[upbeat music] Hello and welcome to a debate in the 2021 race for Erie County Executive between Republican nominee, Mr. Brenton Davis and Democratic nominee, Dr. Tyler Titus.

This debate is a collaboration between Erie News Now and WQLN PBS, offering an opportunity to help you decide which candidate will get your vote on November 2nd.

I'm Lisa Adams.

And I'm Ethan Kibbe.

Welcome to both of our candidates for County Executive.

The order of opening and closing statements was determined earlier by a dice roll.

Mr. Davis will give the first one-minute opening statement and take the first question.

At the end of the debate, the candidates each have two minutes for a closing statement with Dr. Titus choosing to give the final closing statement.

During the questioning, each candidate will have 90 seconds to answer their question with their opponent offered 30 seconds for rebuttals and follow ups at our discretion.

So let's begin now with the opening statement from Mr. Brenton Davis.

Hi, I'm Brent Davis, Republican candidate for Erie County Executive.

I just wanna thank you all for following and coming to watch this debate.

Tonight is a unique opportunity.

This will be the last time that both candidates will be side by side to allow the voters to decide who their choice will be to lead Erie County in the coming years.

I'm a local business owner at 16 years in the construction industry, a 21-year military veteran, both of the Navy and the army, and I currently hold a master's degree in community economic development from Penn State.

I think it's imperative in this critical time that we work hard, and I invite my opponent to focus tonight on the issues that matter.

Issues like taxes, issues like spending, policy, and specifically policy that builds an economy.

And that's my focus tonight.

Thank you.

And now we'll have the opening statement from Dr. Tyler Titus.

Hi, I'm Tyler Titus, the Democratic nominee for Erie County Executive.

My story starts 45 miles South of here where I was born into rural poverty.

As a child, I watched as my family struggle to meet our needs.

I watched as my mom tried to find a job that would keep a roof over our head.

I watched as my dad who was a Marine, come back from overseas to try to find work again.

I watched as my stepfather who had dropped out of school in 10th grade struggled to find a job that wasn't gonna be so harmful on his body.

Now, as my time on the school board for the past four years, where I currently serve as a president, my time working at the county where I started as an intern and worked my way up as an administrator, from opening my own small business here in Erie where I've got to work all across the county.

Through meeting with small business owners to meeting with families.

Tonight I'm gonna lay out my three-pillar plan that shows how we're gonna develop an economy that puts the working family first, a healthier and safer community through our human services, and building quality education no matter where you are in this county.

Thank you for those opening statements, and we'll start now the questions.

The first question is for Brent Davis.

Mr. Davis, throughout the campaign and on your website, you have stated that you have a real plan for jobs.

But you have also stated that government doesn't create jobs.

It creates liabilities.

What do you think the obstacles are to creating jobs in Erie County right now?

And what specifically would you do to address that?

So thanks for the question, Lisa.

Excuse me, specifically, my plan is the nice plan for jobs.

No new taxes, no new fees.

You can't tax a society into prosperity.

I stands for innovation and infrastructure, C for collaboration and E for education.

That's my nice plan for Erie County.

Many of the barriers after spending 22,000 plus miles on the campaign trail, I've realized and had many conversations with many business owners and workforce development tends to be a major obstacle, getting folks to work and to where they can earn a paycheck and a family sustaining wage.

Government doesn't create jobs necessarily.

Government creates liabilities.

The thing that government can do is remove the obstacles from the way of business owners and get out of our way.

We don't need as business owners, we don't need the government telling us what our business should and must do.

Government needs to collaborate with the private sector and the civic sector to create a fertile environment which garners investment, and ultimately creating jobs.

So again, and what would the obstacles be?

What are those obstacles that you wanna remove?

So the obstacles would be, higher taxes, would be working with the state legislator.

Pennsylvania is currently the seventh worst climate in the United States for business investment due to high taxation.

The county executive must also work for a regional economy that's aimed at creating a situation for business owners to be able to create those jobs.

Mr. Titus.

Dr. Titus, your rebuttal.

I would go back to saying that I disagree with Mr. Davis.

I do think that the county government creates jobs and not only does that but through our county employees, we're creating a healthier, safer community.

From the Office of Children and Youth through mental health, through intellectual disabilities, we are out there.

Through the public library, helping build up skill sets.

We're in the homes.

We're removing those barriers face to face, sitting down with individuals to help them get back into the workforce, to build up their skillset so that they can take care of their families.

Dr. Titus, thanks.

We'll come back to you now for this question.

And along those same lines, you've talked on the campaign trail about building a stronger workforce and a better infrastructure.

What exactly do you mean by those things?

And as our local economy goes from needing to create jobs to now needing to fill jobs, what specifically is plan to move the county forward?

This is a great question.

And when we look at this, what we've gotta do is start to dissect some of the barriers that small business owners are facing right now.

What are the obstacles to large businesses coming here and starting and planning routes and Erie?

When I'm out working with families and out on this campaign trail and when I was at the county, there are many things that started to arise.

I don't have access to childcare, I can't afford to send my kids to daycare and then come home and have access to pay the bills, I don't have access to reliable transportation.

So we as a county government and entity can step in and assist families in those needs.

When we're investing in our infrastructure from broadband, to roads and bridges, we're centering around that and creating a county that's connected.

And when we have a county that is connected, we're building up regionalism, we're working within the municipalities and supporting them.

For example, some of the work that's happening down in Cory or Northeast, where they've needed help to get access to the grants by having a sponsorship.

Those are things that we can do through the county to build up access to those jobs, to build up a stronger infrastructure and supplement what's already going on throughout Erie County.

Doctor, thanks.

Let's give 30 seconds now to Mr. Davis for a rebuttal.

