Chris Collins (Erie County)
Encyclopedia
Christopher C. Collins is the County Executive
in Erie County, New York
. The county seat is Buffalo, New York
. He is a resident of Clarence, New York
. Born in Schenectady, New York
, in 1950, Collins moved around the country with his family as his father was transferred several times by General Electric
. Collins graduated from Hendersonville High School (Hendersonville, North Carolina
), in 1968. He received a BSME from North Carolina State University
in 1972 and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham
(UAB) in 1975.
Collins was elected County Executive over his Democratic
opponent James P. Keane (Deputy County Executive of the Dennis Gorski
administration) on November 6, 2007, winning the election in a landslide 64% - 34%. Collins ran as a businessman, rather than a Republican
in this race, running with the ideas of smaller county government, fewer taxes, and Six Sigma
. His campaign slogan was "Elect a Chief Executive, not a Chief Politician."
Collins spoke at the 2008 Republican National Convention
on September 3, 2008. He was the only County Executive in the USA given the opportunity to speak at the convention.
Prior to running for Erie County Executive Collins spent 35 years in the business world. As an entrepreneur he was the founder, President & CEO of Nuttall Gear Corporation located in Niagara Falls, New York
. Nuttall Gear was a 1983 leveraged buyout of the Westinghouse Electric Gear Division located in Buffalo, New York. Collins sold Nuttall in 1997 to a large industrial conglomerate. Collins ran unsuccessfully for Congress
in 1998 against 24 year incumbent Congressman John J. LaFalce
in the 29th Congressional District of New York
. After losing the 1998 election, and prior to running for Erie County Executive in 2007, Collins stepped up his entrepreneurial career purchasing or investing in over 20 bankrupt and financially troubled companies. These companies were combined into several platform companies - Bloch Industries LLC, ZeptoMetrix Corporation, Volland Electric Equipment Corporation, Easom Automation Systems, Inc., Audubon Machinery Corporation, Niagara Ceramics Corporation, Starboard Sun Corporation, Buckler Biodefense Corporation, and Innate Therapeutics, Ltd.
On November 8, 2011, Collins conceded to his opponent, Mark Poloncarz
in the race for Erie County Executive.
County executive
A county executive is the head of the executive branch of government in a county. This position is common in the United States.The executive may be an elected or an appointed position...
in Erie County, New York
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
. The county seat is Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. He is a resident of Clarence, New York
Clarence, New York
Clarence is a town located in the northeastern part of Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 30,673 according to the 2010 census. This represents an increase of 17.42% from the 2000 census figure . Clarence is also the name of a postal district in the south part of the town...
. Born in Schenectady, New York
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
, in 1950, Collins moved around the country with his family as his father was transferred several times by General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
. Collins graduated from Hendersonville High School (Hendersonville, North Carolina
Hendersonville, North Carolina
Hendersonville is a city in Henderson County, North Carolina, USA, southeast of Asheville. In 1900, 1,917 persons lived in Hendersonville; in 1910, 2,818; and in 1940, 5,381 people lived here. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,223, up fivefold in one century. It is the county...
), in 1968. He received a BSME from North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
in 1972 and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public university in Birmingham in the U.S. state of Alabama. Developing from an extension center established in 1936, the institution became an autonomous institution in 1969 and is today one of three institutions in the University of Alabama System...
(UAB) in 1975.
Collins was elected County Executive over his Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
opponent James P. Keane (Deputy County Executive of the Dennis Gorski
Dennis Gorski
Dennis T. Gorski is a retired politician in New York and an ex-Marine. A resident of Cheektowaga, New York, Gorski is a former County Executive of Erie County, New York, which includes Buffalo, New York and many of its suburbs. He was the first Democrat elected Erie County Executive and the first...
administration) on November 6, 2007, winning the election in a landslide 64% - 34%. Collins ran as a businessman, rather than a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in this race, running with the ideas of smaller county government, fewer taxes, and Six Sigma
Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a business management strategy originally developed by Motorola, USA in 1986. , it is widely used in many sectors of industry.Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects and minimizing variability in manufacturing and...
. His campaign slogan was "Elect a Chief Executive, not a Chief Politician."
Collins spoke at the 2008 Republican National Convention
2008 Republican National Convention
The United States 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008...
on September 3, 2008. He was the only County Executive in the USA given the opportunity to speak at the convention.
Prior to running for Erie County Executive Collins spent 35 years in the business world. As an entrepreneur he was the founder, President & CEO of Nuttall Gear Corporation located in Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
. Nuttall Gear was a 1983 leveraged buyout of the Westinghouse Electric Gear Division located in Buffalo, New York. Collins sold Nuttall in 1997 to a large industrial conglomerate. Collins ran unsuccessfully for Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1998 against 24 year incumbent Congressman John J. LaFalce
John J. LaFalce
John Joseph LaFalce is a former congressman from the state of New York; he served from 1975 to 2003.LaFalce was first elected to the 94th United States Congress in 1974 and re-elected to each succeeding Congress through the 107th, serving his Western New York congressional district for 28 years,...
in the 29th Congressional District of New York
New York's 29th congressional district
The Twenty-ninth district of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives which covers a portion of the Appalachian mountains in New York known as the "Southern Tier." It is represented by Tom Reed...
. After losing the 1998 election, and prior to running for Erie County Executive in 2007, Collins stepped up his entrepreneurial career purchasing or investing in over 20 bankrupt and financially troubled companies. These companies were combined into several platform companies - Bloch Industries LLC, ZeptoMetrix Corporation, Volland Electric Equipment Corporation, Easom Automation Systems, Inc., Audubon Machinery Corporation, Niagara Ceramics Corporation, Starboard Sun Corporation, Buckler Biodefense Corporation, and Innate Therapeutics, Ltd.
On November 8, 2011, Collins conceded to his opponent, Mark Poloncarz
Mark Poloncarz
Mark C. Poloncarz is the current county comptroller and county executive-elect of Erie County, New York. Poloncarz, a Democrat was elected county executive-elect on November 8, 2011 after defeating the incumbent county executive Chris Collins a Republican by a 53 - 47 percentage point margin...
in the race for Erie County Executive.