[uplifting music] Hello, I'm Lisa Adams.

And I'm Mike Ruzzi.

On behalf of Erie News Now and WQLN, welcome to Election 2025, a debate in the Democratic primary race for Erie County Executive between candidates Perry Wood and Christina Vogel.

Now before the program, candidates rolled the dice to determine who gives the first opening statement and takes the first question and the order of the closing statement.

So Perry Wood won the call for opening statements and he will go first.

Christina won the call for the close.

She has decided to go last in closing statements.

So each candidate will have two minutes for an opening statement, one minute for those closing statements, and then 90 seconds to answer the same questions throughout the debate with 30 seconds for rebuttal if requested.

And Mike and I may be asking follow-up questions as warranted throughout the debate as well.

We will rotate who answers each question first with each round of questions.

And so we will begin with our opening statements with Perry Wood.

Thank you.

To those of you watching at home, thanks for tuning in.

To Mike and Lisa and WQLN, appreciate you hosting us.

My name is Perry Wood and I'm running to be your next Erie County Executive.

I love this community and I think that our brightest days are ahead of us.

I came to Erie in 1997 to attend Mercyhurst College.

After graduation, I stayed and I raised a family, put two kids through the Mill Creek Township School District system, and of course, I began my career, a career that spanned over two decades in making a difference in our community.

I started out at the City of Erie where I pioneered the first citywide neighborhood revitalization plan.

Then I founded a group called the Erie Downtown Partnership where we worked with small businesses and property owners on cleaning up downtown, fixing storefronts, and creating a sense of vibrancy through special events.

Then at the Technology Council, I worked with tech CEOs.

We brought in the Keystone Innovation Zone Program.

Millions of dollars in tax credits and grants came in to support startups, training for information technology, and we supported our advanced manufacturing community.

But for the last 14 years, I've had the privilege of leading the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority where we've invested over $88 million into the community and created over 1,000 jobs.

We did it in many creative ways.

We got a community college up and running.

We put millions into small business revolving loan funds and we tackled blight at the grassroots level.

Now, I tell you all these things for one reason.

We need to create a culture of collaboration.

I'm able to manage large budgets and I can handle the complexities of public administration.

My passion for this community combined with my tremendous experience and expertise, make me ready on day one to be your next county executive.

Thank you.

And now we'll hear an opening statement from candidate Christina Vogel.

Thank you, Lisa and Mike.

Thank you to WQLN for hosting us and thank you to Perry Wood for engaging in a civil discourse that we don't see so much at the national level nowadays.

My name is Christina Vogel and I'm running to be your next Erie County Executive.

I'm a small business owner, a community college advocate and board member, and most importantly, I'm the proud mom of three teenagers.

I'm running for your children and for mine.

Every day, 24 hours a day, I'm impacted and surrounded by our youth, at home, in the community college, and at my businesses.

And I want to make sure we are capturing this moment in time to provide them and you with opportunities to thrive in this beautiful county that we all call home.

Everything in my background has prepared me for this moment.

I grew up in a small town in central Illinois, helping out on my grandparents' farm.

I'm the first person in my family to graduate from college, and I continued my education, earning a master's in business administration from the University of Illinois.

I worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, developing a national analysis tool to allocate tax dollars more efficiently.

I worked for the State of Illinois in the Office of Management and Budget, and now, I'm a local small business owner, the first and only solo woman franchisee for Donatos Pizza.

I understand budgets.

I've managed millions of dollars and I've hired hundreds of people.

And my experience at the Corps of Engineers, the State of Illinois, and in my businesses has prepared me for the budget challenges that lie ahead.

The simple truth is, there is no one on the ballot more prepared to bring about positive change in Erie County than I am.

I promise to invest in our community and focus on our people, work with the business community to increase the economy... [chuckles] Sorry, now I'm nervous.

[clears throat] Erie County deserves leadership with no distractions, no drama, no games, just a relentless focus on what's important for all of us.

That's why I'm running.

I'm not a career politician.

I'm someone who believes that my experience, my values, and my vision can make Erie County better for all of us.

Thank you.

Christina, thank you.

And now Lisa Adams will pose the first question to Perry Wood.

All right.

Well, we heard some things about budget in opening statements, so that's where we're going to begin.

So let's start with the Erie County budget and the difficulty that our current county executive and Erie County council have had in reaching a spending consensus for the county.

There are lawsuits about the last couple of budgets, allegations of changes to the budget after it was passed.

What's wrong with the way the process has been going and how would you fix it?

Yeah, so the budget is a collaboration between the county executive's office and county council.

And while we don't have to agree upon everything, we need to be able to have civic dialogue, civil discourse.

But let's not underplay the chaos that is at the courthouse right now.

Talking about six lawsuits in which the county executive has misstepped and been sued by county council.

We're talking about 17 illegal vetoes just in the last budget alone.

We're talking about a whistleblower lawsuit.

And finally, two weeks ago, the controller's report clearly shows the numbers.

There is an illegal budget being used by the county executive right now.

The fact is we need to get past that and we need to get to a culture of collaboration.

The budget is the most important document at the county because it demonstrates our values as a community.

We invest where we want to see change happen in our community.

I'll open up dialogue with county council and make sure that there's two-way communication.

All right, the same question for you, Christina Vogel.

What about the budget process that's gone on the last couple of years that has resulted in some lawsuits and now, charges at the budget was changed after it was approved?