So I think the important thing to recognize here is the actual role of the county executive.

The county does not own a single road or a single bridge.

We don't have a streets department.

The county is merely a pass through for federal and state funding, which is why it's important that the county executive doesn't mention things like roads and bridges when it's merely a pass through.

We need to look at the role that the county executive actually has.

And day to day, that's about the importance of managing money, being fiscally responsible and also having high level management experience.

The next question is from me, for Dr. Titus.

Dr. Titus, you're a small business owner, tell us more about your business and what you've learned in conducting your business that would translate into running Erie County?

What makes you ready for this position?

So in 2014, when I completed my master's degree in marriage and family studies and got my LPC and my licensed professional counseling through the states, I launched my small business.

Where I started out just in private practice, just doing individual therapy, while I was working with those families and those individuals, we helped remove the barriers that they needed.

From getting them to apply to different jobs, to helping them build the resumes, to getting them back into school, to whatever they needed so that they could get back into the workforce.

Then as that practice grew, we were able to bring on other clinicians, help them launch.

Then sometimes they stayed with us, sometimes they went on to build their own practice, so we were able to build out other businesses.

That translates over as working with the individual, understanding that there's complexities throughout the county and everybody has different needs.

Including every community and every municipality has different needs.

And when you go in and you work with that person, address what's in front of them, you can build up.

My time on the Erie School Board has been very similar, going in and assessing what's happening in the community, and then removing those barriers.

What's going on with truancy, what's going on within the home structure that's getting in the way of that child showing up or that family participating in school.

To serving for the governor for the past four years across the Commonwealth.

Going into the different communities across Pennsylvania and figuring out what's stopping growth and how do we build a solution that is individualized to that community?

Because every community is gonna have different needs.

And we've gotta honor the solutions that are already there.

Mr. Davis, your rebuttal.

When I came home from overseas in 2005, I built my business from nothing out of the bed of a pickup truck.

Cost me about $1,500, and I've just continually worked.

I know what it's like as a small business owner to struggle, to make ends meet, to build infrastructure, to bottom signed paychecks and I have to make the hard decisions on putting food on the tables of hardworking families that depended upon me for the paycheck.

I think the important thing that we need to realize here is that I am the only one in this stage that has created jobs inherently and dozens of jobs and brought millions of dollars into this economy.

I started B Davis Enterprises, Lake Erie Log Homes, Lake Erie Glass, just to name a few, CD Real Estate Investments.

I know what it's like to be a small business owner and have to make the tough decisions.

Thank you.

And Mr. Davis, the next question is for you.

And on that note, you just discussed businesses.

It has been a key tenant of your campaign.

So tell us about your businesses.

What do you do?

How many people do you employ and how do you see that translating to leadership in Erie County?

Across the years, Ethan, I've created dozens of jobs, again, across these different businesses.

My main niche is in the construction field but currently my bread and butter is seawall and retention systems.

Building seawalls on the lake and stopping the lake banker erosion.

These years in the construction industry, anybody that's ever woke up, put a pair of work boots on and went out into the Erie weather, the cold, the snow, and had to do this day after day after day through a harsh winter, you know the struggles of business, the ups and the downs.

That is ultimately the no quit attitude that trades men have.

The how many times you meet a challenge on a job site, you meet a challenge on any project or even a challenge with people.

You communicate through it, you work through it, you build a team, you build an effort and you come forward, and ultimately there's no quitting.

I look forward to taking what I've learned in construction and both in the military and in school and applying all those tenants for my nice plan for jobs.

Let me dig a little deeper on that.

You mentioned over the years having created dozens of jobs.

How many people do you currently employ?

And give me a specific example of a challenge you've overcome that you think is applicable to the job as county executive.

Currently, B Davis Enterprises, we have four full-time employees that run our crews.

But most importantly, I have a signatory agreement with the 603 Laborers Union and I found that's been a great addition to my company because that allows me to build my infrastructure as I need it, and then as a small business owner, not have to worry about keeping dozens of folks fed through the feast and famine.

Being able to create both union and non-union jobs has been important to me.

Moving forward to answer your second question, really what this comes down to is experience in the field.

Being able to build a team and make the tough decisions, like when to make investments in equipment or when to watch the economy and maybe tighten your belt, and those are things that I've had to do as a business owner across the last 16 years.

Thank you so much.

Dr. Titus, 30 seconds now for a rebuttal.

Let's go back to staying that the only candidate on stage who's created jobs.

Through my small business and a practitioner, like I had noted before, we did create jobs.

In fact, we've helped launch other private practices.

More importantly, I've also gone into homes and worked with individuals who were not part of the workforce, helping them remove the barriers to get back into the workforce.

Then in my time in the school board, I fought diligently alongside the other directors to save jobs, to save union jobs.

When we were told by the state that we had to contract outpositions, we found a way to keep those jobs there.

Good paying union jobs stayed in Erie County.

The next question is for Mr. Davis from me.

You were so opposed to the Erie County Community College in the past that you actually created an organization, taxpayers against the community college, even hiring a lawyer to fight the county's application to the state.

But now you've said that you support it, I believe based on the hire of Chris Gray.

Tell us what exactly changed your mind.

That's a great question, Lisa.

I did in fact, use $8,000 of my own money to give the taxpayers a voice in the department of education hearing, which ultimately was granted that we didn't have stake.

To me I think it's crazy to think that taxpayers don't have a stake in something that we essentially have to fund.

To me, I've never been opposed to education, but merely just being mindful of the sustainability question.

How are we going to pay for this?

There's folks out there that are struggling.

There's folks out there that are trying to keep in their homes, there's elderly on fixed incomes.

