TOWN OF TONAWANDA, NY (WKBW) — The Erie County Executive race heated up Thursday with the staged debate. It was hosted by St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute in the Town of Tonawanda.
Democratic incumbent County Executive Mark Poloncarz faced off against his Republican opponent Chrissy Casilio where the candidates both defended their campaigns.
“And the home of the brave”, sang the St. Joe’s Varsity Singers as they performed the National Anthem.
For nearly 40 years the Catholic boy’s high school has been known for hosting major political debates.
Right out of the gate, Poloncarz was forced to defend himself when asked about the county's response to last December’s blizzard as his opponent and Clarence businesswoman Casilio blasted him in part for the 46 people who died in Erie County.
“The response from the storm was so bad. I was surprised that my opponent decided to run for reelection,” declared Casilio. “Our leadership was more concerned about not running the Christmas holiday and as a result. We had people die.”
“I was the first person to issue a state of emergency actually the night before. We did not implement the driving ban until the next morning because we wanted the individuals who were working the night before on third shift, and there are thousands of people who work third shift, 11 to 7, to be able to get home,” responded Poloncarz. “There were deaths associated with people just shoveling snow and having a heart attack. There were individuals who died in their homes because we could not get to them, due to the ferocity of the storm after they lost power. How can I be blamed for a power outage at a substation.”
Student panelists asked tough questions including the topic of migrants in Erie County and why Poloncarz didn't issue an ‘emergency order’ to keep asylum seekers out.
“And I believe it is morally repugnant to issue an order like that. You issue an emergency order during a blizzard or when things went really bad in COVID,” replied Poloncarz.
“So, what's morally repugnant is that to this day we still don't know exactly who is here, where they are from, and what the plan is and in the meantime, our schools are having to deal with the increase of cost,” responded Casilio.
But then it was Casilio's turn to explain past social media posts that have since been deleted including supporting protests that lead to the Capitol riots and a conspiracy theory surrounding Buffalo Bills Player Damar Hamlin.
“I never supported January 6th. I never said that Damar Hamlin is dead. I obviously had commentary on certain topics, but for these career politicians to be able to take those and use it to smear me all over,” answered Casilio.
"If you post something on the internet even if you delete it, it's going to be out there and it can come back and haunt you,” Poloncarz stated.
Poloncarz was asked about the controversy surrounding a grant given to a cultural organization run by a woman he dated.
“So the accusation that I did it was just incorrect. It was unanimously approved by the legislature,” explained Poloncarz.
“But you seem to leave out the sexual benefits that you give by giving out money to people you are having relationships with,” Casilio stated.
Poloncarz also took on the question of a domestic violence police report that surfaced over the summer but was not charged.
“I am disappointed that a personal matter became public. I’ve discussed this. I’m talking about the issues that matter to the people of Erie County,” noted Poloncarz.
A student also asked the candidates to weigh in on whether the Tops mass shooter should face the death penalty in his federal case, while he now serves life in prison on state charges. Both responded very differently.
“What he did was horrible. He deserves to die,” declared Casilio.
“I'll leave it up to the family members of those who are deceased as to whether or not he should be suspect to the death penalty, under the federal rules, but he should never see the light of day again,” commented Poloncarz.
Poloncarz told the audience he is the better candidate based on his experience as the county leader over the last 12 years, but he pledges this is his last re-election bid for the seat. However, his opponent disagrees saying, as a businesswoman and mother, she’s most in touch with what the voters are concerned about and refers to him as a ‘career politician’.
“He has lost touch with the people of Erie County, where I’m experiencing it firsthand,” said Casilio.
“I’m going to put this out there -- if you have a family member who has cancer, do you go to the person who is just out of medical school? No, you go to the specialist who's experienced and knows how to handle the issues and that's what I can do,” replied Poloncarz.
The only thing the two agreed on is how different they are as candidates.
“Well, I think you saw a difference between myself and my opponent. I've been talking about what we're doing and our plans going forward, and my opponent just pointed the finger at me for every problem under the sun,” described Poloncarz.
“You could not have a bigger difference in the candidates and that was very clear. They’re two very different options this year for the county executive seat,” Casilio replied.
I spoke with St. Joe’s student Michael Helfrich, a senior, who was one of the panelists following the debate.
“Did you feel someone walked away as a winner?” Buckley asked. “I don't think so. I think I learned a lot from both candidates. I think they both had important things to say, and I enjoyed hearing their perspectives on different issues. But I don't think necessarily somebody won or lost. I think it was just good for everyone here to hear what they had to say,” replied Helfrich.