Even difficulty getting what was the proper tax number for the tax bills to send out in collaboration with the city.

So what's wrong with the process and how would you fix it?

That's a great question.

So the budget is one of the most important things that the county executive does.

Putting forward the budget takes an enormous amount of time, and we want to make sure that we are doing what is best for the county.

One of the things that I would like to explore is looking at zero-based budgeting, which is a way to reallocate dollars to the opportunities that we need to make real change in the county.

Yes, there's been a lot of chaos.

There's been a lot of lawsuits.

We need to be able to work together to find solutions that are going to make the county better for all of us.

And we need to be able to work with all of the elected officials that actually were voted in.

We respect everybody's voices and come to the table.

The discourse that's happening right now and the lawsuits and the chaos, it's a waste of money.

It's a waste of time.

It's a waste of effort.

And it's not doing anything forward.

And so being able to change the dynamic and the change of the temperature in the room, we'll be able to make the budget the focus as it should be and fix the priorities for the county.

Good.

Sure, 30 seconds.

The idea of zero-based budgeting is an interesting one, but it doesn't really fit with Erie county government.

I can see how a small business owner would value it.

Certainly in a business environment setting, you can hit reset on the budget every year and you can look at all of your expenditures.

But in the county level, I think there's a fundamental misunderstanding here about the budget.

80% of it comes from dictate from the State of Pennsylvania.

So the Commonwealth, through policy in our legislature, is determining mostly what the budget is.

So to do zero-based budgeting, you would in essence, be throwing out the Commonwealth's recommendations and you'd be creating discontinuity from year to year.

Perry, thank you.

Christina, the next question is for you.

Erie County has had an 11% tax increase.

How would you prevent another tax increase and what spending would you have?

So that's an excellent question.

Actually, I would respond with, the zero-based budgeting is actually something that Governor Shapiro used in Montgomery County, and this is something that can be used and at least looked at.

I mean, I think that where we are today is a problem with not being able to look at different opportunities, different ideas to the table.

There's too much of people believing that they are the smartest person in the room.

So how do we fix it?

We look at everything that's happened.

We have a strategic start from nothing and we build from there.

And that's really the focus of what zero-based budgeting is.

We have to go back to understanding every piece.

The duplication that we have in the County Executive's Office of Services, we have experts to focus on the areas that we need to fix.

We need to work with them to work on the areas that need to be fixed instead of believing that everything needs to be done in-house.

So nobody can do everything themselves and they need to trust the people that you've actually put into place to do the jobs that we have.

You maintain reserves or a rainy day fund.

CHUCKLES: Well, one way is not spending them to have a stopgap measure on the things that are happening now.

I mean, you know, as a board member for the community college, the county has made promises to many organizations and just coming in and using those for other benefits is what is causing the lack of the rainy day fund.

So we preserve what we have and we actually focus and live within our budget.

That's what every person has to do in their own life and that's what the county needs to do.

And right now, they're not doing that.

Perry Wood, how would you prevent a tax increase?

Yeah, this current County Executive has raised taxes more than any other elected official in the history of Erie County Government and he's done it all while we're receiving record high amounts of funding from the federal government.

There's a spending problem going on in county government and it's coming from the fifth floor of the courthouse.

The County Executive is running all over Erie County and perpetrating political stunts like showing up at a fire hydrant that has low water pressure and saying, "Look, we need to spend money on infrastructure."

The fact is there's a breakdown of communication on the budget between the legislative branch and the executive branch.

If we have problems with the budget the way it is, we need to work with our state legislators.

The policies that come in from the Commonwealth dictate 80% of how the budget would be spent.

Now, you asked about a rainy day fund.

Rainy day fund is absolutely essential.

In fact, it's part of the law.

There's a minimum of six months are required for any county government in the State of Pennsylvania, but we need to ensure that we have a minimum of 12 months in reserve.

The gaming fund is the way to do that.

Perry, the next question is for you and you talked about the federal funding there.

So let's talk about ARP funding, COVID relief funding was seen as a once in a lifetime opportunity, a game changer.

So did Erie County, in your view, spend that once in a lifetime opportunity in a way to make it be a game changer?

Who or what do you think benefited the most?

Yeah, that's a great question and I'll start by saying we at ECRA, received a significant amount of those funds.

We spent it on rural revitalization.

We spent it on shoring up small businesses.

The point of ARP dollars was to take a look at how your community was affected by COVID and to make changes so that if another pandemic hit, you wouldn't be affected as hard from an economic standpoint.

That's what we did at ECRA.

We invested in community centers because they were on the front lines of the screening and COVID testing process.

We invested in small business associations because they needed to bounce back.

And most recently, we began an initiative to work with early childhood development facilities and daycares.

Right now, we're working with 130 different daycares all across Erie County.

The fact is we didn't properly staff enough of those in the wake of the pandemic.

As a result, we need another 2,500 slots in our community.

So stay tuned.

That's going to be an exciting initiative for our community.

And so just a quick follow-up, how about the county itself?

Did it disperse its ARP funds well and was there agreement on how to spend that?

There was significant agreement and significant disagreement along the way.

In fact, you're seeing it right now.

The ARP dollars are being held up in court.

At least $2.5 million being challenged from the municipal revolving loan funds.

All right, thank you.

Same question on the ARP funding, the COVID relief funding for you, Christina.

It was seen as a game changer.

Do you think that Erie County appropriated that funding well and who do you think benefited the most?

