Residents are wasting no time capitalizing on having a new county office in the Northtowns.
Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns has opened an outreach center at Eastern Hills Mall, where people can get help scheduling DMV appointments, applying for passports and participating in the Thank-a-Vet program. Having a new location in the community sends an important message about being accessible to constituents, he said.
“We need to bring government closer to the people. We don't need these big buildings where people feel as though … they're not welcome," Kearns said. "When you go into the neighborhoods and you go into local locations, like malls, you know, plazas, people love that. First of all, it's free parking.”
The outreach center in West Seneca has helped 6,000 county residents since 2020, and just over 20% of those have been from the Northtowns, he added.
Snyder resident Joanne Clayback is the first visitor, stopping in to renew her passport shortly after the 10 a.m. opening.
“It's actually acknowledging that Northtowns are being represented now and that this office is available to us," she said. "And that really, was really great, because I didn't have to drive all the way out (to West Seneca) to get a service or go Downtown, so I was pleased with that.”
The new location also will help account for the adjacent DMV office being closed on Mondays and Saturdays, Kearns said.
“When I became clerk, I felt as though we could do more for the Northtowns. We built a bigger DMV here at the Eastern Hills Mall; we're setting records," he said. "You know, we're open on Saturdays. We did move it, we're so successful, we're a victim of our success that we had to move it again. But we're still here Tuesday through Friday.”
In addition to its primary functions, old license plates also can be turned in at the mall location. Forms for vehicle registrations and pistol permits will be available but must be filed at other locations.
