despite continued demands from a vocal online minority for me to ignore what’s happening in our nation’s capital, I remain steadfast in my criticism of President Trump, specifically his lack of clear strategy to end the war in Iran. His mixed messaging is causing significant geopolitical instability and is damaging the reputation of the United States of America. The escalating price for gasoline has been one of the main talking points in almost every con versation I have had recently and the uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz will likely result in more gas price increases in the days, weeks and months ahead, as well as an increased cost for materials used to repair roads.
The policies developed and major decisions made in our nation’s capital impact us locally, so expect to hear more from me in the future about the direction our country is headed in and what you can do to attempt to influence your federal representatives on important votes they will be making about funding for another overseas war and some of the silly high-cost van ity projects being discussed in Washington D.C. I hope you will join me in speaking out and addressing national issues that affect you and your loved ones.
I also want to remind anyone who hasn’t taken the “Envision Erie” online survey to visit www.erie.gov/envisionerie so we can collect your feedback to help guide future county policy, programs, and investments. Paper surveys are available at various senior centers and public libraries. If you have a specific question about the survey or need help obtaining one, feel free to contact David Bojanowski in my office at 716-858-8466.