Well, I can tell you that the community college got ARP funding and that has been a game changer for a lot of people that live in the county.

I mean, the community college started with a handful of people, right?

I mean, there were nine of us that were on the board building it from day one.

Right now, there are 824 students that are actually taking classes throughout Erie County.

The first year we had graduation of 27 people.

The second year was over 80 and this year, we'll have over 100 people.

So the ARP money that came into the community college was a game changer for the county.

So absolutely, I think that was helpful.

I mean, there have been other organizations that have definitely benefited from it.

I do think that a different process to bring other voices would have been helpful.

All right.

Christina, the next question is for you.

The Erie County election office and voters had a tough time in the 2024 presidential election because of vendor mail ballot issues.

And by all accounts, the election board and staff did a really good job.

They contracted a new vendor.

What was the right course of action could or should the county IT department have helped?

I think the county IT department absolutely could have helped.

I know that it helped in the past.

I definitely think that having a fair and full election for everybody is a huge priority.

I mean, this is why we have elections in the United States.

Obviously, with all the national chaos going on, this is one of the ways that we preserve our democracy.

So absolutely, I think that the county IT should have helped.

They could have helped.

They didn't for whatever reasons were happening on the fifth floor.

But yes, absolutely.

Perry, same question for you.

Yes.

So I'm going door to door right now.

Many of you watching this have seen me on your front stoop.

And one of the questions I ask is, do you vote by mail or do you vote in person?

And to those that vote in person, the number one thing they tell me is I used to vote by mail.

But, you know, I'm a little confused about the process and I'm concerned.

I want to make sure that my vote counts.

The reason they're confused was because the county executive denied information technology services to the county election office.

At a time when they were needed most, they denied them those services.

So county council responded appropriately and said we're going to move the IT department away from the administration and over to the courts.

I think in the long run, that will be a positive change because if there's something that's absolutely sacred in our democracy, it's one person, one vote.

So I'm just going to ask a quick follow up on that before I move on to the next thing.

So also during the last election cycle, a lot of things had to be done to add security, bulletproof glass, you know, keep observers out of being actually in the election office.

Do you think all of those steps were the right steps to take?

Are you saddened to see those things happen?

And do you understand where the funding came from for that?

Certainly confidence in our election process is one of the top things that we do in Erie County government.

I was definitely saddened to see extent to which people thought the process wasn't working appropriate for them.

But the fact is, all across the United States there are county clerks and county election offices working really hard to ensure that every vote counts.

As we move forward, I think we need to try not to be affected by the tone at the national level, which is one of conflict.

Here at Erie County, we have different values than a lot of folks we've seen at the federal level.

But one vote, one person is definitely one of those.

And Christina, I should give you a chance to respond to that as well.

I mean, having to make the election office more secure, a sad but a right thing to do?

You know, it's unfortunate, as Perry said, that is where we are today in this society, or that happened in the election.

You take measures to ensure that the safety and the viability of the entity is necessary.

I mean, during COVID, we had to do a lot of things.

And so, saving the election to make it paramount, I think is worthwhile in every instance.

Again, I think we need to lower the temperature in the room to make sure that we are working together.

This is one community.

How do we build up the community together and work together?

That is, you know, I think also a focus.

It's the division currently in the community that... Oh, my time is up.

[laughs] All right, well, thank you.

We'll get back on track here.

So Perry, the next question is for you and it has to do with fire and EMS.

The issue of a countywide ambulance services really been heating up.

Should the state step in and help?

Is consolidation the right answer here for volunteer firefighters and for EMS?

Yeah.

EMS is certainly a hot topic right now, especially the ambulatory services that come with EMS.

It all starts by understanding how the current system works.

So the local municipalities are ultimately responsible for providing you with reliable ambulance service.

For the last 10 years, I've worked with township supervisors, borough managers and of course, mayors to make sure that local governments had the resources they needed to collaborate with one another in order to provide ambulance services.

And we've seen a lot, I can't take credit for this, there's great leaders in our community that have gone a long ways to grow those collaborations since happening organically.

Like in Harbor Creek, they're working with Wesleyville and Lawrence Park on a service to ensure nonstop ambulance during the day and the evening, incorporating volunteer fire departments.

We've seen it in Cranesville and Albion, while there were some bumps in the road there, there's now seven municipalities working together.

And then there's groups like West County Paramedics Association and Mill Creek Paramedic Association that come together to make sure that we have enough EMTs trained.

Same question for you Ms. Vogel, this is really a hot topic.

Do you think the state needs to help or do you think the consolidation that we see going on is the right way to go?

I mean, the county's role is to bring everybody to the table and figure out the best solution for the people that live here.

I live in Fairview, I have a business in Harbor Creek, and if I have to take an ambulance in Harbor Creek, there should be the same expectation for response as if you live in Fairview or no matter where you live in the county.

And that is not what's happening right now.

And so what we don't want the county to do is to pick winners and losers and deciding who has the resources to make decisions and who doesn't.

And so bringing everyone together, looking at the call times, looking at what the resources are, looking at the constraints, being able to increase the number of EMS workers, I mean, I think that we have to focus on what is best for the county for everyone that lives here and that seems to be the constant thread.

It's going back to figure out how do we make a solution that affects all of us in the best possible way.

The county executive has proposed a massive tax hike in order to fund EMS services countywide.

I think that that's a mistake.

He wants to build another bureaucracy down at the courthouse and have control over that bureaucracy.

