Thompson takes bridge toll petitions to Albany

Story and photo by Karen Keefe
Grand Island Dispatch, December 15, 2006

Grand Island resident Rus Thompson, right, talks with Dave Debo, WBEN 930 AM radio reporter and anchor, at Tim Hortons early Wednesday morning, about his petition drive to end the Grand Island bridge tolls. Thompson left soon after to deliver the petitions to Gov. George Pataki in Albany.

Rus Thompson headed to Albany on Wednesday to deliver to the governor petitions proving nearly 5,000 people agree with him that tolls should end for the Grand Island bridges.

Thompson is optimistic about the response. “I hope he accepts it and I hope I come back with a Christmas present for the people of Western New York to remove these tolls, and we’ll move onto the next ones.”

Some may say Thompson is tilting at windmills, but this Don Quixote is traveling armed not only with petitions from the local populace, but also with the support of politicians in Albany and Grand Island.

Maziarz, Volker, McMahon are supporters

Thompson said Republican state Sens. George Maziarz of Newfane and Dale Volker of Depew agree with his quest for equity for Grand Islanders. “I did talk to Sen. Volker (Tuesday), told him where we were with the petitions. He’s looking forward to seeing me in Albany and he hopes to join me going over to the governor’s office,” Thompson said.

Town Supervisor Peter McMahon has also spoken in favor of dropping the tolls.

Thompson’s briefcase is brimming with supporting documents. “I’m telling Gov. Pataki that it’s time to get rid of the tolls and giving him the three options that we have … build another bridge to Grand Island, expand or widen the bridges, or remove the tolls.” He said the easiest and fastest option outlined in the petition is toll removal.

The Grand Island home contractor and tax activist has been on a mission ever since tolls were dropped last month at the Black Rock and Ogden barriers along the Niagara section of the Thruway. Thompson took it as a challenge when told Pataki believed there was no similar sentiment for making the Grand Island bridges toll-free.

Thompson gathered 4,932 signatures after circulating petitions online and at 16 locations around the Island, including Town Hall. The online total was 3,168, and hand signatures, 1,764.

Plan to Offset Lost Revenue

Thompson outlined ways to make ending the tolls revenue-neutral for Albany. One option, he cites is saving $110 million by dropping the state canal system from the control of the Thruway Authority. “Why the Thruway Authority is in charge of the canal system is beyond me. What does that have to do with transportation in the 21st century?” he asked at a stop at Tim Hortons at 7 a.m. before hitting the road to Albany. Another area where Thompson said money could be saved is to give back to the Thruway Authority the I-287 highway, near New York City. “So we have well over $120 million that can be made up as far as lost revenue.”

Thompson believes the timing and political climate may be right to convince state lawmakers to side with the petition’s signatories. “If they want to calm down the anger that’s going on with the pay raise, this may just help that a little bit.”

He quotes Town Supervisor Peter McMahon as saying, “It’s the alignment of the stars,” as tolls have fallen elsewhere. “It’s time for these to come down, too.”

Motorists Support Plan

Most motorists the Dispatch talked to at Grand Island’s mobile Erie County auto bureau on Wednesday supported removing the tolls. “For residents, yes. They should be able to go off and on without having to pay even 9 cents,” said Katie Bialas, a Holiday Inn employee who moved from Grand Island to Amherst.

“We shouldn’t have to pay – we live here,” said Ann O’Rourke, who works at Grand Island High School.

Ten-year Island resident Steve Pankow supports Thompson. “It can’t hurt. Somebody’s got to try.” Pankow said he sat down and figured out how much it costs him to commute to Paddock Chevrolet in Kenmore, where he is sales manager. “I don’t use an EZ-Pass. It costs about $20 a month, one trip a day.”

Longtime Islander Laurel Waltman-Moher, a private duty nurse, feels dropping the tolls is a very just cause. “My parents came over on the ferry to buy the property. They were told that when the bridges were done (and paid for), they wouldn’t have to pay to get home. When the Thruway came along, things changed.”

Her mother, Ivy Dorothy Waltman, was former supervisor Ray Griffin’s “right arm at Town Hall,” she said, and her sister, Dorothy Dillemuth, who now lives in Pennsylvania, was a longtime educator and administrator in the Grand Island School District.

Lone Dissenter

Another longtime Islander, Jim Linenfelser, didn’t agree with the others on line. “It’s only 9 cents. You think you have traffic jams now, wait ’til they remove it. For 9 cents, I’ll risk it,” he said. “Everybody will be coming on the Island – a lot more truck traffic. It won’t help business.” Linenfelser is a retired businessman whose father owned and operated Wayside Furniture on the Island from 1948 to 1986.

Thompson said if his Albany trip doesn’t do the trick, he would not resort to a lawsuit because that could cost taxpayers too much money. Instead, he’d go for a “silent protest” on the bridge to convince lawmakers. The protesters won’t break any laws, he said, they’ll just demonstrate their strength in numbers.