The race for Erie County comptroller is less than a day old, but the two rivals for the job wasted no time Wednesday in laying claim to that most appealing of political labels — independent watchdog.

Republican Philip C. Kadet, a political newcomer fresh from a 30-year career as a private accountant, kicked off his campaign by accusing the incumbent of “grandstanding, scare tactics and gotcha politics.”

County Comptroller Mark C. Poloncarz countered by announcing his candidacy in an Internet message and suggesting that Kadet would be nothing more than County Executive Chris Collins’ handpicked puppet. “Will he be an independent watchdog like I have been?” the Democrat asked. “Or will he be a rubber-stamp yes man for the county executive?”

Collins has made no secret of his wish to oust Poloncarz; they have been at odds for months. Kadet said that he enjoys Collins’ support but that, in the end, he would be independent, unafraid to confront the contentious aspects of politics. “I’m a political neophyte, but I’m not naive,” said Kadet, surrounded by friends and family, during a news conference in the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.

Republicans say that it was County Republican Chairman James P. Domagalski, not Collins, who recruited Kadet. “He’s nobody’s boy,” Domagalski said. “He’s an independent, qualified, experienced guy.”

Collins also joined the chorus of GOP officials who tried to turn the rubber-stamp label against Poloncarz. “Mark Poloncarz has been a rubber stamp for the status quo and partisan politics for his entire time in office,” said Collins spokesman Grant Loomis.

Day One of the comptroller’s race offered a revealing glimpse into what is certain to be a central theme of the campaign — political independence.

Poloncarz, in his video Internet message and later in an interview with The Buffalo News, stressed his role in bringing “fiscal discipline” to county government after its fiscal crisis.

He took credit for helping the county end every year he has been in office with budget surpluses, and for increasing the county’s fund balance from $5 million when he took office to $57 million today.

Poloncarz said the county also has obtained credit-rating upgrades from every Wall Street agency by which it is evaluated. “My office has been open and fully transparent,” he said in his Internet message. “I watch over your tax dollars as if they were my own.”

Kadet, who spent 30 years at Lumsden & McCormick, the last 12 as a managing partner, said his experience there trumps anything Poloncarz can offer. “I know numbers, and I know finances,” he told reporters.

Kadet said he expects to seek the support of the Conservative Party and possibly the Independence Party.

He also downplayed his differences with Collins over the future of the county’s state-appointed financial control board. Collins wants the board’s power diminished. Kadet said he’s not sure whether the county is prepared to go without the board’s oversight.

Copyright, 2009 The Buffalo News