It wasn't that I'm an anti-education troll.

It's a simply fact that we need a representative that's gonna stand up and be the voice of reason, maybe to pump the brakes a little bit and say, "Hey, how are we going to pay for this?"

And as your next Erie County Executive, I realized that this isn't my money.

This is your money.

Just to push a little bit more on that.

So should voters who choose you be concerned about whether you'd keep the community college or are you resigned to keep it now that it's moving?

To me, this is a simple question, the county executive can't strike a program on its own, so anybody who had seen anything different just simply doesn't know how county government works.

This has been approved by county council and as the next Erie County Executive, this is the way democracy works.

The decision's been made, the democratic process has taken place, and now we need to close ranks and move forward together.

Under Davis administration, I'm going to support the community college.

I've given Dr. Gray my commitment for the next four years, if elected as next Erie County Executive.

And I will not stand by and watch as any program in Erie County fails.

Dr. Titus, your rebuttal.

I would say that was a very non-committal answer about defending and protecting the community college.

Erie County residents, Erie County businesses, Erie County families, deserve the community college.

We've deserved this for decades.

The ability to give back to the workforce through training, its ability to adapt, its ability to be more accessible because of the reduction in funding is something we've long needed.

From small business owners to large business owners, we have known we have needed this community college.

And my opponent said on his Facebook that he will defund this lunacy in 2022.

Dr. Titus, the next question is for you.

Well, let's stay on the theme of the community college.

Right now it started in existing buildings throughout Erie County.

And is that the right model in your view?

Do you see a date where the college has its own campus?

And if so, how would you propose paying for that?

I think that being throughout the county is absolutely necessary.

We've got to make sure we have the infrastructure around that such as broadband so that other people throughout the county can literally log on to their classes and be able to gain the skillsets.

I think a central location would be ideal.

I absolutely think that there's a budding opportunity here for the private and public sector to come together because this is going to benefit the private sector as far as getting the workforce, the talent sources trained.

This is also an opportunity to really rally around the community college through all the buildings.

We've seen some phenomenal work happen.

Again, down at the EDDC, what they've been able to pull together through that privatized money.

We know that this is an investment that Erie County residents want, the small business owners want, and that this is something that we as a group and as a county come together.

As far as payment, I think that we're figuring that out and we need to keep moving that forward.

I would challenge back that we're already paying for not having the community college here.

Other people have left Erie County to get access to things like community college.

We're losing population, we're losing entrepreneurial ideas.

We need to make sure this stays, and this is gonna be through a public private partnership.

And through things like ECRDA, through the grants up there.

There's state and federal funding to get behind this.

We've gotta maximize, we've gotta rally and pull all the brains together to make sure this is a success.

Very quickly, I'd like to follow up then.

Would you consider using county taxpayer money to create a central location for the community college?

I think that all ideas need to be brought forward.

I don't wanna raise any taxes on any working families.

I don't think that they should disproportionately fall on small businesses or working families.

My goal and my go-to is not to raise taxes.

Thank you so much.

Let's go over now, Mr. Davis, 30 seconds for rebuttal.

I think there's two things that are important to recognize.

My opponent just said that he aims not to raise taxes.

But ultimately and historically, my opponent has raised taxes, not once but twice, on the poorest zip code in the nation as a school board president.

And secondly, he said, "We're figuring it out."

We're figuring it out, that's simply not good enough.

You need to have a plan.

You're talking about a job that looks over $534 million in 2022.

Simply figuring it out as you go is not good enough.

I've never done my business that way and I won't lead Erie County that way.

INDISTINCT: take back [indistinct] there.

This has been brought up a few times.

When I came onto the Erie School Board in 2017, we're in financial watch.

We were appointed a financial advisor who wrote out a very clear plan.

It was made abundantly clear, if we did not follow that plan, we would lose local control.

Meaning we would then relinquish our ability to make sure our students got the curriculum that they deserve, to bargain for teacher wages, that would be out of our purview.

So that school board made the decision it made because we wanted to protect our school.

And as far as figuring it out, the council and the county executive have worked together with the private and public sector to figure out a solid plan and we need to make sure we're getting behind that plan to keep the community college here.

All right, Dr. Titus, staying with you.

Your opponent has made much about outside money coming in to fund your campaign.

In a country that's very divided, in a county that's very divided, how can you assure moderate or conservative voters here in Erie County that you're not focused on advancing causes from outsiders that maybe don't align with their concerns or their values right here in our?

I think what's important to note here is that we've had hundreds and thousands of donors from Erie County, from across the Commonwealth.

Yes, people across the nation have shown up.

But what that means is that they believe in the leadership that I have been able to demonstrate.

80% of our donations have been $100 or less.

Of that, 60% have been $50 or less.

What that speaks to is excitement.

That speaks to pride, that speaks to possibility.

And they see what I have been able to do on the school board.

They've seen what I've been able to do as I've served under the governor and they're excited about this.

As I go from door to door to door and I talk to the voters across our county, their number one question to me is what are you going to do to help our families?

How are you going to make sure that we've got access to good paying jobs, that we've got access to the healthcare that we need, that my kids are gonna stay here because they've got a future here?

Those are the things that our voters are worrying about and those are the conversations we need to make sure we stay focused on.

I'm proud to have people show up from Erie County, throughout the Commonwealth, throughout the nation, because it speaks to my leadership.

A rebuttal, 30 seconds.

Certainly the important thing, my opponent just briefly said that the school district was on state watch and they were directed.

They were prescribed to follow the Zogby plan.

This is true.

Which to me, it makes the point of, you're merely a place holder.

You don't have the experience making the hard financial decisions.

Sure you can fight hard for things like changing a mascot at a school when our community is rifled with COVID pandemic.