The fact is right now, all throughout Erie County, small collaborations of municipal governments are coming together, realizing that if they work together, they can provide this service, in some cases with no tax increase.

I live in Mill Creek Township, we've already gotten an EMS tax.

I certainly don't want to be taxed twice and I don't want you to be taxed twice either.

Thank you, Perry.

Christina, the next question is for you.

We've heard for so long from fire chiefs how they're having such difficulty attracting volunteers.

It's been a major problem around here for years.

Mill Creek Township just moved to the paid model, is that the way to go?

I can see the short-term gain when you have a grant to come in and have a paid fire department.

The problem is long-term, how do we fund that sustainably without it ending up in a tax increase and without it ending up in pension liabilities that we can't support anymore?

Is it the best model?

No, I think that the best model is working with the partners that already exist.

Not that I think that we should undo what happened in Mill Creek, but I do think instead of having silos of individual municipalities, Erie County and as the cheerleader for Erie County, having an entire solution is the best for everyone.

What is your message to county residents to make them feel secure moving forward about fire and EMS safety?

What's your message to the community?

I mean, my message would be that we need to work together, that we need to all be invested and built...

Sorry, that we need to be working together, invested in building solutions that are serving all of us together.

I mean, we should be able to trust when you call 911 that you have a response, but in the back end, there's a lot of complications that happen to make that seamless and that I think needs to be understood by the county at large.

Thank you.

Perry, is the Mill Creek model the way to go?

Again, it's up to each individual municipality to decide how they want to tackle EMS issues and it's okay to have different models in place, but the role of county government is to be a facilitator in that process, to be a coach, to bring people together to have that dialogue in the first place.

I've looked at how other communities do this.

Allegheny County, for example, has a liaison who works with all the volunteer fire departments and making sure that they have the resources they need to be fully staffed.

In some of these communities that I travel to, there is a long tradition of service to EMS and fire, and I don't want to be the one to interrupt that.

So we're almost halfway through, so we'll switch which one of us addresses a question to which one of you first.

So Christina, to you.

There was much controversy in Erie County over a plan to lease some libraries space to Gannon University for a water research and education facility.

That plan is going forward.

Were county residents right to be upset about this?

I mean, they were upset in some ways that library space was being used that way, also upset about the length of the lease or whether it was enough money.

So many things about this issue.

So were they right to be upset or is this a good use of the library space that will benefit the region?

That's a great question.

Yes, they were right to be upset.

And the reason is that public libraries should be for everyone that are here.

It's a $7 lease for 25 years.

All three of my restaurants, including cams, was about $16 a square foot.

How can anybody get bayfront property at $7 a square foot?

It's incredible.

And for 25 years.

Taking public space for a private institution that you will no longer have the control or the ability to have resources there for kids, I think absolutely that is not a good use of the county resources, regardless of how beneficial the actual program would be.

We have lots of bayfront.

There are other options for Gannon to move that to a different location.

The other thing I will say is that, you know, the county executive had made the argument that we needed, this was a way to get in funding, but yet, you know, we were getting more funding for the county from the land that was being leased in Girard, and that's still sitting fallow.

No one's even going back to have the farmer farm that land.

And so if it's really about money for the county, why is that not being utilized?

Just quickly as a follow-up, what would you have done when a decision that was made at the county level became a hot button?

Would you have reversed course or how would you have handled that?

Well, I wouldn't have gotten to that point in the first place.

I mean, we would have had town halls or at least, I mean, this is a county library system.

My kids have been members of the county library since we moved here.

I brought my Girl Scout troop to the county library.

I brought my Girl Scout troop to the idea lab.

We had meetings at the library.

Like this is a county-wide resource that needs a county-wide discussion.

A last follow-up though, there is an educational component to this that will benefit children going forward, but you're still dissatisfied with that?

I'm dissatisfied with how it was done, and absolutely there's no reason why the two can't coexist in different spaces.

All right, let's turn that question to you, Perry.

This became a real hot button.

It was hard for us at the news media hearing from both sides all the time.

So your thoughts on the library lease, a good idea, not a good idea?

Yeah.

I'll start by saying that Blasco Library is a special place for me.

When my kids were young, they're grown now, 19 and 16, but when they were young, we used to take them down there and the children's section is pretty amazing.

In fact, they just got a grant to revitalize that section and add new books to it.

The fact is, the way the library lease was handled is a case study in what not to do in public administration.

You don't discuss leases behind closed doors.

You work with the groups that are in place in order to give you feedback on the library.

You work with the Regional Library Foundation.

You work with the friends of the library, and of course, you work with county council.

The lease is a sweetheart deal.

You can't deny it.

$7 a square foot on the bayfront, the cost not even enough to cover maintenance to the building annually.

It is for 25 years, but it can be, after 10 years, it can be broken with.

But I think the bigger picture here is how we decide to conduct ourselves as leaders in Erie County.

We need to bring those decisions back to light, and we need to have proper public engagement and public hearings.

Just a quick follow-up then.

Talk about your thoughts on, you know, Gannon is an important downtown partner, an important partner for the city and the county, and they are trying to protect the water and do an educational function as well.

So anything you'd like to weigh in about that?

Yeah, Gannon University is a tremendous partner in the community.

I've been working with them in my two decades in economic development.

I used to have an office at the Erie Tech Incubator right on campus.

