BUFFALO, N.Y. - Mark Poloncarz, the Democratic-Independence-Working Families Candidatefor Erie County Comptroller today criticized Erie County Executive Joel Giambra for failing to release monthly budget monitoring reports (“BMRs”) as required by county law and called on Giambra to immediately release the reports to the Erie County Legislature.

“I am calling on the Erie County Executive and his budget director to immediately release to the Erie County Legislature the monthly budget monitoring report for September 2005, as well as all recent past due reports,” said Poloncarz. “Without accurate and timely budgetary data, the Legislature cannot make fully-informed decisions concerning Erie County’s finances, especially during their hearings on the County Executive’s budget proposal for 2006.” Poloncarz noted that since December 2002, the County Executive had only sent 11 monthly BMRs to the Legislature when he should have sent 33. The last monthly report was provided on June 24, 2005.

“It is bad enough that County Executive Giambra continues to violate budget resolutions requiring the release of BMRs to the Legislature. However, it is unconscionable that the County Executive is also violating a local law adopted in June 2005 – a local law he signed into law – requiring him to release monthly BMRs,” stated Poloncarz.

Poloncarz observed that former Comptroller Nancy Naples occasionally criticized Giambra for refusing or failing to release the BMRs and that the Erie County Legislature has repeatedly called for the release of the reports since 2002. “Mr. Giambra’s failure to release the BMRs to the Legislature is a violation of the law and unacceptable. I call on him to immediately release the reports and to work with the Legislature to develop realistic solutions to the county’s financial problems. That starts with transparency, openness and sharing real-time budget data.”

Poloncarz noted that the county’s four-year plan – a plan developed by the County Executive and the Erie County Fiscal Stability Authority’s consultant PFM – includes initiatives requiring the development and provision of meaningful and accurate BMRs, monthly budget variance status reports, balance sheet monitoring reports, and current period surplus/deficit reports. “It is more than a little curious that the County Executive would sign a local law to compel the monthly reports, approve a four-year fiscal plan that includes such reporting mechanisms, and then fail to provide such reports. I urge him to do so immediately.”

Mark Poloncarz is a business and finance attorney in the private sector with a vision of new leadership for Erie County. Poloncarz has a ten-point action plan for strengthening the Office of Comptroller that includes timely, monthly reviews and analyses of county spending, and regular reporting on revenues. To view his action plan or get more information about his campaign, please visit www.markpoloncarz.com.