Ray Walter slams Poloncarz for “secret criminal investigation”

By Sean McCormick, Walter Campaign Press Release

(Erie County, NY) – Following the revelation of a criminal inquiry into the administration of Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, Assemblyman Ray Walter rang alarm bells about the “secret criminal investigation the County Executive has been hiding from all of us.”

New York City-based City & State, a respected media outlet with close contacts across government and politics, revealed today that New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office is conducting a criminal investigation into allegations of bid-rigging in Poloncarz’s Department of Public Works. While immediate details on the inquiry are scant, Western New York media woke up today to an uncomfortable fact: Poloncarz has been keeping this investigation secret from all of Erie County.

“Why has Mark Poloncarz kept this criminal investigation of a key department of his administration a secret, while touting he has run a scandal free administration? Does he have something to hide?” Walter said. “When employees of one of the most costly and important divisions of government stands accused of criminal wrongdoing, the people of Erie County have a right to know.”

“It is time for Mark Poloncarz to come clean about the secret criminal investigation he has been hiding from all of us,” said Walter, the Republican challenger for County Executive. “The people of Erie County need to know the answer to three questions: What did Mark Poloncarz know, when did he know it – and why does he think taxpayers don’t deserve to know when our money and resources are on the line?”