Just a couple weeks ago, we awarded a half a million dollars to them for their cancer screening lab, which was on campus at the IHAC Center, probably where these labs belong.

I know in talking to the Gannon leaders, they were very frustrated by the lack of community engagement.

I think the blame lies solely with the county executive's office.

Perry, let's talk about growing Erie County.

What will it take to attract new business, industry, most importantly, jobs?

Yeah.

I think the first thing we have to do is recognize that no business wants to come here or grow here when they're experiencing record tax increases.

Under this county executive, taxes increased more than any other leader in the history of Erie County.

While at the same time, record numbers of federal dollars flowed into the region.

That's not creating the kind of business environment, the business climate, that's positive for our community.

That's step number one.

Number two, we vary in our approach to economic development.

The fact is, we have a great economic development system here, and it's built with great genius.

The Redevelopment Authority manages blight and takes care of commercial corridors, putting up new parks and new buildings.

The Airport Authority connects us to the world, EMTA connects us to our jobs.

The Convention Center Authority brings in tourism, and of course, ECRA funds the economic development system.

I would reinvest in that economic development system in order to help entrepreneurs that are locally and homegrown, as well as help existing companies in Erie County expand.

Sure, every now and then we'll chase after a business from outside the community, but at the end of the day, the numbers just aren't there to consistently recruit from the outside.

Perry, just to follow up there, what should Erie County be doing to grow the population?

Yeah.

Population growth is absolutely essential.

If you look at what working families are concerned about right now, it's healthcare and it's childcare.

We can't do a lot about healthcare, that's a federal issue, but we can do a lot about childcare.

Right now, I'm working with 130 different childcare facilities all across Erie County.

Some of them are small nonprofits, like Little Explorers in Girard.

Some of them are entrepreneurs, like Sean and Kenya Johnson, Learning Ladder.

And others are large nonprofits, like Rina Irwin's group, Childhood Development Centers.

We have to help them retain their workforce, expand their facilities, add those 2,500 slots that are needed.

And by the end of 2026, I think we need to build at least another two facilities in the daycare deserts from across Erie County.

Perry, thank you.

Christina, what will it take to attract new business, industry, jobs?

That's a good question.

So, as a small business owner myself, I mean, I can tell you that it's really difficult to start a business and to grow a business, but what you need is a good idea, a good location, and a support from the community.

I'm on the board of the City of Erie's Revitalization Loan Fund, and one of the entities that we have in the community to focus on these areas is that fund, Redevelopment Authority, as Perry mentioned, and some of the others.

So there are entities here that are working to make that happen.

That doesn't mean that we ever shut our doors to the possibility of large entities coming in to build new facilities or new high-tech areas, and that's something that constantly needs to be looked at.

But really, what we need to do is focus on growing the economy from the inside-out and being able to support the entrepreneurs.

The most entrepreneurs that we've ever had in the SBA had said for the last two years, getting the resources to build those jobs here, because having the well-paying jobs is what's gonna help reduce the poverty that we have and we see all over in Erie County.

What about growing the population?

What should Erie County be doing right now to grow the population?

I mean, one of the things is focusing on jobs that create, I mean, creating jobs that are gonna be family-sustaining, that you have options.

Another one is looking at how do we get more of the people to come back here, and again, that comes back to jobs.

If you have a job, an entity, an economy that has high-paying jobs, that will bring people here.

And so being able to focus on creating an economy that has high-paying jobs is really what, I mean, that will help bring people back and keep people here.

Go ahead.

You know, at the end of the day, your county government's about providing service, but right now, there's no vision of what that service is trying to do.

The vision needs to be, to help every person in Erie County reach their full potential.

If we want to grow the population, we have to be competitive and we have to show that this is a great place to start and raise a family, a great place to stay after college.

You know, we have great universities, we've got LECOM, largest medical school in the country.

You've got Gannon, Mercyhurst, Edinburgh, and Barron working to help small businesses grow.

These are the types of efforts that encourage people to stay here and make Erie their home.

Thank you.

Christina, let's stick with jobs here.

Erie County just lost this planned plastics recycling business, it's been working on this project and getting it off the ground for years now.

There were supporters, there were detractors of the project.

It would have, though, created 100 jobs at least to start.

So was it right for Erie County and could the county have done more to help this project get off the ground?

SIGHS: I mean, obviously, in any debate, there's going to be positives and negatives.

And I know that there were concerns about environmental issues with the plant.

But I do think if we could have created a high-tech recycling facility that could have had the resources to take the recycled material and reuse it for other things, which was the goal, that could have been something that would have been positive for the county at large.

Now, could the county executive have done more to keep the funding or try to reach out to maintain the funding?

Absolutely.

And I don't know why that wasn't done.

But my understanding is that the lack of funding is what has ended the project.

Just to follow up on that then, do you think that door is closed?

Have you had any conversations with the folks behind that?

Do you think the door is closed and that's never going to happen now because of the fundraising issues?

I mean, they were talking about some of the federal forces going on now making it difficult for them to get investors.

I hope that it's not, because they've already done a lot of groundwork to lay the foundation for the factory, for the facility.

And so I hope that it's not completely shut off forever.

But it doesn't look like in the short-term that there's any opportunity.

All right, I'll turn to you on the same question then, Perry.

What about the loss of that?

And again, I know there were environmental concerns from some groups, two sides to that issue.

So your thoughts?

Yeah, I have spoken with the CEO of IRG.

