Stonewall Democrats of Western New York

2007 Endorsement Questionnaire

Paul Clark
PO Box 918
West Seneca, NY 14224

Contact: Chelsea Lepley,

ph: 949-6478
email: ChelseaL@PaulClarkOnline.com

Office sought: Erie County Executive

Party: Democrat

1. Why are you seeking this office?

I want to represent the people of Erie County, not the political bosses. If
we allow the politicians to keep running Erie County the way they have been,
we'll never get out from under our Control Board and we'll see higher taxes
and less responsive government. I want to clean up our government and make
it more transparent for our citizens and work to bring better paying jobs to
Erie County.

2. Why are you seeking the endorsement of the Stonewall Democrats of WNY?
I am interested in building a coalition that will bring change to Erie
County government, opening it up for all the people.

3. What 3 issues are most important to your constituents? For each issue, include
specific actions you’ve taken on this issue, and further action you’ll propose.
a. Ethics/Clean Government: As Supervisor, I have augmented West
Seneca’s internet presence, so it’s easier for my constituents to know how
we’re making decisions and spending their tax dollars. Minutes to public
meetings and detailed budgets are now much more accessible. One of the
first things I'll do when elected is put in place an ethics plan that will
include transparency in the process of awarding contracts. I will create a
website that fully explains the process for obtaining contracts, and will
update frequently as contracts are awarded. It will also be searchable so
that anyone, anywhere, can see which companies have which contracts.
Our government should be guided by the strictest ethical guidelines, and I
will make that a priority upon gaining office.
b. Jobs: As Supervisor, I’ve helped create over 5,000 jobs in West Seneca,
including over 3,000 in the area’s largest industrial park. I will work to
broaden regional cooperation so that we can work together to attract new

Paul Clark, Erie County Executive Questionnaire, May 2007, page 1

 businesses to Erie County. Working together, communities here can
create effective incentives packages that will attract high-quality
employers to the area. Additionally, employers will be attracted to the
more transparent, efficient, “clean” county government that I will support.
We need to demonstrate our commitment to employers in a way that
shows them that we are serious about cooperating to bring economic
development to the area.
c. Taxes: Upon taking office, I will immediately begin a thorough
performance audit of Erie County Government, and require every
department to justify its budgeting and expenditures. I will commit myself
to rooting out waste and corruption and to making government work for
the people again. My accounting and auditing experience leads me to
believe that the money we need is already there. We should also proceed
to forge public-private partnerships to enhance the levels of service
provided to people in Erie County. Our working families are already
overtaxed and underserved by county government; raising taxes must be
an absolute last resort.

4. What 3 issues do you think are most important to the GLBT community?

Because they are citizens like anyone else, our GLBT community faces many of
the same issues mentioned above: things like high taxes, unresponsive
government, and a shortage of good jobs. Of course, there are also important
issues like discrimination in employment and civil rights. Erie County can and
should set an example by protecting workers from discrimination and providing
equal benefits.

5. Will you sign a pledge to conduct your campaign in a truthful, fair, civil, issue-
based way?

Yes, I will. I look forward to discourse based on substantive political

conversations.

6. If endorsed by Stonewall Dems, will you list the endorsement on all applicable
campaign lit?

Yes.

7. If endorsed by Stonewall Dems, will you attend a GLBT community forum to

introduce endorsed candidates?

I would appreciate the chance to attend such a forum, schedule permitting.

Paul Clark, Erie County Executive Questionnaire, May 2007, page 2

 Legislation/Issues...

1. favor
2. favor
3. oppose
4. favor
5. favor
6. favor
7. favor
8. favor
9. favor
10. favor
11. favor
12. favor

Paul Clark, Erie County Executive Questionnaire, May 2007, page 3