Island Dispatch, 2007-07-13

              ISLAND  Dispatch Niagara ttPI Dm ron**er \- I# Publications proud publishers of Island Dispatch Lewiston-Porter Sentinel Grand Island Penny Saver Niagara-Wheatfteld Tribune www.wnypapers.com For Home Delivery of the Island Dispatch Call 773-7676 V01.63 No. 17 July 13,2007 24 Pages 773-7676 $1.00 KidBiz Takes a Bow page 5 St. Stephen Rummage Sale page 6 GI Heads to Fredonia page 14 For whom the bridge tolls by Karen Keefe lannello, Thompson both claim lead roles in working to end Grand Island tolls An Erie County legislator and the man who wants to take her job both claimed the Grand Island bridge toll issue as their own this week; and while they are taking different lanes, they are both heading in the same direction: no tolls. Legislator Michele lannello, D- Kenmore, Grand Island, and contractor, political activist and county legislature candidate Rus Thompson both say bridge tolls are unfair to Islanders. And they've each separately enlistedthe help of EHicott Development Co. CEO Carl Paladino, who was instrumental last year in removing the tolls from the Breckinridge and Ogden toll barriersbarriers on the Niagara Section of the Thruway. The Thruway also collects the Grand Island bridge fare. The question for like-minded Islanders is not who said it first, loudest or best in dueling news conferences this week; it is, "What will it take to make the trip across the bridges a free ride?" The toll is $.75 without E-ZPass, and $.09 per trip for Islanders with E-ZPass. Thompson's 6,000 Signatures In his news conference Sunday night, Thompson stressed that he first called for eliminating the tolls eight months ago, launching the NoGlTolls.com Web site and Legislator Michele iannello, D-Kenmore, Grand Island, teams yp with Ellicott Development CEO Carl Paladino to announce a partnership in getting the governor to drop the tolls on the Grand Island Bridges, (photos by Barbi Lare) Dueling signs, dueling news conferences. The green signs belong to Iannello; Thompson's red T-shirt bears his slogan in the fight to end bridge tolls. Rus Thompson of Grand Island talks to reporters after lanneilo's news conference. He has collected 6,000 signatures against the tolls through his petition drive and Web site, NoGlTolls.com. Vala O'Boyle, a cashier at the Grand Island Wilson Farms, remembers back to the day when her father, the late Richard Couch, planned to give the Thruway Authority quite a few pennies for his thoughts on the toll issue. Islander remembers the penny protest Story and photo by Karen Keefe For lifelong Grand Islander Vala O'Boyle, the controversy over the Island bridge tolls is an old concern - yet one thaf s dear to her heart. Her father, the late Richard Couch, was in the vanguard decades ago in pushing to end the toEs. He was town attorney for nearly 20 years, with offices on Love Road, and a town justice. He also came up with some pretty creative ways of getting his point across on what he considered the high cost of travel between the Island and the mainland. O'Boyle, a Wilson Farms cashier on Grand Island who has a friendly smile for her customers, beams when she recalls some of the tricks her dad had up his sleeve. "He had led a group, that we were going to protest the tolls back in the day when you bought the ticket books. He was going to have everybody pay for them with $5 worth of pennies - unrolled pennies." She said the protesters, about 30 of them, met at the Fantasy Island parking lot, and the media were all there to cover them. The plan was to line up, side by side, and go through the tollbooths to buy their ticket books with the pennies, which would have to be counted out one by one. "I don'tknowwhy we didn't end up doing it, but they (the media) did do a story." She said that SEE LEGISLATOR, continued on page 2 SEE ISLANDERS, continued on page 18 HSfortday 1 SVtaciness LARGE CHEESE PIZZA $850 2131 Grand Island Blvd. Kutzbach  628-1719 Cfer'JJl 773-2573 p^ Qj Do you need to buy or sell a home? A; Call Linda Kutzbach, she knows how and would love to help you. w r. -.r oltec 13§fMjK jwned& operated |, NOfln