With the Correction’s Officers strike now over, there are new concerns coming to light. The Collins Correctional Facility could be targeted as one of the five Governor Hochul would like to close. That community already lost the Gowanda facility to closure a few years ago, and this would be devastating. As the legislator for Alden, I see firsthand the significant impact the Wende Correctional Facility has on the community. This would be wholly unfair to the many local businesses that relied on both Gowanda and Collins, and the Governor needs to consider other options.
I was honored to be part of the Buffalo Bills Topping Out ceremony recently, where the final steel beam was raised into place at the New Highmark Stadium, representing the completion of the structural phase of this project. I congratulate the thousands in the skilled labor workforce who have worked through all kinds of weather to get us to this point. As we work towards development surrounding the stadium, we must bring the experts together to ensure that we create a true destination that will be the envy of the league. We have one chance to do this the right way, and we need to be sure that we do.
The Mark Poloncarz Administration needs to do a better job being transparent with lawmakers over issues facing Erie County. We learned only after the fact that the County is now on the hook for a $28 million dollar settlement in a wrongful conviction case. The City of Buffalo had previously settled for considerably less. The Administration should have made legislators aware. We are the fiscal house, and it is irresponsible to not keep lawmakers abreast of looming expenses. In addition, I’m concerned that Erie County continues to make the decision not to settle cases, which has resulted in taxpayers paying much more than they may have had to otherwise.
As voters soon decide school budgets for the next year, I am troubled by the E-bus mandates New York State lawmakers seem eager to enforce. The cost is prohibitive, and many more rural districts cannot afford this expense. In addition, the infrastructure is not there to transition an entire fleet to electric buses by 2035. Students will suffer and taxpayers will bear the burden for this ridiculous mandate. State lawmakers pushing this agenda need to hit the pause button.
When the Erie County Legislature passed an amended budget in December 2025, we did so with the assumption that expenses for this year were largely accounted for. Since that time Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz has continually sent over new jobs and added new expenses all supported by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. As we learned from the Erie County fiscal crisis of 2004, when libraries, parks and services were cut because of overspending, this Administration cannot continue down that path. The next County Executive will have to deal with the financial challenges not of their making.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz will be hosting a town hall at the Lancaster Opera House Tuesday, April 22 at 7pm. This is a great opportunity for you to ask questions or voice your concerns.
A reminder that road construction season is upon us. Keep an eye out for crews. If you have a county related issue, contact my office at 716-681-2071 or by email at Frank.Todaro@erie.gov
