Nate McMurray declares bid for Erie County Executive

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — After two unsuccessful runs for Congress, attorney and former Grand Island Supervisor Nate McMurray has his eyes on the seat for Erie County Executive.

Saying “the need for new leadership in Erie County government has never been greater,” the Democrat cited the deadly December blizzard as one of the reasons he’s calling for change.

47 people, 46 of whom were in Erie County, died as a result of that storm.

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“Dozens of people froze to death, and countless homes sustained costly damage from high winds and burst pipes—and amidst the crisis, the County Executive was the first to point fingers in an embarrassing tirade that drew international headlines and brought shame to WNY,” McMurray said in his announcement.

McMurray also took shots at the county’s fiscal policies, disparaging Tesla as a “Hail Mary project.”

“Under current County leadership, we’ve seen billions of our hard-earned dollars thrown at Hail Mary projects for mega corporations—like Tesla—which consistently fail to come even close to job creation promises despite receiving over $959 million dollars in taxpayer money,” McMurray said.

Mark Poloncarz, also a Democrat, has not made any announcements about potentially running for re-election, despite McMurray saying in his announcement that Poloncarz is “planning to run again.”

“These positions are not meant as lifetime appointments,” McMurray said. “There is nothing so spectacular in his resume to justify such an unprecedented period of leadership other than his steel grip on the apparatus of local party politics. And thus, in the spirit of democracy and open debate, I am giving the people of Erie County a choice.”

Poloncarz has served as County Executive since 2012, and is currently in the final year of his third term. McMurray says he promises “to serve no longer than two terms.”