Joel Giambra is the County Executive in Erie County, New York State. The county seat is Buffalo. He served as a Buffalo Common Councilman and Buffalo City Comptroller earlier in his career. He was a Democrat who became a Republican in 1999 to run for County Executive. He was seen as a future statewide candidate and in 2002 was considered by Governor George Pataki as a running mate for lieutenant governor, before Lt. Gov. Mary Donohue was nominated for reelection. He won a closer than expected reelection in 2003 and his administration started to experience many problems. A County Executive is the title assigned to a person hired to run the day to day operations of a county. ... Erie County is a county located in the state of New York. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... Aerial view of downtown Buffalo, New York Buffalo is an American city in western New York. ... A comptroller may refer to a royal-household official who examines and supervises expenditures, or a public official who audits government accounts and sometimes certifies expenditures. ... The Democratic Party, founded in 1792, is the longest-standing political party in the world. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party), is a political party and is one of the two major political parties in the United States (the other being the Democratic Party). ... A County Executive is the title assigned to a person hired to run the day to day operations of a county. ... A governor is also a device that regulates the speed of a machine. ... George E. Pataki George Elmer Pataki (born June 24, 1945) is the current Governor of New York State (since January 1995). ... A Lieutenant Governor is a government official who is the subordinate or deputy of a Governor or Governor-General. ... Mary Donohue is the Lieutenant Governor of New York State. ... 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Look up Administration on Wiktionary, the free dictionary The word administration is from the Old English administracioun, deriving from the French administration, which is itself derived from the Latin administratio: a compounding of ad (to) and ministratio (to give service). In modern usage, the word has particular meanings in particular...

Investigations into the mismanagement of a highway garage and exorbitant prices paid for county office furniture preceded the 2005 budget problems. Giambra proposed a so-called "red budget" which eliminated services, and after failed negotiations to raise the sales tax, a modified plan was adopted which laid off 3000 county employees and closed many county services, including the Parks Department. In 2005 a Control Board was implemented by the state to monitor county finances. This, coupled with an investigation into patronage positions, led to Giambra's announcement that he will not seek reelection in 2007. It has been suggested that Highway Transportation System be merged into this article or section. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Budget generally refers to a list of all planned expenses and revenues. ... A sales tax is a tax on consumption. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Finance studies and addresses the ways in which individuals, businesses and organizations raise, allocate and use monetary resources over time, taking into account the risks entailed in their projects. ... Generally, patronage is the act of supporting or favoring some person, group, or institution. ... 2007 (MMVII) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Following the adoption of the red budget, Giambra has seen his popularity drop and this has led to the retirements of several local politicians who are tied to him. A recent poll has shown that Giambra is detested by 90% of the general public of Erie County. Another recent poll reported that 80% of the county's residents would like him to resign before his term expires.

Joel Giambra never graduated from college.