The contest for Erie County comptroller becomes the first to take shape for 2021 Sunday when Legislator Kevin R. Hardwick announces his Democratic candidacy for the watchdog post now occupied by Republican Stefan I. Mychajliw Jr.
Hardwick, a Republican-turned-Democrat from the City of Tonawanda, told The Buffalo News he will officially launch his candidacy in a Sunday video on his website. And though many political observers predict Mychajliw will opt for the Hamburg supervisor race this year instead of another term as comptroller, Hardwick is clearly aiming at the incumbent.
"Someone has to do this because the office has become hyperpolitical," Hardwick said. "And it needs someone who's a maverick anyway, who's crossed party lines and crossed party bosses, too."
Hardwick brings a unique perspective to one of the premier races of 2021 as a Ph.D. in political science who has taught the academic side of politics in Canisius College classrooms for the past 30 years. But after serving in the County Legislature since 2010 – first as a Republican before switching parties in 2018 – he says he has experienced more than a decade of applying abstracts to the real world.
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"It sure looks different on the inside," he said. "But I've been able to link theory and practice, and I've tried to embrace that in county government and bring that back to my classes at Canisius College."
He is also well known as a former talk show host on WBEN Radio.
Erie County Democratic Chairman Jeremy J. Zellner said he had discussed the comptroller contest with others but it appears the party will go with Hardwick.
"Kevin really wants to do this, I think he's the right choice, and I think he'll win," Zellner said. "I'm excited about it."
Still, the Republican side of the race remains unclear. Mychajliw says he will soon announce whether he will seek another term as comptroller. Hamburg Republican Chairman Dan O'Connell, meanwhile, said he expects Mychajliw – a Hamburg resident – to run as a Republican this year for supervisor.
If Mychajliw opts for Town Hall over the Rath County Office Building, some predict the GOP could again turn to Lynne M. Dixon, a former county legislator and current Comptroller's Office official who unsuccessfully challenged Democratic County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz in 2019.
Hardwick, 63, has criticized Mychajliw for a constant social media presence that he says has only widened his well-known rift with Poloncarz. He understands the inherent differences that could arise between the two offices, but believes a constant state of war is unnecessary.
"I'm one of those people who works behind the scenes to bring people together, the way I have particularly in the Democratic caucus," he said, adding he brings enough independence to the effort to challenge the executive branch when necessary.
He cited his differences with Democrats when he crossed party lines to join GOP legislators on a bond financing deal for a new emergency room at Erie County Medical Center. The better deal helped keep taxes low, he said.
The new candidate pointed to the relatively good state of roads in his Tonawanda/Grand Island district that has helped him win voter approval as both a Democrat and Republican. But he said he would like to expand comptroller functions beyond its "bean counter" role to study new policy initiatives, noting his 1988 doctoral thesis at Binghamton University dealt with delivery of county services.
Resurrecting "regionalism" studies advanced by former County Executive Joel A. Giambra two decades ago may be a good idea, he said, without the drama of the era's "red, green budget" controversy that caused major financial problems for Giambra and stymied further progress on the concept.
"We haven't in a serious way revisited that," he said. "Certainly there is room for more regional cooperation."
Hardwick acknowledged he does not bring a financial background to his candidacy, but said a medical doctor is also not needed to run the business side of a doctors' practice.
"I bring knowledge of county government that is close to being unparalleled," he said. "And I think we should change the culture from hyperpolitical to what the charter calls for."
Hardwick said he will need "several hundred thousand dollars" to compete for a countywide office, and plans to begin fundraising soon. He said he will also seek backing from the Working Families Party.
