Mary F. Holtz became the first female Town Supervisor in the long and storied history of the Town of Cheektowaga in 2008.
Ms. Holtz, champion for the revitalization of aging towns and cities, is committed to keeping Cheektowaga’s neighborhoods strong. A founding member of the Erie County Distressed Properties Task Force, Ms. Holtz was invited to attend a distressed property technical assistance seminar at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. To stress the urgency of reviving the Western New York economy, she provided testimony at a field hearing of the Revitalizing Older Cities Congressional Task Force.
Growing the Cheektowaga economy has been a top priority for Ms. Holtz. She is a member of the Executive Board of the Erie County Industrial Development Agency, and she serves on the ECIDA’s policy and governance committees. She also serves as chairperson of Erie County Sewer District No. 1.
Ms. Holtz believes that Erie County’s towns, villages and cities will find their greatest success, if municipalities work together toward a shared vision of a more prosperous Western New York. Understanding the benefits of ongoing inter-municipal conversation and collaboration, she has served as vice president and president of the Association of Erie County Governments and is currently a member of the Board of Directors.
Ms. Holtz also serves on the advisory council at the Villa Maria College Life Long Learning & Workforce Development Center and on the advisory board for the Compassionate Presence of Christ Campaign benefitting the Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent of the Franciscan Felician Sisters.
Before becoming town supervisor, Ms. Holtz worked in the Cheektowaga Town Clerk’s Office for 36 years, serving as Deputy Town Clerk and Town Clerk. She successfully merged the Tax Office operation into the Town Clerk’s duties, and was responsible for the development of the Town’s Records Center.
Further expressing her commitment to the community, Ms. Holtz has taken on the role of town historian and has spent thousands of hours compiling the Town’s history and making it available to the public.
