Grand Island Tolls-The Battle lines have moved to the Executive Chamber
and into the lap of Governor Paterson

Last Friday was the day that we all had hoped and Prayed for, last Friday August 8th the Toll Bill was supposed to make it to the floor in the Senate for a vote and passage by the Senate as they were passing legislation that was unfinished. This Bill to remove the control of the 190 from the Thruway Authority and give it to the NY State D.O.T. was sure to pass if we just had the chance to get to the floor for a vote. That did not happen yet again. The last day of the session Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno bowed to Thruway Authority pressure and removed the Bill from the floor. This time the Toll Bill was removed from the floor by none other than Governor Paterson.

Apparently the Governor being pressured by the Thruway Authority convinced the Leadership in the Senate not to allow a floor vote. His claim is this is not the time to cut funding for infrastructure? Seeing the State of New York is in such a fiscal mess and we are facing a deficit of 6 Billion dollars. Is this our fault? Hardly, they should have been watching and never should have passed such excessive budgets in the recent past. Governor Pataki’s last budget was 112 Billion. Governor Spitzers last budget was 123 Billion. If my math is correct this is a one year jump in spending of 11 Billion dollars, in one year.

The passage of this Bill would represent a 32 Million dollar influx into the severely depressed economy of Western New York. This is not pork or a spending inititive, this is our money staying here instead of going down the black hole of Albany’s and the Thruway Authority’s massive and habitual financial mismanagement.

How is it possible for the Governor to stop a Bill from even getting to the floor for a vote? This is just another example of the dysfunction of our legislature. So now I am more than happy to go one on one with the Governor.

It seems that all the tough talk we hear from our Western New York delegation, is nothing more than hot air.

This is far from over, this simply furthers my resolve to follow this through and all the way to the Executive Chamber. We must get some representation and a fair break from the excessive rules, regulations, mandates, taxes, tolls and someone has got to take responsibility for the dying economy of Western New York. I had hope and faith that Governor Paterson actually cared about us. I am sadly mistaken, in truth he is just like all the rest, full of hot air, platitudes and false hopes for all of us up here in the land where we have earned the reputation of the New York Stepchild.

Our next step should be a lawsuit, a lawsuit to recoup the 180 Million Dollars that we paid for tolls in Buffalo for 10 years longer than the Law allowed. If it was not for the threat of a Lawsuit we would still be paying those tolls. For 73 years commuters have been paying tolls on the Grand Island Bridges, it is far past the time that they should have been removed.

Next year the Thruway Authority will once again “BORROW” 45 million to re-deck the South Bridge, will this ensure the tolls remain for another 30 years? We need new bridges and the only way we can do it is by bringing in Federal dollars, the longer the delay, the less of a chance we have.

Rus Thompson
NoGItolls.com