Just as a community battered by blizzard looks to government for recovery, the region's top two leaders – both Democrats – now appear locked in a major sniping match over the City of Buffalo's performance in cleaning up a Christmas snowfall of more than 4 feet.
County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz scored the first punch Wednesday morning, labeling Buffalo's response "embarrassing" and questioning why the city has failed to lift its driving ban while surrounding suburbs are now back in operation.
"I don't want to see this anymore – I'm sick of it – I'm a city resident myself," Poloncarz said. "It pains me to see the other 25 towns and two small cities opened at times when the city isn't. The city has its own problems – because of the size of streets and the parking issues, I understand that – but we have more capabilities in the city, and if we have to, working with the state, we will find a way to get through these storms quicker by taking over operations if need be.
People are also reading…
"I know the mayor's not thrilled to hear it," he added, "but I don't care anymore. I want it done."
Mayor Byron W. Brown, however, countered later in the day that he was first learning about the county executive's complaints from reporters' questions. He defended the city's efforts against what he called "maybe the worst storm in recorded history" and said Poloncarz never expressed concerns despite constant phone calls and meetings since the storm first hit on Friday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul was joined by Mayor Byron Brown, far left, and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, second from right, during a briefing on the region's response to a November storm.
"I don't know where those comments are coming from," the mayor responded. "I just chalk it up to someone feeling that pressure and crumbling under it.
"Some people handle that pressure a lot differently," he added. "Some keep working, some keep trying to helping the residents of our community, and some break down and lash out."
The mayor continually stressed that the city is responding as best it can and that he is not engaged in a "feud" with the county executive.
"I'm peace and love. I'm calm, cool and collected," he said. "And I don't lose my mind during a crisis."
The exchange exposes a major crack in what had previously appeared as a united front in the region's response to the crippling storm. Both leaders are now forced to address their rift as much as storm recovery. It also occurs just before Poloncarz is expected to launch his campaign for an unprecedented fourth term as county executive, and in a community where the "politics of snow" has historically determined the success or failure of a host of government officials.
Indeed, Brown was also scrambling Wednesday to answer questions about the city's preparedness for the Christmas Weekend onslaught. Time after time he noted the historic nature of the storm, and how its severity made responding extremely difficult. But he also acknowledged that the city does not prepare for such massive storms, even as climate change could mean that Lake Erie remains unfrozen later in the year and more prone to lake effect.
"The city's snow fighting plan doesn't address blizzards, it just addresses normal snowfall," Brown said. "We have the equipment we need in the City of Buffalo for normal snowfall."
He again noted the equipment made available to Buffalo by the mutual aid arrangement devised by the state, as well as the equipment arriving from other municipalities around New York and even New Jersey.
Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz said during a news conference Wednesday said that the county had taken over snow removal efforts in a large chunk of the city, from Broadway at the Cheektowaga line to the waterfront.
After Brown and several commissioners highlighted his administration's progress in the Wednesday news conference, he found himself barraged with questions about his new tiff with Poloncarz. He sidestepped an inquiry about how the feud will play in the eyes of the community and the national audience following the blizzard's aftermath. He then said only that he has approached the task "collaboratively ... and cooperatively," and that his goal is only to "protect life safety."
"My focus is on the City of Buffalo and its residents to address these historic conditions as quickly as possible," he said.
Poloncarz, meanwhile, would not consent to an interview with The Buffalo News. His spokesman instead issued a statement that did not address his comments about the city's response to the storm.
"At this time, the focus of the County Executive and our entire administration is the continued efforts to deal with the aftermath of the blizzard, specifically with assisting the people of Erie County to overcome the terrible blow that Mother Nature dealt us this past weekend," said spokesman Daniel Meyer. "This includes opening the City of Buffalo's roads as soon as possible, and preparing for potential flooding due to the rapid melt of snow."