But ultimately, it comes down to true and real world experience and being told what to do, that's not gonna happen in the Erie County Executive's office.

Thank you.

Mr. Davis.

Sorry, I would like to challenge- We don't have time for a rebuttal here.

The next question goes to Mr. Davis.

Mr. Davis, then the next question is for you.

Did you tell supporters that you were against getting a COVID-19 vaccine?

Did you change your mind and were you vaccinated in March or September?

In spite of HIPAA, do you think that as county executive, as someone who would oversee the county health department, that it's important to be transparent on this issue?

Absolutely, Ethan.

I can't speak on any secret tapes and the context in which this is found.

We've had numerous examples and all my opponents attack ads on me, that things are grossly taken out of context.

I think the important thing here is, is like we said in the last debate, and I was glad my opponent and I agree, that you do need, for those that are able to, to get the vaccine because this is the only way to get out of this situation.

I think as the county executive that ultimately oversees the county Department of Health, that all folks that are able to get it under the supervision of their doctor should get it.

And I think ultimately, neither of us realistically have a medical background and we need to focus in the areas in the purviews of the county executive.

And that's going to be to, ultimately as a leader, I've learned after 21 years in the military and even as a business owner, to rely on the experts.

I'm not an architect so I don't design a building, I build it this spec.

And we have to do that very much the same way.

We have to follow the public health experts, we have to follow the science and we have to follow the data.

And I think that's something we can both agree on.

INDISTINCT: to press you on that.

Once again, did you tell supporters that you were against getting vaccinated and were you vaccinated?

If so, when?

Again, Ethan, I can't comment on any secret tape or anything without the context of it.

I've been vaccinated.

Since the last debate, we've made that available to any member of the press, to document both of my shots, both from military duty and the VA in September.

So to me, I think it's just a silly attack, it's something that's taken out of context, and I've made that available.

There's really nothing more to say on it.

Dr. Titus, 30 seconds now for a rebuttal.

Telling voters at a public rally that you're not vaccinated and you'll never get vaccinated using your social media platform as a leader to spread this information, downplay the severity of the pandemic, I don't think that that shows accountability, I don't think that shows responsibility.

We're jeopardizing lives by perpetuating this pandemic.

We have lost millions of Americans, many here in Erie County.

We deserve somebody who's gonna sit at that seat to not only follow the science but be transparent, be accountable and be responsible when they take on the leadership role.

My next question is for Mr. Davis, and I think I'm gonna actually stay on this COVID question for a moment.

Because we really are a divided country.

A lot of people are afraid to get the vaccine, not wanting to get the vaccine.

And new data coming out about the efficacy of the vaccines every day.

I wanna ask you once again, we didn't refer to any secret tape.

We just wanna know, did you tell supporters that you were against it, that you wouldn't get it?

And was there some point in time that you changed your mind and decided to get it?

Despite any, whatever's out there about the secret tape or whatever that was in the attack, that is most specifically what I wanted to do address.

But I think like any American early on, if you're not skeptical of something that's being pushed at you, I think that's a realistic response.

But I think the most important takeaway here is, is the fact that science has evolved, the landscape has evolved.

Much like the landscape of the community college or the virus.

As things develop in government, you can't set your feet in concrete.

It's a disastrous move.

The county executive needs to exercise wisdom, maturity, but also I think that tactical patience to look at the landscape and realize that you don't need to continue down a pathway that's ultimately gonna lead to a fiery crash.

A rebuttal for that.

I think again, that when somebody shows you who they are, you watch and you listen.

And Mr. Davis has not answered the question three times that it's been asked.

If he told people he is not gonna to get vaccinated and he never would get vaccinated.

August of 2021 is not that long ago.

That was just a few months ago that this comment was made at a public campaign event.

We can not afford to have somebody at the helm of the public health department during a pandemic, who's not willing to be accountable, responsible and take the steps necessary to get actual scientific research out to our county.

Thanks, and our next question is for Dr. Titus.

Doctor, the county executive oversees the county health department.

So I'd like you to evaluate its work during the pandemic.

What do you think it's done well and what would you like to see the health department have done differently?

Hindsight, always 2020.

We can always look back and try to find different ways that we would move things forward.

However, what I have been amazed with is the ability of our health department to step up in times where there was trepidation and there was hesitation to come out as a true leader.

Through the administration under Kathy Dahlkemper and Melissa Lyons, we have seen them take up and take action on getting the vaccine out as far and wide as they can to hiring those who are within the community to get the information out to those within the different pockets.

So that when people are showing up with information, they look like them, they sound like them, they have the same lived experience so the trust is there.

I would like to see more of that work done, where we're investing and empowering our community to take back control, to make sure that the information is getting out there fast, effectively, through informal and formal leadership.

We know that the trust is within the community in itself.

So let's empower those who are there.

Let's continue to use the community health model.

And I will stand behind what Melissa Lyons has done at the health department.

Because she has led the Commonwealth and we actually became a model for the rest of the state to look at.

Dr.

Very quickly, is there a specific change you would make or by and large, would you maintain the status quo?

I would utilize more of the community health model, where we're employing more members of the community to go out and re-engage and build that trust back with community members.

Dr.

Thanks.

Mr. Davis, now 30 seconds for a rebuttal.

I think the important thing to know here is yet again, is my opponent's attacks and things that are out of context.

If I was vaccinated by the military in March and I was again in September, it doesn't make much sense to say something like that in August.

To me, continuously we've debunked this over and over and over again, it's simply just cheap politics.

But to get back to what really matters in the Department of Health question, I think it is important that we recognize the hard work that the people at the Department of Health did.

Director Lyons, I've met with her, had the conversations, and I think realistically, they did a great job.

