Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz endorses Sean Ryan for Buffalo mayor
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz endorsed Sean Ryan for Buffalo mayor on Tuesday morning, joining a list of politicians endorsing the state senator.
Poloncarz has served as Erie County Executive since 2012. He said he endorsed Ryan due to his belief in Ryan's ability to fix the city's budget issues and develop the city economically.
The endorsement comes on the morning of the first mayoral debate, which will be hosted by WIVB News 4 on-air, online, and on the WIVB+ app.
Preview: Buffalo mayoral candidates to face off in debate Tuesday night
'I just feel it's that important,' Poloncarz said. 'This is my last term as county executive and as I said, you cannot have a strong county unless you have a strong City of Buffalo.'
Poloncarz compared the city's current budget issues to the red-green fiscal crisis of 2005 under then-County Executive Joel Giambra. He also lauded his belief in Ryan to fairly negotiate and do what is best for residents.
Poloncarz joined State Senator April Baskin and Assemblyman Jon Rivera as the most notable local politician endorsements for Ryan to become the next mayor. Ryan has also been endorsed by the Erie County Democratic Committee.
'I'm a City of Buffalo resident. Not everybody lives in the City of Buffalo,' Poloncarz said, 'but I think you see the residents who live in the City of Buffalo, the elected officials are making their choice. And there are four other candidates in the race for the Democratic primary. And I just think we need a new leader who's got the proven experience through what he's done.'
Ryan added that he does not have the intention of running an independent campaign if he loses the June 24 primary. Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon and former Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield, who are both in the Democratic primary, have filed with the Erie County Board of Elections to run independent campaigns should they lose.
The five Democratic primary candidates for Buffalo mayor are set to debate at D'Youville University's Kavinoky Theatre on Tuesday night, hosted by WIVB News 4. To find more information, including how to watch, click here.
Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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