And the fact is, it all rested on a six-figure, multimillion dollar loan from the federal government which was slated to come in before this administration froze federal funding and decided not to invest in environmental services.

The fact is, our county executive did nothing to advocate on a federal level.

In fact, I think you could argue he was antagonistic with the leaders of that project.

I don't understand that because major institutions like Erie Insurance and Plasticos were investing in that business.

The fact is, plastics is one of our major industries here in the region.

So we needed a group like that in order to keep supplying them with recycled plastic.

It was not a priority of the county executive.

I'm not sure why.

But as a result, we lost 200 jobs and over $100 million in investment.

Perry, the next question is for you again.

Our current county executive has questioned the rules of boards and authorities, sometimes threatening to take them away.

How do you weigh in on that?

Well, I think it's no way to lead a community through threats and accusations.

The county executive has started out day one attacking authorities, started with the redevelopment authority, moved to us, attacked Pleasant Ridge Manor, tried to dismantle the Human Relations Commission.

I mean, the list goes on.

We need to bring a culture of collaboration back to the courthouse.

It's the only way to move our community forward.

And with the efforts we put in place at ECRA to maintain transparency, I would say, we're the most transparent local government group in town and really a model for other authorities to look at.

If you go to our website right now, you'll see all of our agendas, all of our minutes and all of our financial statements, everything our board of directors would ever receive at a board meeting, you as a member of the public can have access to.

We did that because we have a deep commitment to transparency, and it is the best way when you're under attack by a politico like Brenton Davis to show that you're not afraid because you have nothing to hide.

You talked about going door to door earlier.

When you've talked to the people going door to door, what is the reaction when they hear about the threats and those things that are going on?

What kind of feedback do you get from that?

Yeah, the number one reaction I get is, I can't believe the craziness at the federal level.

The chaos that DOGE has created, just the people I know that have lost their jobs through the VA, for example, and then been hired back the next day to only lose their jobs the day after that.

It's a level of chaos that we've never seen before from the federal government, but I tell everybody the same thing, which is, if you're frustrated at the federal level, look to the local level for leadership.

We live in a system of federalism where we have federal, state, and local government.

If things are going wrong at one of those levels, focus on the other two, and you can plan for the future.

Christina, same question for you.

When you've heard the county executive question the role of the boards and make threats, what is your reaction to that?

How do you weigh in on it?

It was very disheartening.

I actually thought that as a member of the...

I'm on the board of the community college, I thought that I would be targeted as well because I was one of the two board members placed by the county executive.

So, it's very disconcerting that there are people that specifically, the county executive is going and looking to undo the work that has already been done.

So no, I don't agree with it at all.

I would say though, when I go door to door, what I get, not as national politics that people talk about, it's the local issues that they want to see change.

They want to see the divisiveness in the county changed.

By and large, what I've heard from the community is that nothing is getting done.

And how do we actually get things done?

And that I think is where I would be the best candidate because everything that I've done has been executing plans, I mean, creating the business, helping with the community college, moving the county forward, doing the hard work behind the scenes, not out in front with my photo to get things done in Erie County.

What is the best possible way to unite Erie County?

I think it's appealing to what we all want, which is a place where our children stay here, where there are good jobs, where there is a lively community that's thriving, where we don't have the population decline, where we don't have poverty issues, where we don't have education issues.

It's actually being invested in the community one by one and joining together to make it a better place.

Christina, staying with you here.

Our current county executive has worked to spread some funding to what might to some seem like smaller needs of the many municipalities that make up Erie County here.

How might you want to continue to make sure that all parts of Erie County feel supported and valued?

Absolutely, like the county is a big place, 270,000 people, and all of the municipalities are important.

So, there's nothing wrong with being able to support issues, initiatives in the different counties, but it's the way we're going about doing it.

And that I think is what we need to change is unilaterally making decisions that are against what the county council has voted for is not going to benefit the communities.

All it does is create more chaos.

It creates lawsuits, wastes county money, wastes everybody's time.

So changing the way we're doing that I think is important.

Keeping the ability to have resources for the municipalities is definitely something that we should do.

Same question for you, Perry.

I mean, by design, county council is supposed to be representing different parts of the entire county.

That's right.

I guess you can weigh in on whether you think that works well or not.

And we have seen Brenton Davis take, you know, checks out and make presentations throughout the county for improvements that those municipalities might not otherwise have funding for.

So your thoughts on keeping that going or making all municipalities feel like they're part of the county?

Yeah, I think you're absolutely right about how county government is structured.

In fact, the ECRA board is structured the same way.

So seven members of our board from the seven districts of county council, that ensures geographic representation all across Erie County.

For the last 14 years, I've been traveling all across Erie County, visiting all 38 municipalities.

We've invested $88 million into Erie County, and those funds have created over 1,000 jobs.

We did it by listening.

We go into a community, we get the leaders together, and we listen to their vision of how to do two things.

Number one, strengthen the economy, and number two, how to create jobs.

I've developed hundreds of amazing relationships in doing this over the years.

People like Shark Huron Northeast, Mayor Burton in Girard, Chuck Ray down in Corry, and of course, all the great programs in the city has, like Sisters of St. Joseph and Our West Bayfront.

The key is listening.

We have to invest in the city, we have to invest in the suburbs, and we have to invest in the rural areas, but we have to do it by working with leaders in those communities.

That's the true essence of economic development.

Quick response.

Yes.

