Amherst, N.Y. (WBEN) - With early voting underway and the November general election just over a week away, the two-top candidates for Erie County Executive participated in separate one-hour appearances on WBEN's Hardline program with Joe Beamer on Sunday.
Mark Poloncarz, the Democrat incumbent, appeared in the 10 a.m. ET hour and spent much of his time focusing on his record as County Executive for the past three four-year terms. He was peppered with questions concerning the blizzard, migrant crisis and COVID-19.
Casilio, the Republican challenger and newcomer to politics, spent most of her time in the 11 a.m. ET hour attacking the Poloncarz record and picking apart his statements he's made on the same issues, mainly the blizzard, COVID and migrant crisis.
Perhaps most notable in the campaign for County Executive are the issues both candidates would just as soon not discuss. For Poloncarz, that's the domestic violence police report against him that surfaced recently. And for Casilio, it's a series of tweets that questioned the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest.
Poloncarz has been emphasizing the series of tweets Casilio authored and has since deleted that, he says, are a main factor in why she is 'extreme' and unfit to run for office. Poloncarz told Beamer the Democratic party is responsible for a website that has been created for images of the tweets from an account since deleted by Casilio. "Those were her own words," Poloncarz said. "She's not denied that these were her tweets."
In response, Casilio says the tweet site is a distraction and not what the people of Erie County are concerned about or focusing on. "My tweets did not cause 47 death," said Casilio, referencing the deadly Christmas blizzard that struck Buffalo. "My tweets didn't cause businesses to shut down during COVID. My tweets didn't cause a bad breakup that led to a domestic violence report, and actions speak louder than words."
Related
