BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz is used to speaking about COVID-19 to a regional audience. Wednesday, at a county executive round table, hosted by AXIOS and the National Association of Counties, he spoke to a national one.
“The majority of people actually understand it and wear a mask. Nobody is thrilled about it. But there are a lot of other individuals who are very angry and are willing to voice their opinion and they have the right to do that,” said Poloncarz during the panel discussion.
This week,multiple towns filling resolutions against Poloncarz's handling of the pandemic, specifically the county-wide mask mandate.
Of the County executives at the round table, including leaders from Houston and Miami, Poloncarz was the only one with an active mask mandate in his municipality. He said despite the backlash he is receiving; he will continue to follow science.
“If I get voted out next time around, I can live with that, because at the end of the day, I can put my head on the pillow at night and sleep, “ said Poloncarz.
All the county leaders at the round table praised the federal government for providing additional funding to fight COVID-19.
