It is not often that county executives come to UB to teach a 9 a.m. introductory political science class; however, current Erie County Executive Chris Collins did just that on Wednesday. Collins made his appearance in PSC 100: Enduring Issues in Political Science in Knox 109.
Collins has his claim to fame as a businessman with 35 years of private sector experience. He is the manager and sole investor of Cobblestone Enterprises, which invests in local manufacturing companies. The companies he has invested in now have an annual sales excess of $80 million, according to the Erie County government Web site.
In Erie County, he used the practicalities of business and applied them to government management. Two things he focused on during his lecture were his political campaign and the Six Sigma implementation he used in his governmental operations.
Collins told the class that before he declared his intent to run for office he had no experience in politics. As a result of his inexperience, he had to put his business background to use. As a local politician, he aimed to reform the local government, build the local economy and reduce taxes using business tactics.
"If you have good ideas, but don't win, then who cares? The first step was to get elected," Collins said.
When Collins came onto the political spotlight, less than one percent of the population knew the name, he said. His affiliation with the Republican Party put a greater constraint on his campaign.
"Republican was a bad word - tied to Iraq, bankruptcy and the control board. In Western New York (WNY), republicans are bad people. I had to change mindset of the public," Collins said.
Collins said that he approached the situation as any typical businessman would, by introducing himself as a new product. He created prospectuses and brochures for his campaign. He entered the race as an unknown candidate but won in a landslide victory despite never actually campaigning in Buffalo.
"I had one focus - win the election. I have ties with Mayor Byron Brown and [congressman] Brian Higgins. I was told...don't waste your time if you go to the city, you're not somewhere else," Collins said.
For the second part of his lecture, he discussed people, jobs and efficiency. He mentioned his own job and the important task of getting the public to rethink WNY, which is known for the Bills, cold, snow and chicken wings.
Collins explained that the answer is Six Sigma, a business method to improve production and eliminate waste. It is also an approach to empower employees.
"The first 90 days have had tremendous inertia. It's the cornerstone of driving efficiency into government, creating savings that can be redeployed in other ways," Collins said.
Collins has taken back cell phones and county-provided cars for those employees who do not absolutely need them as a part of Six Sigma initiative. He expects to save the county nearly $150,000 with this business approach, according to The Buffalo News.
Many students were thankful that the county executive took time out of his day to talk to the class, but Collins felt it was only part of his job to reach out to the community.
"It's as simple as giving back. Young people are our future. When someone asks me [to do things like this] I always try to say yes," Collins said.
Jessica Sullivan, a sophomore political science and history major, thought Collins was a great choice for a guest speaker.
"It's an interesting way to learn about the subject material," Sullivan said. "Since he comes from business, it's a different perspective than a political lawyer or actual politician."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