That is the way that we do it, is listening to everyone, but I would point out that Perry is in the midst of lawsuits currently, and back and forth with the county executive's office.

I mean, he is part of the problem of the chaos that would exist today, and the taxpayer money that's being funneled through ECRA to create jobs is obviously, it's a great organization that needs to continue doing that, but I've created jobs by myself.

I put all of everything in here, and so there's a fundamental difference, I think, of allocating resources and putting everything into it yourself.

Just to clarify for the viewers, I'm not engaged in any lawsuits with the county executive's office, nor have we ever been.

Sure, we butt heads from time to time, but the fact is, we've been able to move past that and receive ARP funding thanks to county council and the leadership that's there.

Folks like Terry Scutella and Rock Copeland have done an amazing job with the budget and the finances, and making sure that our community is represented.

Most recently, we got a $2.5 million appropriation to work towards supporting daycares in the region.

We're now working with over 130 of them to make sure that high quality, affordable childcare is available to everyone in Erie County.

Perry, the next question is for you.

Erie has that CRIZ designation now.

They also named them executive director.

How big of a game changer is this for Erie County?

Question about the CRIZ is an interesting one.

County doesn't really have a role in the CRIZ process.

It is a game changer, though, make no mistake, and Brian Polito is a great leader to be tapped to run it.

It's going to focus primarily on City of Erie, on infrastructure and business.

It will begin next year when the incremental tax starts coming in, but I'm really excited to see what happens with it.

I mean, there's exciting stuff being proposed on the waterfront by the Scotts, for example, and a lot of interesting downtown developments by the EDDC.

We need to continue to support entrepreneurs like that and investment groups so that they understand that we value them and we want them to continue investing in Erie County.

What's the biggest way the county can support it in the future, do you think, CRIZ?

The county supporting the CRIZ?

I think the county can be supportive of the CRIZ through its economic development system.

Primarily the redevelopment authority, the airport authority, and the convention center authority.

You know, at the airport, we've got a program up and running called the Fly Erie Fund, for example.

That requires public sector dollars to make sure that we invest in that airport and have enough flights to make it worth our while.

Christina, same question for you.

How can the county support the CRIZ program moving forward?

I mean, getting the CRIZ designation, I know, took a lot of effort and is something that will help hopefully to change the downtown and build on what is already being done by the EDDC and other entities within the City of Erie.

But yes, it is 130 acres that is non-contiguous, the money being used to help with redevelopment and infrastructure and business creation in the area.

So how can the county support that?

Being present, championing the same causes that they are, being able to work on the same team with them, and work together to really take the money there and help bolster, I can't think of the right word, accentuate what is being done.

Christina, the next question for you.

Let's shift gears here and talk a little bit about veterans.

Should local veterans be concerned about having benefits cut, and how would you deal with that problem?

That's a great question.

Should they be concerned with having the benefits cut on the national level, is that what you're asking?

Well yeah, everything impacts the veterans here in our community, and certainly a veteran's office is part of the county as well.

Right.

My hope is that the veterans are not affected by that.

Obviously there's no guarantee.

My dad was in the Army, my grandfather was in the Army, my grandfather volunteered after World War II, served with Patton.

My dad was drafted into the Vietnam War, and so I've seen firsthand what the military has done, the sacrifices that they make on an individual level, and what they do for the community and for us, all of us, to provide us with the freedom that we have here.

And if there is cuts, then I think that as an organization, the county should be supporting, finding ways to partner with other organizations to support in any area that there is lacking.

Same question, Perry.

Yeah, veterans issues are near and dear to my heart.

When I was a young man, my father went off to war, to the first Gulf War, he then went to the Afghanistan War, and then back again to the next Gulf War.

So I've known a lot of veterans throughout my life, and have many family members who are veterans as well.

Lisa, you're right, that the Veterans Office is an important part of county government.

They make sure that our veterans here in the region receive the services that are owed to them, and there's some incredible stuff going on.

Actually out at Northeast, many of these veterans groups have gathered together for brotherhood and supporting one another, and that's important because we know that every time we send our troops away to foreign wars, there is a possibility that they come back, not their full selves.

So we need to continue to support those groups, not to fight with them.

The controversy over the Northeast campus supporting veterans and housing the 911 technology, I think was absolutely ridiculous.

I put that to bed on day one as county executive.

Perry, next question for you.

Where do you see Erie County in four years?

I would like to see a vibrant Erie County that leads the nation in providing high-quality, low-cost child care for our working families.

I'd like to grow the population that way, and I would like to support our advanced manufacturing community.

The fact is, we are right in the middle of an important manufacturing belt that supports national defense here in the United States.

And we have universities working with metal fabricators and metal casters, as well as advanced materials companies that are mixing plastics and metals together.

This is an important part of the defense of the United States, and we happen to sit right in the middle of it.

The fact is, we don't have an actual plan to do anything about it.

We have fits and starts, but we need a cohesive plan.

We need the entire economic development agency to have a role in that process.

It will create jobs.

It will attract federal funding.

Students that are in engineering and technology will graduate, and they'll want to stay in the region for those jobs.

What is the one promise you would like to make to Erie County residents?

Oh, that's an easy one.

I promise to follow through on the childcare initiative that I started this year.

We think we'll have the problem.

By the end of 2026, I think it's going to take four years to fully invest in that system.

Every working family that wants to should have access to low-cost, high-quality childcare.

Thank you, Perry.

Christina, same question for you.

