Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - The Erie County Republican Party will announce its pick for Erie County Executive Monday morning and WBEN has learned the likely candidate is Clarence businesswoman Chrissy Casilio-Bluhm.
The party's county executive committee met before a full party meeting at the Orchard Park Senior Center Saturday morning and party chairman Michael Kracker told WBEN, "We’re going to provide a very clear contrast to the county executive."
Kracker stopped short of naming Casilio-Bluhm as the party's pick but his comments were telling and matched what WBEN has been told when he said, "I believe putting forward a fresh face is going to give our party the best opportunity to succeed in electing a Republican county executive."
Casilio-Bluhm has no elective or government experience and is the owner of Casilio Communications, a full service marketing firm. She is the daughter of longtime Clarence Town Supervisor Pat Casilio.
"We’ve got a lot of professional politicians in this community," Kracker told WBEN when asked about her lack of elective experience. "I don’t things are going in the right direction," he added.
Kracker said the party's choice would provide a very clear contrast to that of Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, a Democrat who is facing a primary battle from former Grand Island Town Supervisor Nate McMurray. "Perhaps it takes someone from the outside to come in and step up and lead our party, lead our county into a new direction."
Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns had been touted as a frontrunner for the GOP nod for county executive, but a controversy surrounding expenses paid by the clerk's office for advertisements he appeared in seems to have pushed the party in another direction. Kearns told WBEN Saturday, "I will not be pursuing the county executive race due to family circumstances."
The race for Erie County Executive could be a costly one and total 7 figures. Kracker is not intimidated by the cost, saying, "There’s a lot of appetite for change in direction and I think people are willing to put their financial resources into that effort."
When asked for a statement on the potential GOP opposition he may face, Poloncarz' office said, "Mark looks forward to running on his record of delivering for the people of Erie County and his plans to invest in the services Erie County residents rely on."
McMurray will be a guest on WBEN's Hardline show Sunday morning.
The Erie County Republican Party will make their endorsement for county executive and other offices formally known sometime Monday morning.