County executive pledges to support his successor
First let me congratulate Chris Collins as the newly elected Erie County Executive. No one knows better than I that this job is a very challenging one. However, Chris Collins impresses me as a man who is up to the challenge and I wish him only the best.

JOEL GIAMBRA Erie County Executive

Collins won over the voters of Erie County with a promise to run Erie County like a business. That is easier said than done, especially with New York State's Taylor Law making it extremely difficult to negotiate contracts with public employee unions.

Still, Collins appears to have the determination and energy to take on the challenge.

I will do everything possible to assist Collins in a smooth transition. I will make available my eight years of experience as your County Executive to him and his entire administration.

We have run budget surpluses during the past three years and have righted the ship. We leave Chris with a County infrastructure that is in much better shape than when we took over in 2000.

On another note, as Erie County Executive I was happy last month to release $7 million of a promised $14 million by the County and City to prepare Memorial Auditorium for future demolition. This demolition is critical to the eventual completion of the Bass Pro project.

When Bass Pro first appeared on the horizon we and the City of Buffalo jointly promised to come up with $14 million to help.

The county came up with a bond fund to prove that this community could do a project of this magnitude and especially to make the kind of great public spaces that can and will attract millions of tourists and visitors to our waterfront.

Our first $7 million will be used to get the Memorial Auditorium site ready for redevelopment. Although we have committed New York Power Authority money to the new Erie Canal Harbor Redevelopment Corporation for the Canalside project, that money is not yet available and we need to move on this project NOW.

Our remaining funds will be used as the

redevelopment plans become better defined and our environmental reviews are completed. We will see where they can best be used to provide the best return on the County's investment.