A good night for Collins

   County Executive Chris Collins hosted a few hundred of his closest friends Friday night at the Adam's Mark Hotel, and raked in about $300,000 in campaign funds too.

   The Republican held a major fundraiser that by all measures ranked as a success.

   It all means things are going well politically for the rookie politician. Knowledgeable sources say his poll numbers are strong, while the County Legislature's are not (but then again, what legislative body posts high poll numbers?).

    Collins was elected in 2007 backed by a slogan that asked voters to "elect a chief executive, not a chief politician." But since then he's freely acknowledged that just as he mastered all the skills that made him a successful businessman, he's attempting to master the skills to make him a successful politician. Politics, he acknowledges, is part of the game.

    The county executive faces many new challenges. It's difficult to run a major, urban government when times are good, let alone during the worst economic conditions in 75 years. And he continues to battle with a control board that oversees all county finances.

   But the fact that poll numbers look good and campaign funds are flowing in shows Chris Collins occupies a fairly decent spot for a new pol still early in his sophomore year in office.

   What's your opinion of the county executive's performance?

   -- Robert J. McCarthy

Comments

[Ken]

These are very bad economic times. Unemployment is rising, consumer confidence is sinking, and taxes are threatening to soar. Chris Collins in Erie County seems to be the only glimmer of hope to bring back sanity to our community. His belief in smaller more efficient government, with tax incentives to grow the private busiensses which provide the vast majority of jobs, and the philosophy that people should take responsibility for themselves resonates with the common taxpayer.
We just need the legislature to stop playing politics, and the Control Board to ease the grip. Those obstacles continue to impede progress along with mandates from Albany. With all that said Chris Collins continues to exude confidence and tries ever so hard to stay the course. For that I thank him and wish him strength and success.

[nancy kane]

Senator Volker again shows how out of touch he is. Changes to the Rockefeller drug laws to realign punishment and treatment are extremely important to properly use our resources in attacking this plague on society.

[nancy kane]

Senator Volker again shows how out of touch he is. Changes to the Rockefeller drug laws to realign punishment and treatment are extremely important to properly use our resources in attacking this plague on society.

[Bill]

This guy can get stuffed. He's not in this because he cares, he's in it for himself and his wealthy friends. The rich and other political hacks with some sort of axe to grind and hoping to gain something are the only people who support a guy like this. Everyone else who says giv'em a chance doesn't realize what a vulture he is. This man and his type of thinking is all about the elimination of the middle class. Wake up people, we just had a presidential election over the same issues. 4 years of this guy will be enough, less would be better. Making more people poor and taking food from babies and pregnant women (see WIC) is not how you make Erie county better. Economic development with incentives is another way of saying here's some more free monies for my friends.

[George]

Campaign funds from friends and poll taking have nothing to do with performance. County Executive Collins is neither an unmitigated success nor a disaster. There are major policy differences between Collins and County Comptroller Poloncarz, for example. Collins often blurs the line between his private interests and public duties.
There are few real growth initiatives and building bridges figuratively with county sectors that could marshall solid public opinion on vital topics.
Collins still is what he is. A businessman in a public suit with a cockeyed view of socio-economics in a vastly transformative technological world. Give Collins a C grade.

[Collins is rare voice of reason]

I heard Collins on the radio a couple days ago saying the 8000 layoffs Paterson proposed aren't nearly enough, considering the size and growth of the NYS employee count.

Collins is among the very rare elected officials with the guts to say that.

In fact, I can't think of any other elected official around here who'd say that.

Collins efforts to cut county jobs to manage the WIC program is also smart. It will save county taxpayers from havinig to pay pensions (which aren't covered by the federal govt), while allowing the WIC program to continue but managed by a private sector non-profit org. The Democrat-dominated legislature is opposing that common sense, of course.

I also liked how Collins found a clever way to eliminate the anti-business, costly to taxpayers, "Apprecitceship Law" against the will of the legislature.

[Tom Warzel]

Maybe some of That 300,000 dollars could have been used for community organizations, instead of putting it in Collin's pocket. Sounds like the same old politics to me.

[question for Tom W]

Do you have the same complaint when Obama, Cuomo, Pelosi, or Hillary raised campaign funds? I doubt it.

[BlueStatePrison]

Collins is the best thing we have seen in yrs! He says it like it is and doesnt "sugar coat" like many before him.

Don't be surprised if he runs for bigger and better elected positions in the near future.

[Leonie Alemann]

Here's an idea: how about abolishing county government all together. Collins stated recently that he only actually has power to make decisions re the spending of 10 or 15% of the county's budget; the rest is state mandated. If the state wants that work done, make the state do it. Abolish the county legislature, the office of County Executive, fire their staffs, re-assign their office space. It would save the county taxpayers bunches of bucks, and the old Board of Supervisors could be reconstituted to manage that 15%... or taxes could be adjusted lower to eliminate that 15%.

How about it, Mr Collins? You are surely aspiring to higher office... you could be the last CoExec if you play your cards right...

Eliminating one entire level of bureaucracy can only be a Good Thing.

[gunfighter1b]

A lot of people fell for the "I'm not a politician." line that Collins reeled out. Well he managed to get some of his well connected people jobs that start at over 100K per year. So, he sure does understand "Cronyisim." William Tweed would be proud. Now he wants to put friends of his on the boards of all kinds of groups, mainly to tear them down. And of course the privitazation of WIC. Why have someone do it for a salary, when someone else can make money off of it. Of course, look at all the jobs that Collins killed off when he "Saved" companies. Anyone driven by the old Buffalo China/Oneida plant lately? What the people don't understand is that you run a company poorly, then evenutally it goes under. Anyone ever hear of a County going under? I would have thought that people would have wised up to this "CEO leadership" bunk. After our CEO President did such a great job. Maybe it is time to make ALL the towns and villages in the County pay thier own way. You weren't elected King Chris.