Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns is opposing the county's latest COVID-19 mask mandate.

"People are sick and tired of government not being consistent, we're all tired of wearing a mask," said Kearns.

County Executive Mark Poloncarz issued an executive order requiring masks in all Erie County or county-owned buildings. Kearns says Poloncarz overstepped by implementing the policy without communicating or issuing official guidance to the clerk's office.

Kearns calls the policy a half-measure that will hurt business, especially since the clerk's office generated all $5 million of the county's budget surplus this year.

Now he's asking Poloncarz to release the data behind the mask mandate and to make it standard across all county buildings.

"We'll follow the science, but be consistent," said Kearns. "I can go to Highmark Stadium and not wear a face mask, but later in the day I go to the DMV and I need to wear a face mask, that's not consistent. Fifteen-thousand people were out at the Bills Saturday for a Bills practice? That's a county-owned facility, why don't they have to wear masks at the county-owned facility?"

Spectrum News 1 has reached out to the county executive's office for comment.