Senator George Maziarz today announced that he will enlist the help of Governor David A. Paterson in shining a light onto questionable personnel changes at the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission in an effort to ensure that toll revenues are being spent wisely.In early August Senator Maziarz wrote to each member of the Commission requesting copies of information pertaining to the recent mysterious departure of former General Manager Thomas Garlock. In a letter dated August 14th, Chairperson Janice A. Thomson offered the following response on behalf of the Commission: “Those who pay bridge tolls receive safe, efficient passage in exchange for their payment—there is no further entitlement to information concerning the Commission’s activities.”Senator Maziarz said, “That holier-than-thou attitude is unbelievable in this day and age. The public has every right to know how their tolls are being used. Are revenues being used to provide ‘golden parachutes’ and severance packages to former employees? We don’t know. What we do know is that the Commission is turning its back on millions of people who pay tolls to cross the bridge every year.”The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission is an American-Canadian entity which owns and manages three international crossings: the Rainbow Bridge, the Whirlpool-Rapids Bridge, and the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. In 2007, a total of more than 7 million vehicles crossed these bridges.To get around the Bridge Commission’s stonewalling, Senator Maziarz is sending a letter to Governor Paterson asking him to use his influence to get to the bottom of the matter. “There is a vital public interest to be served by releasing this information,” Senator Maziarz writes, “and the Commission’s efforts to maintain secrecy are an affront to American and Canadian rate payers and bridge users.”“The commissioners, particularly the Americans, are sorely in need of being held accountable,” Senator Maziarz added. “If they won’t listen to me, maybe they’ll listen to the Governor, at whose pleasure they serve.”
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