Road Rage Protest: Paying Taxes $1 at a Time
Couple bucks town after clueless crew botches paving job
NBC Connecticut
A dollar for the road.
When road crews in a small Connecticut town botched a street paving job and refused to fix it,one couple found a novel avenue for protest: They paid their town taxes all in dollar bills.
Gus Colantonio, a roadway engineer for more than 30 years, didn't need his professional expertise to know something was wrong on his block of Morrison Avenue in Wethersfield, Conn. Paving crews laid asphalt right over the curbs and up to the sidewalk. Not only does it look ridiculous, Colantonia says it is wreaking havoc with the drainage system.
Town officials agree the job was bungled, but say they don't have the money to fix it. But they just got more than $3,000 from Colantonio and his wife Holly - all in George Washingtons.
“We have taxation without representation,” an exasperated Colantonio told NBCConnecticut.
With the street rising all the way to the sidewalk, it also is a potentially dangerous situation for pedestrians, said Holly Colantonio.
“You don’t feel safe,” she said.
Outgoing town manager Bonnie Therrien said the town's infrastructure committee has met with neighbors to try to allay their concerns.
But talk is cheap, say the Colantonios. Until the street gets its drainage system and sidewalk back, the Colantonios plan to keep paying their taxes one dollar at a time.
Posted Friday, Jul 31, 2009 - 8:55 AM EST
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