BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Another challenger may be emerging in the race for Erie County Executive.
A source for WBEN said there is a strong consideration for Erie County Legislator Lynne Dixon to run against Mark Poloncarz this fall.
"I'm not going to talk about my private conversations with people that I'm trying to recruit for public office," Erie County GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy told WBEN when asked if he directly asked her to run for office.
When asked if she had a meeting with Langworthy about a run for county executive, she said she had discussions with not just party leaders, but people involved in government, all the time.
Should Dixon run for county executive, she runs the risk of losing her seat in the county legislature, which is up for re-election every two years. If she loses the race, she could not return to her seat on the 11-person legislature.
"I have always believed in term limits anyway," Dixon said. "I'm so grateful for this community and so grateful for what it has given me, my family, my children. It's a special place to live. I have always loved the public service part of government. To that end, would certainly explore anything that would allow me to continue serving in a capacity where it's really about the public service and about the people."
Dixon would not give a direct answer if she is running but said that changes in the democratic-controlled state legislature have prompted quicker decisions.
Other potential candidates running as a republican for the county's highest office include State Senator Chris Jacobs, who has also not committed to a run because of a newborn child. Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw was previously expected to run this year against incumbent Mark Poloncarz, but said he is now eyeing a congressional run in 2020.
Dixon faces an uphill battle if she's the nominee as Poloncarz is running on a third-term and has approximately $445,073.58 in his latest campaign filings. Dixon, according to her most recent filings, has $17,797.28. She also faces a disadvantage in countywide enrollment and republicans were forced to expedite their nomination process with the primary day moving to June.
"Petitions for the offices will hit the streets February 26," Langworthy said. "This is unprecedented. We have not dealt with a calendar this tight. Normally our candidate selection process concludes in roughly April. Now we're looking at having to know where we're going by approximately Valentine's Day."
Dixon said she's not concerned about things she can't control in a possible battle against Poloncarz.
"For me, it would be about the people and about what I would be doing," Dixon said. "I would only be concerned about what I can control and that's getting out, meeting people, and discussing issues and what direction I believe the county should be heading. Again, I would never shut the door on any potential race and I'm not shutting the door on this."