The next question is for Dr. Titus.

Dr. Titus, six years ago you filed for bankruptcy and now you're asking taxpayers to trust you with a $500 million plus budget.

Why should they?

In 2015, I faced the hardest moment of my life.

I had two small children, my wife wasn't working, my brother who had grown up in the foster care system came to live with us as he needed access to better healthcare and academic setting.

I learned immensely.

I grew immensely through that process.

And as I have walked and traveled through this county, my story has resonated.

And what I have learned is that many families within our county are one crisis, one car accident, one unexpected medical expense, one thing that they weren't planning on, away from a story as similar as mine.

What I've also found is that we have got to build an economy that works for the working class family, so that there aren't these kinds of stories that continue to repeat.

I grew, I learned, and through that, I was able to successfully run and serve on the school board.

When I entered onto the school board in 2017, we were in a deficit.

I am leaving the school board for my term as a school board president, with now we're in a surplus.

Investing in things that we were never able to invest in before, new curriculums, raising wages, being able to make sure that we've got more staff in our schools to support our students.

This is a lot, but I know that we can as a county come together, we can build up through here.

And more importantly, I don't want anybody to think that because they went through a hard time, that they can't then also build back up and that they also can't then turn things around for themselves.

A chance for a rebuttal.

I think I'll go back to what my opponent said earlier.

When somebody shows you their true colors, you believe them.

Mr. Titus also said accountability and responsibility two of which things that don't apply, if you file for personal bankruptcy.

I understand that folks go under hard times and things happen in life but those folks that asked for a second chance and move forward shouldn't be penalized in average daily living.

But those folks aren't running to run a $534 million a year budget.

CFOs and CEOs of corporations undergo credit checks simply to take a job much smaller than this, and this is a highly important position.

Mr. Davis, thanks.

The next question is for you.

Let's stick with money.

You've promised not to raise Erie County taxes or fees, but is that a promise you can make?

The county executive develops and proposes a budget but it's council who makes the decision, so how would you go about trying to keep that promise?

That's a great question Ethan, I appreciate that.

Having been involved in politics for over the last six years and I've only ever run for the Erie County Executive's office because I'm passionate about it, I've studied it.

It's the reason why I went away and recognize my deficit in 2017, and I got a master's in community and economic development.

You have these folks on council and you build these relationships and you have a shared vision.

Erie County has a surplus of funds in their reserves.

We have the ARP funding.

It's a monumental amount of funding that we'll receive and it's our moonshot moment.

But ultimately through building an economy, we can't focus on funding programs through lumping tax payers over the head that are already struggling with more taxes.

We need to focus on building a strong economy, creating jobs, creating opportunities for small businesses and small business organic growth.

But also ultimately, attracting outside corporations for major investment.

Investment in which my opponent has been very, very staunchly opposed to.

Talking on his website about being anti corporation and making sure that taxes don't fall disproportionately, well that's unconstitutional.

All taxation has to be proportionate.

So that's not something in the role of the county executive you can affect.

So ultimately, I'm going to focus on economic development, building partnerships and collaborating for an entrepreneurial-led regional economy.

Dr. Titus, 30 seconds now for a rebuttal.

I think it is important to know what the county executive has a purview over.

And quite frankly, they don't have the purview over raising the taxes, that really does fall down ultimately to county council.

But I think to go back to building when we're talking about building an economy that is aimed at the working-class family.

Making sure that those entrepreneurial minds have equitable access, that those who are minority, who have been oppressed, who've been marginalized out, have the same access so that they can build up and that their businesses are excelling just as well.

Businesses are going to invest where they see success stories.

We've got to do better by our small business owners before we attract more in.

Mr. Davis, Erie County is made up of 14 big departments at least, and currently 10 of those department heads report to the Director of Administration Gary Lee.

If elected, can you give us a peek into your administration, who would be your director of administration?

And would you keep the other directors who are now leading those respective departments?

What would be your criteria for deciding?

So ultimately as an officer in the army, I've been in this situation several times where you come in whether you take over a platoon, you take over a company or you become a staff officer in a battalion, or much like a division where I just was and you have existing staff.

I think that everyone deserves an honest look for the honest work that they've put in, but the county executive obviously has positions where they can serve at the pleasure of the county executive.

I'm not gonna be presumptuous.

I haven't made any kind of commitments or made any promises for any jobs.

My focus right now is to continue fighting and to win this campaign, clear through the end of November.

And then if elected and Lord willing, the taxpayers decide to elect me as the next Erie County Executive then I have a transition team that's in place of former elected officials, folks that have already done the job, folks who have served in Congress, folks have served in the Senate and across the State of Pennsylvania.

and various cabinet positions.

I think ultimately it's about team building.

So I think to me coming in like a rogue and essentially firing department heads that are capable, that know the state of the conditions on the ground, is much like cutting three legs off of your table and expecting to eat Thanksgiving dinner.

It's just not good for leadership and it's not good for Erie County.

As a commander in the military, you're taught to come in and assess for three to six months before you make any changes, and that's how I intend to lead.

Just quickly though, would you keep the idea of a position of a director administration?

So to be honest, I've had several conversations with Gary Lee.

I would be open to keeping Mr. Lee.

I think he's done a fine job, I think he knows the nuances of government but I haven't made any commitments one way or the other.

All right.

Dr. Titus, 30 seconds for rebuttal.

I would just like to say that I think this is a stance that Mr. Davis and I agree on.

I think that we can't come in and sweep out the whole team but we need to take a deep dive look.

I've made a commitment to not making any commitments for a job, for appointments, for any positions within that Titus administration.