Where do you see Erie County four years from now?

That's a great question.

So, one of the things that I would like to see happen with Erie County is having the community college continue to develop, continue to change the trajectory of people's lives.

The community college is trying to develop the workforce of the future, anticipating what the needs are for the manufacturing sector of the hospitals.

They have a lot of programs that are helping with that of the Erie insurance, a lot of different businesses.

That is taking people from poverty and changing their lives and helping them to stay, unlike most colleges...

The community college, when you graduate from a community college, you tend to stay.

And if the more people that we can have that can believe that they have a future, that can find jobs that will pay good family-sustaining wages, the more people we can get to stay.

And that benefits all of us.

What is the one promise you want to make to Erie County residents?

I mean, my promise to Erie County residents would be that there is no one that would work harder to execute a plan to make Erie County better for all of us.

And I think I've demonstrated that from everything that I've done my entire life.

Christina, you've talked about being a small business owner, and we know that that's something that we want to see grow here in Erie County.

My question is about the current county executive, really wanted to have an economic development department of his own within county government, in addition to the fact that there is a redevelopment authority.

Is that the right way to go?

What is the county's role in helping to grow businesses here, whether it's small business startups or attracting larger companies to come?

So, if there wasn't an economic development department or area already in the community, or if it was actually focused on a goal, then maybe that could have gotten behind something like that, but right now, there's nothing that I've seen, just expenses, to make the county better.

Right now, it is a duplication of services that are already experts in other areas that are working in this exact same area and arena, so no, I don't think it's a good use of taxpayer dollars, and there's only so many taxpayer dollars, and every single one should be used to improve the lives of the people that live here, and that means reining in spending that is unnecessary and superfluous, which I think currently, the economic development department is.

Perry, next question for you.

What makes for a successful- CHUCKLES: He gets that question, too.

Sorry.

Oh, I'm sorry, go ahead.

So, talk about that.

You know, the county wanted to have its own economic development department.

Is that a duplication?

Is it working out?

Your thoughts on that?

Yeah.

No, I agree with my opponent.

It's a duplication of services.

Economic development isn't just about having a group of people in the courthouse.

The fact is that $1 million a year that's costing the taxpayers to have that department, if it showed results, I'd be open to those results.

You know, I'd be curious to see it, but the fact is, I can't point to a single thing that it's done.

You know, economic development is about collaboration.

I remember when we were getting the community college up and running, and leaders came to us and said, we need public sector funding in order to show support on this.

It took every piece of political capital I had with the board of directors and local elected officials to get that project to the point, we ended up putting $400,000 into a group called Empower Erie.

Empower Erie's job was to do the studies.

It was to do the lobbying in Harrisburg, and it was to get that up and running, and thank goodness we did.

It's paid off in dividends, and now we have great small business owners like Christina Vogel that sit on the board of directors, and that's the point of the community college, to get the small business owners involved.

It needs to be flexible.

It needs to respond to local industry.

That's economic development from a county standpoint.

We don't need a large bureaucracy at the courthouse to do it.

Just your quick take on this.

What makes for a successful working relationship between the county executive and county council?

Yeah, I think it starts with respect, and it continues with communication.

We have to develop trust between the two branches of government.

I mean, the legislative branch is in charge of the purse strings, they set the budget, and the county executive executes on that budget.

We need to go back to the primary roles that they were designed to do.

There's some people that may need to read the home rule charter.

Christina, quick thought on that.

I mean, I agree that respect, trusting others, listening to each other instead of believing that you're first, a little humility wouldn't hurt either.

All right, well it is time now to move to our closing statements, and Perry, I believe you go first.

Yes.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

To everyone who tuned in, thank you so much for spending time with us, and to Mike and Lisa for the thoughtful questions.

I really appreciate it.

I really do believe that our best days are ahead of us, but right now, we're dealing with a culture of chaos at the courthouse and county government.

The way to lead out of that is by developing a culture of collaboration, by embracing transparency.

If we do those two things, we will definitely get results.

I've been able to manage large budgets, investing over $88 million into this community and creating over 1,000 jobs.

That's a really good indication that I understand the complexities of public administration.

My passion combined with my experience makes me an ideal candidate, so I'd like to leave by saying this to you.

My name is Perry Wood.

I'm running for Erie County Executive, and I'm asking for your vote on May 20th.

Thank you.

Christina.

Thank you so much.

Erie County needs leadership that brings people together, puts people first, and focuses on solutions.

I chose Erie because I believe in Erie County.

I believe in the hardworking people, the dedicated community college students, and the small business owners.

I have put my heart and soul, time and resources into making Erie County better for all of us.

On May 20th, I'm asking for your vote so that we can build Erie County to be more prosperous, so that we can have our kids stay here, our businesses grow here, and give opportunities for everyone that lives here to thrive.

My name's Christina Vogel, and I'm asking for your vote on May 20th.

Well, I'd like to say thank you to both of our candidates, Perry Wood and Christina Vogel, for being with us today.

And on behalf of Erie News Now and WQLN, we'd like to thank you for joining us for this primary election 2025 debate.

Yeah, we want to remind everyone that incumbent Erie County Executive Brenton Davis, seeking a second term, has been offered to join us on Erie News Now at seven o'clock, a future broadcast.

Yes, he is running unopposed.

Thank you again for watching, and remember to get out and vote in the May 20th primary, or return your mail-in ballots early.

Thanks for being with us.

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