August 22, 2019
Statement From Congressman Tom Reed:
DUNKIRK, NY – Today, Rep. Tom Reed reacted to Governor Andrew Cuomo recent statements concerning his decision not to repair the NYS Thruway in the Seneca Nation and putting the traveling public at risk because of an unrelated political dispute over gaming revenue.
“What you do with a bully is stand up to them,” said Tom. “Even more importantly, when that bully puts the innocent public in harm’s way just because he is more interested in political wins than public safety you take action. This sure sounds like a misuse of federal funds and abuse of power coming out of the Governor’s office.”
Local motorists have reached out to the office of Tom Reed in recent weeks expressing their own concern with I-90 road conditions through the Seneca Nation.
One motorist had this to say: “Just today, we hit a huge hole travelling through that stretch coming to our home (off the) Dunkirk Fredonia Exit and we broke a tie rod and something else, and we lost the ability to steer properly. We had our 11-year-old daughter in the car. We were lucky that we or other people did not get killed. Ultimately, we had to wait on the side of the road for an hour for a tow truck.”
Another motorist said he is tired of the political conflict and just wants to see the road fixed. “… This highway is how people travel to our area here in Chautauqua County. Without a decent road, we have less people wanting to drive to our area. That means less money coming to our area. Fix the road – I am sick of driving through this each time I drive up to Buffalo.”
Response From Rich Azzopardi, Senior Advisor To The Governor:
“Everyone knows the congressman is used to being the president’s patsy, but he shouldn’t be the Seneca’s patsy. He should do his job, stand with the community he represents, and demand the Senecas make good on the arbitrated decision and make their neighbors whole.”
Update – 1:27pm – Response From Reed To Cuomo’s Original Response:
“Patsy? Unlike the Governor, none of Tom’s aides are in prison for taking bribes in exchange for sweetheart deals. Tom just wants I-90 fixed for the safety of the travelling public. The Federal funds have been delivered. Just fix the road before someone dies.” – Will Reinert, Communications Director for Congressman Tom Reed
