14 Facts About Joel Giambra

Joel Giambra is an American politician from the State of New York.

Joel Giambra is the former County Executive of Erie County, New York.

Joel Giambra was raised in Buffalo by his mother and his grandmother.

Joel Giambra lived in the Lakeview Housing Project, near the east bank of the Niagara River.

Joel Giambra attended Grover Cleveland High School and Erie Community College.

Joel Giambra was one of the youngest Buffalo Common Council members ever, and served as Buffalo City Comptroller early in his career.

Joel Giambra was a Democrat who changed his political affiliation to Republican in 1999 to better position himself to run for County Executive, later breaking ties with the Republican Party in 2023.

Joel Giambra 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.

Some have accused Joel Giambra of providing lucrative jobs to associates.

Joel Giambra said that "an end to county government as we know it" would occur without a sales tax hike, ending county libraries, snowplows and road patrols.

Joel Giambra proposed this "red budget" of $940 million which eliminated services, and after failed negotiations to raise the sales tax in a "green budget" of $1 billion, a modified plan was adopted which laid off 2,000 county employees and closed many county services, including the Parks Department.

Since 2012, Joel Giambra has been the co-host of the political debate program 2 Sides on WGRZ.

In 2018, Joel Giambra announced he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of New York Joel Giambra described himself as a "socially moderate" Republican, a supporter of campaign finance reform, and an opponent of corporate welfare.

Joel Giambra experienced throat cancer and kidney failure in 2020, but later recovered, following a kidney donation from a former constituent.