Island Dispatch, 1998-12-31

              Island DISPATCH 650 Complete community coverage i Monday I Nftte Madness LAKE CHEESE PIIZA $1549 In This Issue: Lots to d 0... see pages 8 & 9 16 Pages December 31, 1998 Vol. 54 No. 38 (716) 773-7676 J "Ajs the voice of Gra,ivd Island" More support than complaints for Nativity by Larry Austin Support for the Town of Grand Island's holiday display has far outpaced recent complaints by the New York Civil Liberties Union. The NYCLU's Dec. 17 letter to Grand Island Town Supervisor Peter McMahon said they had received complaints about the Nativity scene that was set up in the Rotary Gazebo near Town Hall. Whoever complained to the NYCLU never complained to anyone at Town Hall, however. That's a surprise, but not a problem for Supervisor McMahon. "I wouldn't say I was upset," McMahon said Wednesday. "It's unusual because people do call here when they're dissatisfied with all kinds of government services or things on the Island." In fact, resident reaction to the Nativity scene has been positive. "I still to this day have not received a single complaint from a Grand Island resident regarding the Nativity scene," McMahon said. "And I have received maybe as many as 15 contacts, some personto-person and some by phone and some by mail, saying leave it." Leaving the display wouldn't sit too well with NYCLU Western Regional Director Jeanne-Noel Mahoney, author of the complaint letter to McMahon. In her letter, Mahoney cited • Supreme Court decisions outlining the parameters for acceptable holiday displays that do not amount to a government endorsement of a particular religion. "In County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union, the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the display of a nativity scene on the inner staircase of a county courthouse," Mahoney wrote, "...and explained that the 'essential principle' of the Establishment Clause of the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution is that it 'prohibits the government from appearing to take a position on questions of religious belief or from making adherence to a religion relevant in any way to a person's standing in the political community.'" Mahoney also wrote that Supreme Court cases on the subject "suggest that a display is more likely to run afoul of the Constitution if it is on public NATIVITY DISPLAY - This part of the Town of Grand Island's holiday display drew the ire of the New York Civil Liberties Union in a letter sent to Supervisor Peter McMahon. The NYCLU believes such displays on public property are unconstitutional. The display was taken down Wednesday. Missing from the picture is the Baby Jesus, which was stolen recently. DAMAGED PROPERTY - The property of Deputy Supervisor Michael Heftka on Continental Drive was also vandalized as this Christmas decoration was damaged and the baby Jesus was stolen from it. This is just one of a rash of vandalism crimes that have been reported in the past few weeks. Hoyt appeals to Moynihan to aid in land dispute In support of a letter from Supervisor Peter McMahon concerning the Grand Island land dispute, Assembly member Sam Hoyt appealed to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan to assist local efforts in calling on the Department of Justice and the leaders of the Seneca Nation to limit the possible damages available to the Seneca Nation to monetary damages only. "I cannot over emphasize the importance of this request," Hoyt wrote in a letter he sent to Moynihan. "The land claim inflicts a severe. iUrain. on the residents of Grand Island. Limiting the damages would eliminate property title disputes and could promote much needed new development on the island." Over the past five years, more than 18,000 residents of Grand Island have had to endure the decline of home sales, construction and new developments due to the uncertainties surrounding the Seneca Nations' claim to the islands in the Niagara River. Supervisor McMahon's and Assembly member Hoyt's letters call for a meeting of appropriate officials and attorneys from all sides to explore the possibility of an arrangement that will still allow the Seneca Nation to be compensated monetarily for any claim of ownership which can be proven in a court of law but remove the. possibility of taking outright possession of the island. "This would be an important step toward easing the anxiety felt by so many residents of Grand Island while contributing to the potential economic rebirth of this great island," Hoyt said. Baby figures kidnapped, recovered For the second year in a row, the Erie County Sheriffs Department has been on the lookout for perpetrators who have made a point of stealing Baby Jesus from various manger scenes across the Island - even the one on display at the Rotary Gazebo at Town Hall. "They've been stolen from all over Grand Island," Detective Fred Vincent said on Monday. Thirteen were recovered from Staley Road near West River back by the landfill. Since eight were reported to the department as stolen, eight have been returned to their owners. Five are left not claimed, Det. Vincent said. For more information on how to obtain one that was taken from you, call the Sheriffs Department at 662-5554. Officials would also like to hear from residents who may have any information on who may be causing the thefts. continued on page 3