My focus has been making sure I'm connecting with community members, to make sure I'm getting out there and hearing what's needed so that we can come back, and when we build the strongest team that we're making one, that's addressing the needs of the entire county.

Thank you.

Dr. Titus, the next question goes to you.

And I'd like to stick on that theme.

What makes a good department chair?

What are you looking for on your team that you think could help move the county forward?

I'm looking for somebody who understands it from the moment that they walk in at an entry position, to every wrong of the leadership on the way up through.

I want them to understand how, from when a person is greeted at the door, to a phone call received, to how the service is delivered.

So a strong leader is somebody who, A is building up and empowering, B is engaged with the community, and C making sure that it's being carried out effectively and efficiently.

A strong department chair is out there and they know what is happening in the community.

They know where our gaps are and they're able to pivot their entire team to fill in those needs.

So that's what I'm going to be looking for as we build out our team.

People who have a strong connection, who understand how the system and the dynamics work throughout the county.

Knowing that the needs in Mill Village are very different than the needs in Union City or Northeast or Erie City, and being able to adapt and build their own team accordingly.

Doctor let me follow up on that.

Can you give me an example of a current county department that you think has led exceptionally well, that is doing a good job because if it's leadership?

I'll go back to the health department.

I think Melissa Lyons has done a phenomenal job of addressing this pandemic head-on and being able to pivot as the science and the research has evolved.

She continues to move and she continues to be out, in the face, in front to show what it looks like to take the heat and to make bold decisions in order to keep our community safe.

And Mr. Davis, 30 seconds for a rebuttal.

So as a senior career management officer, the second battalion army reserve careers division, I've done for the last 64 months, I was the senior captain in charge of a career management officer cell, which oversaw three states, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, which consisted of 92 counties and oversaw the careers of 4,500 troops over the years.

And that's typically 4,500 per year.

I've done this, I've done this at a high level and I did it as a profession for the military for 64 months.

To me, this is just another day at the office.

Dr. Titus, the next question is for you.

And let's talk a little bit about ARP funds, the American Rescue Plan.

Erie County and the current county executive, are really getting noticed and getting high marks for being ahead of the game from some counties on a process and then a plan on how to best appropriate the $52 million total coming into the county here.

So are you satisfied with that plan or would you like to see the funds spent differently?

I'm gonna go to right what you said, Ms. Adams.

I'm impressed.

I think that our county council and our county executive have utilized the research and the information through the planning and the data department, to really create a plan that's gonna deliver transformative services throughout our county.

I love that they're investing in marginalized and minority owned businesses.

I love to see that they're investing in entrepreneurship, that they've created a micro grant for those who are first responders, the volunteer fire departments.

I love to see that we're surrounding our community and we're not just focusing on, just building buildings but that we're actually diving in and unpacking the root of some of these problems.

Realizing that there's different municipalities who are struggling for different reasons and going in and elevating, and supporting, and creating opportunities for them to turn a million dollars into $10 million by matching grants, chasing down other state and federal money.

I think that we're being wise in the first way we've spent the 26.2 million.

And I think as this pandemic rolls out and we've got another year to adjust to see how that money has worked, that we're gonna need to make adaptations, that only makes sense.

But so far how the teams have worked together, I think is impressive and I encourage that collaboration to continue.

Before we go for a rebuttal just to follow up there.

Nationwide though, some of the money that's been put into the entire response has led to people staying home and not working, and that's hit our county as well.

So your thoughts on that.

I think that when we fall into a trap there, if we think it's just that part, that's keeping people home.

And we've got to look at how our businesses have been able to pay better wages, transportation, childcare, schools being able to stay open are closing down, really addressing the real issues that lay behind people staying home and not gonna get back to work.

All right Mr. Davis, your rebuttal.

I think again, much like my opponent said, this comes down to accountability and responsibility.

And simply we just heard it $52 million, 26 is already been allocated and there's another 26.

The next county executive is going to have a major hand in not only allocating those funds, but delivering the services already allocated.

Ultimately accountability and responsibility, if you can't manage a household making $40,000, how can you expect to manage the nuances in the capacity as a county government and $534 million?

We need to focus on leverage funding, not focus on spending.

Thank you.

Mr. Davis, the next question is for you and I'd like to follow up on that.

Let's talk nuances and specifics.

As we look at the county's plan for that first $26 million, give me the top two or three things you like about it and a thing or two you'd change.

So I think there's some things to understand here, Ethan, that many folks at home might not be familiar with.

There's a lot of reporting that goes into this, that the county is essentially married to by the federal government and receiving these funds.

So we are under a little bit of a time crunch but I think again, we really need to focus on meeting those obligations, we need to focus on leveraging that funding to maximize the effects of it, and essentially by leverage funding, what you mean by that, or what I mean by that is essentially instead of spending $5 million outright on a project, once this money is spent, it's spent.

Where we could maybe spend a million dollars in leverage, another two from the state another two from the federal government, we're gonna stretch that money a lot further and that's leveraged financing.

Those are different things in municipal finance, It's a very complicated thing.

And I think we really need to focus on leveraging our financing for maximum effects.

I would say the things that I don't like about it, I think is the fact that we need to see more collaboration, I don't feel there's a lot of community buy-in.

Erie County historically, has fellow victim to the NIMBY as we call it, not in my backyard.

The community buy-in, no project will be successful here in Erie County, unless we include the citizens in the decision-making process.

So I would focus with my administration to meet more with the stakeholders, to have more public open forums, to get public input.

I think that everybody that contributes to this, should have a voice and should have a say.

Dr. Titus 30 seconds for a rebuttal.

I'd like to come back to the whole purpose that I'm here and let's talk a little bit more about this.

This is about people.

