Mark Poloncarz

When it comes to fighting the economic hardships from COVID-19 and to be able to distribute a vaccine to local residents, county leaders across the state are coming together urging the federal government to assist them directly.

On Wednesday, the state County Executives Association held a statewide media briefing to discuss the challenges local governments are facing.

Stephen Acquario, the executive director of the New York Association of Counties, noted that Congress has not yet come to an agreement for stimulus legislation.

“We’ve gathered the county executives from around the state here today to make our collective voices heard loud and clear and say that counties are running out of time in 2020 for the federal government to enact legislation that provides direct, unrestricted aid to local governments,” he said during a Zoom conference with New York media, including The Post-Journal and the OBSERVER.

Acquario noted that county governments are being stretched to the breaking point.

Pictured are some of the individuals who participated in the state County Executives Association news conference Wednesday.

“These budgets support essential services like frontline workers responding to the pandemic through public health, our coroners and medical examiners, social services, mental health, public safety including 911 dispatch, emergency management, county nursing homes and hospitals, community testing and contract tracing, rolling out and assisting in the vaccination process and helping main street businesses reopen safely,” he said.

According to Acquario, total county revenue losses outside of New York City will approach $1.3 billion due to the pandemic. “We need the Congress to act now. We’re in the middle of national emergency. This natural disaster needs a national response. Specifically, the counties are calling for direct flexible federal aid for all counties and the city of New York in addition to the state share,” he said.

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, who is also the association’s president, said county governments are leading the charge in responding to this pandemic.

“At this level of government, we don’t ask what party affiliation you have, we respond to the need,” he said. “Republicans and Democrats from all across the state of New York have been working together, collaborating and grappling to confront this historic challenge.”

Molinaro called this a “watershed moment” and said that never in the history of America has the federal government left local governments to fend for themselves. “It is critical that we see the federal government step up and meet this challenge of our lifetime,” he said.

Molinaro shared during the news conference that his father died of COVID-19. Many families, he noted, have needed emotional and economic assistance to get through this period. “I can tell you it has been in many cases, our mental health providers, our public resources, and our county governments that have been there in the greatest time of need for those struggle. For those who continue to struggle the hardest — from senior citizens to veterans and for those less fortunate — they turn to us,” he said.

A Republican himself, Molinaro called on the GOP-controlled Senate to make a deal.

“It is time to step up, to summon the courage and the political will to do what is necessary as we together confront this great American crisis and prepare for the light that we now see at the end of this tunnel,” he said.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said they were one of the few counties in New York that received CARES Act funding, which was used to purchase personal protective equipment and other supplies. Still, that funding is coming to an end by the end of the month. He wants Washington to fund counties directly, instead of going through state governments. “As was unfortunately seen in the first round of aid, it went to New York state and unless you were a large county over 500,000 in population, you didn’t receive any aid. Forty eight out of the 50 states sub-allocated their assistance to the local counties. New York state wasn’t one of them,” he said.

Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel also participated in the news conference. He spoke as he was returning from Washington after participating in the Operation Warp Speed summit. He shared a quote from Paul Mango, the Health and Human Services deputy chief of staff, who said, “This event will be federally supported, state managed, but locally executed.”

“(Mango) knew it and said it right there that the counties will be the ones to carry out this mission,” Wendel said. “It will fall on us.”

Wendel noted that Chautauqua County did not get CARES Funding the first time and the need is growing. “Our troops are getting tired. … Right now we need to hire more people but the funding to get that is limited. What ever savings we found early in the year are probably going to be lost now because we have to hire more people to get us through this,” he said.

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY REPORTS NEW DEATH

On Wednesday, the Chautauqua County Department of Health reported the 22nd COVID-19-related death, in addition to 59 new cases of the coronavirus. The number of active cases jumped as well, from 320 reported Tuesday to 345 a day later. The number of people with COVID-19 in the hospital increased by one, from 18 to 19. To date, 2,132 cases of the virus have been recorded in the county. The new cases break down as follows: nine in Jamestown, seven in Dunkirk, five in Forestville, eight in Fredonia, four in Irving, four in Silver Creek, four in Bemus Point, four in Frewsburg and three in Lakewood. Several municipalities have one new reported case.