When former Lackawanna Mayor Geoffrey M. Szymanski wanted a new job, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz, a fellow Lackawanna native, offered him one.
But now, after 2½ years in his county government post as executive director of the Erie County Workforce Investment Board, he has stepped down.
He submitted his resignation on Aug. 4. His last day of work was Aug. 12.
Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz has appointed Geoffrey M. Szymanski, the former Lackawanna mayor, as county director of workforce development. Szymanski became Lackawanna mayor in 2012 and his tenure ended Tuesday due to term limits. He was a city councilman for six years before becoming mayor. He will receive a salary of approximately $87,000 in his new position,
Peter Anderson, spokesman for the county executive, said Szymanski resigned "citing burnout from the pandemic and a desire to seek other employment."
Szymanski became executive director of the Workforce Investment Board in 2020 after he was forced to step aside as mayor of Lackawanna due to term limits. He previously served as a city councilman.
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He was hired at $84,558 when he first started in January 2020 and was described as a "tremendous asset" by Poloncarz when he was first appointed. Since his hiring, Szymanski's pay rose to $110,781. Anderson said Szymanski received no special pay increases, only what he would normally be entitled to based on his level of seniority and contractual cost-of-living adjustments.
The Buffalo and Erie County Workforce Investment Board is responsible for developing, coordinating and overseeing publicly funded workforce development/training initiatives, according to its website. Erie County pays for the executive director position.
Szymanski's departure is the latest in a series of recent departures among the county executive's appointed administrative team.
David J. Shenk has abruptly resigned his position, surprising county employees who had no prior indication that Shenk had any plans to leave his post.
Former County Attorney Michael Siragusa left county government last month to serve as judge with the State Court of Claims. Former Personnel Commissioner Timothy Hogues also left the administration in April to become the head of the State Civil Service Commission. His former chief of staff, Jennifer Hibit, left to take a job as the director of human resources with the Erie County Water Authority.
In November, David J. Shenk, the county's former commissioner of the Senior Services Department, abruptly resigned his position without explanation.