This is about moving the people of Erie County forward, at an equitable, so that those who've not had the same opportunity, get a chance to build up, they get a chance to get access to quality education, they get a chance to get back into school and to get the training so that they can launch their own business.

This is about using our ability through human services to make sure we're able to help people get back and become their most successful selves.

The next question for Mr. Davis.

Erie County is comprised of 38 municipalities.

Which of those municipalities are you most concerned about when it comes to making sure that they can thrive and grow?

Give us some specific thoughts on what you would do to truly be a leader who represents all 38.

Well, I don't think the importance of any one municipality should be leveraged towards a particular answer.

But I think we need to look at things like the studies that have been done, the Erie Refocused plan.

We need to look at the things like the initiatives downtown, in Erie Downtown Development Corporation.

These folks are doing our West bay front, best on the East bay front taskforce.

These folks that are really working to root out the decay in the city and make these long-term investments, and the public sector is realistically going to be a big player in that.

And the saying is, is "How goes the city, goes the county."

And I think that's a hard thing for rural residents to understand, that why does our county tax payer dollars always seem to get leveraged and aimed towards the city?

I think all municipalities need to have their fair share of the ARP funding.

But ultimately we need to look at our super disadvantaged areas.

We have the poorest zip code in the nation here in Erie County, that's not a badge of honor that I would wear proudly.

I think that's something we need to take serious looks at the disadvantaged populations, and we need to aim social programmings and American Rescue Plan dollars at their most impactful areas.

And by following those plans, that's how we're going to do that.

Dr. Titus, one of those 38 have the biggest concern for you?

I guess, and a bit of my rebuttal, and Mr. Davis had just stated, that no one is important but he only talked about Erie City.

The single mom out in Albion, the dad who just lost his job down in Mill Village, they all deserve the same access and the same opportunity here.

And we need to make sure that when we're going out, that we're teaming up with those municipal leaders to say, where are the gaps?

What do you need?

How can we make sure that we've got community services out here, the health departments out here.

That we've got, when they needed a doctor, whoever that they need, transportation to get back in, access to the education so they can get trained.

That we're there and that we're investing.

Thank you.

Dr. Titus, the next question is for you.

Your largest public leadership role to date has been as president of the Erie School Board.

What are some specific examples of how you lead in that situation, that you think would be applicable to leadership of county government?

When I stepped in to serve as the president, we were going through a pandemic.

We had very opposing views on what we had to do to make sure we kept our students safe, our teachers safe and our families safe.

I had to lead many, many meetings and make sure that we came out with a solution.

It didn't matter if it was 10 o'clock, 11 o'clock at night, we had to come out with a solution and through bipartisan work, we were able to get there and move that baton forward for many of the families across the county.

To make sure we were still able to get food to those families who weren't able to get in, to make sure that we were able to get Wi-Fi access or broadband access to those families so they can continue.

To make sure we're helping with dentists appointments, therapy appointments, childcare appointments, transportation.

Those are just some of the things that I've been able to do.

And then to shift the perspective from a punitive one to making sure it's holistic.

What are those students bringing into the classroom?

What did they just experience at their house?

How can we help the families heal and move forward?

We have to show up, not just as educators or a school board directors, we're showing up as leaders.

And as a leader, you take the whole picture and a view here.

And those are just a few of the things that I'm proud of, that I've been able to accomplish on the school board.

And I look forward to building that knowledge in a very public spotlight through that to the county as a whole.

Quickly, your single biggest success, that if someone were to ask you to highlight your biggest successes school board president, that is applicable to Erie County, you would say?

Moving the focus back to supporting the whole families and taking it off a punitive approach.

Doctor, thanks.

Mr. Davis, 30 seconds for a rebuttal.

So I think the important thing to note is historically my opponent has sited coming into the office as the school board president, and having a deficit and bring it into a surplus.

But what we the taxpayers that don't know neither realize, that was actually Senator Dan Loughlin that was instrumental in bringing the $14 million.

It was a $14 million bailout paired with the Zogby plan to raise these taxes incrementally, to get them off the state watch list.

This isn't leadership, it's holding a place chair.

Taxpayers don't need a bailout, we need a better economy.

All right Dr. Titus, the next question from me.

It is clear that you really see this opportunity to run for county executive through the lens of your experience in counseling and social work.

And human services certainly is one of the county's biggest departments.

So in your view, this is your area of expertise.

Is this department succeeding and if not, what changes would you make?

And isn't a lot of their work state mandated?

A lot of the work of human services is state mandated.

What is not state mandated though, is the programs and the implementations on how they're run out.

So we can pick and we can choose some of the programs that we're able to deliver to the community throughout.

And yes, this is my passion.

Having worked at the Office of Children and Youth, having sat in the homes, having listened to the stories, I have a perspective that not many who have served in this capacity have been able to bring to this position.

This does give me an area of expertise because I've helped build the systems.

I've learned the systems, I've learned how they're effective, I've learned how they're inefficient.

This needs to be absolutely a priority and a skill experience whoever sits at the county executive spot.

Is they have an understanding of how in order to have a healthy economy, you have to have a healthy community.

If you don't have people who are able to enter to the workforce, people who are able to contribute and participate, our economy will not thrive.

If we have zip codes where you are expected to live 10 years less because you don't have access to services, we're failing, we're failing and we're leaving people behind.

We've got to address that.

And we need someone who has worked frontline and done those solutions, who've built those solutions so they can carry that out on a bigger scale.

So just to follow up, are you saying that the county is failing and should that department expect a shakeup if you get elected?

What I'm saying is that the county has a lot of growing that it has to do.

I think failing is way too strong of a word.

I would say that there are areas that have not been done as effectively as they could, and through this pandemic there absolutely has to be some movement and shaking up because more families are in crisis now than they've ever been.

