Benjamin Swanekamp

Biography

Benjamin Swanekamp is Deputy Mayor of the City of Buffalo. As Deputy Mayor, he oversees Public Works, Finance, Parking, Tax and Assessment, IT, and Parks. Most recently, Ben served as Chief of Staff to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, where he led multiple initiatives, including creating the Erie EMS Service. Ben also previously served as the Deputy Budget Director for Erie County, Policy Director for the Erie County Department of Health, and Special Assistant to the Erie County Commissioner of Health. Ben has extensive experience in public health, intergovernmental affairs, and municipal finance.

Ben recently served on the National Association of County Officials Broadband Task Force and led the county’s ErieNet Open Access Network steering committee. In his time with the Health Department, Ben helped oversee the creation of the Erie County Opioid Epidemic Task Force and the expansion of Medication-Assisted Treatment services throughout Erie County, which led to a three-year decline in fatal opioid overdoses prior to the impact of COVID-19.

Benjamin Swanekamp also previously served as an analyst for the New York State Senate Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business Committee.