Mark C. Poloncarz is Erie County's eighth county executive and first four-term executive.
Under his guidance and throughout his tenure, Erie County has recorded balanced budgets, along with lower tax rates, and increased investments in county economic development facilities, highway infrastructure, parks, libraries, and cultural organizations.
He successfully negotiated two leases with the Buffalo Bills, including the most recent lease to construct a new $1.7 billion stadium, keeping the team in Erie County until 2055, created the Erie County Health Mall through a public-private partnership to provide needed care to a health desert, formed the Erie County Opioid Task Force, which served as a model for the National Opioid Task Force, and signed local laws covering public health, environmental protection, government ethics, fair housing, and a commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement.
Mark led Erie County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the May 14, 2022 racially-motivated mass shooting at a Tops Supermarket that claimed 10 lives, and multiple weather disasters, including the 3-day December 2022 Blizzard.
Poloncarz, whose term expires at the end of 2027, has announced he will not seek reelection as executive. He resides in Buffalo, New York with his partner Lindsey Lauren Visser and her (though now their) dogs Eleanor and Abigail.