Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Kevin Hardwick has won a second term as Erie County Comptroller, but could he be interested in pursuing another office at the Rath Building downtown?
Hardwick garnered 59% of the vote in defeating Christine Czarnik.
"We kind of thought it was ours to lose from the start," said Hardwick, crediting his opponent for running a campaign. "This democracy thing requires other people to step forward, and fortunately, she did."
As far as what he'll do as comptroller, Hardwick says he'll continue to do what he's been doing.
"We're going to do audits in various departments. We're going to work with those departments once we've found something to make things better," Hardwick said with WBEN. "We're going to continue to aggressively invest the taxpayers' money and earn interest on that, and we've done that to the tune of tens of millions of dollars over the years, and that's money we don't have to raise in property taxes."
But could this election be a stepping stone toward 2027?
"It might be," Hardwick said about a run for Erie County Executive. "I haven't decided whether I'm going to run for county executive or not. When I was asked during the campaign, I said I wasn't sure it was something I wasn't going to rule out. Certainly, I've thought about it, and I continue to think about it, but that's a decision that will be made once and for all next year."
He adds he may jump and want his name to be in the mix.
Hardwick says the integrity, respect and the leadership are the hallmark of his first four years, and hopes it will be his legacy.
Current Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says he will not seek another term after his current term ends in 2027.