Mr. Davis, your rebuttal.

I think the key here is the focus on leadership.

The county executive by the very nature and title of it is an executive role.

The county executive is a manager.

And I think the contrast could not be more clear, who is a manager, who has high level experience, and who has experience as a social worker?

I would not question the passion of either one of us here but ultimately it comes down to, the county executive can not be a micromanager in day-to-day policies and implementations of their department heads and the people on the ground.

The county executive needs to support those policies and manage the county.

Thank you both.

Next question for Mr. Davis and we're running out of time, so we ask for just a one-minute answer each here.

Over the last 10 years Erie County has lost an average of a thousand people a year.

So what would your administration trying to do to reverse that population loss and keep people in our area?

There's no question about this Ethan, brain drain is a real thing.

Our kids and our grandkids are leaving.

As of this Thursday, we're hosting as a catalyst, myself and Warren County Commissioner Ben Kafferlin are hosting the first economic development summit.

To our knowledge, the largest and the only one to cross state lines in the Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York.

They'll be this Thursday hosted at Penn State Barron.

This is how we begin to build a regional economy where we all work together.

We break down the silos and we collaborate across community lines, county lines, state lines.

Our money doesn't evaporate when we go to Ohio.

on the Geneva wine trail or down into Crawford County to visit someone in Meadville, or over into Chautauqua to hit the breweries.

We need to look in our economy as the mechanism that it is, and it's a fluid thing, and we need to start treating it that way and working across state and county lines to build the strongest economy possible, and we're already putting in that work.

Dr. Titus, your response to that.

I guess I would go back to, he keeps pointing out the leadership and his leadership and how it somehow is supersedes mine.

When we have a person who is still not acknowledged, if he has said and spread disinformation around a pandemic that is killing people and putting people at risk within our community, jeopardizing small businesses having to close down, jeopardizing schools ability to stay open, that is not somebody who is ready and fit to lead economic development.

That is somebody who's deliberately ignoring science for a political view and a political power.

All right, well, we're just about ready to move to closing statements.

I'm gonna ask each of you to give a really quick answer to this one.

The county was going to, or is paying $300.

for people to get a vaccine, is that something they should have done?

I would much rather have seen that go into the workers who stayed and worked throughout the pandemic.

Quick response on that Simply and 100% no.

$360,000 could have been used to support a lot of people that are actually struggling.

County workers were not laid off a single day or received their paychecks.

They do great work, they work on the front lines but ultimately that could have went a lot of other places for people in true need.

All right, it's time now to move to closing statements.

And the first closing statement comes from Mr. Davis.

So I think the contrast here is clear.

Ultimately we talked about accountability, responsibility.

We talked about the roles of the chief executive of Erie County.

We've talked about the different leadership and we've talked about the issues that's truly faced, Erie County.

And my opponent's last answer it was clear, zero clue how to develop an economy.

To me ultimately, we can keep revisiting things like a vaccine.

and secret videotapes and dirty politics, but ultimately we've had enough of that as a nation.

It's time we come together, we support science.

I provided my vaccine records on multiple occasions to the media, and it's been debunked repeatedly.

Ads have been run that have been taken out of context.

We need to start talking about what Erie County can do.

We need to start talking about how we build a regional economy.

I have my nice plan for jobs.

No new taxes, no new fees, innovation, infrastructure, collaboration, and education.

I'm not going to be a micromanager as the next county executive, I'm going to be a master team builder.

I'm going to be an executive that removes obstacles from the subject matter experts in each department.

I'm going to remove obstacles from in front of business owners through indirect influence in the local economy, that's how I'm going to lead.

At this time, I ask for your vote to be the next Erie County executive on November 2nd.

Thank you.

And the closing statement now from Dr. Tyler Titus Tonight we've heard two very, very different views.

We've talked a lot about accountability, responsibility, transparency.

Mr. Davis has made many, many, many statements that contradict themselves.

One, vaccinated, not vaccinated, I support the community college, I don't support the community college, I'm, self-funding, an effort to take it down.

To encouraging people to stock up on guns and ammo and arm up against their own government.

Our nation is divided, our county is hurting.

That is why I'm coming as the next county executive, somebody who has gone through my own struggles, somebody who's then gone into work in the county to help people overcome their struggles.

And why I have laid out a three pillar plan that builds an economy to put the working class family first, that builds a healthier and safer community by investing in our human services.

And to tie it all together with the access to quality education, regardless of where you are in the county, who you are, or what you have, you deserve all those things.

And as your next county executive, I will fight to build a county government that is representative of and accountable to the people that it serves.

A government that works for all of us, not just some of us, a government that brings everyone forward.

So when you are turning in your ballot now, or when you're going to the polls on November 2nd, I encourage you to talk to your friends, talk to your neighbors, go check out my website@tylertitus.com to figure out how you can get your ballot in, where your polling place is.

This is our county and this is our time to show up.

This is our time to demand a different type of leadership, one that brings all of us forward.

So I humbly, humbly ask for your vote from now, till November 2nd.

Thank you.

Well, we'd like to thank you all for being with us.

Thank you to the Democratic nominee, Dr. Titus and to the Republican nominee, Mr. Brenton Davis for joining Erie News Now and WQLN PBS for this debate, we hope it's been enlightening.

That it has.

Thank you to all of you who joined us from home as well.

Remember to vote on election day, it's November 2nd.

Polls are open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM or you can cast your mail in ballots through the postal service at the county voter office or in the drop box, outside the courthouse.

Then of course, we'd love to invite you to join us on Erie News Now in erienewsnow.com for complete election returns on election night.

Thank you again for watching.

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