Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz released this full statement on the Rath Building ‘bedbug’ issue:
“My administration has vigorously attacked the problem of reported bed bugs in the building since the first sighting was confirmed. This includes repeated spraying of floors, as well as establishing new protocols for employees regarding the storing of clothes and other materials that insects of any kindseek. While some items have been misidentified as being bed bugs, including lint and dust and in the most recent accusation by the Comptroller’s Office of a bed bug sighting in the Family Court Building, a beetle, additional cases have been confirmed in recent weeks with the insects having been brought into the building by our clients, and in two cases, our employees.
We take the cleanliness of our buildings as a priority and will continue to address the issue if it should arise. However, the Comptroller’s report adds nothing to this matter other than to generate media for him during an election year. It offers nothing of substance that is not already known by those addressing the issue or to our employees who have been advised of this information before.
Finally, as the former County Comptroller who created the Whistleblower Hotline, I am disappointed the current comptroller would take a valuable resource for protecting the people’s tax-dollars and use it for nothing more than the generation of hype and hysteria in the hopes of generating free media for his re-election campaign. That is truly a waste of tax-payers resources.
We want our employees to let us know of any possible sighting of a bed bug as soon as possible so we can treat it and there is a protocol in place to do so. Sending information to the comptroller’s former Whistleblower Hotline only delays the process.”
