Gaughan looks to change boundary lines

WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) - He's won a string of victories in downsizing town boards. Now, reform advocate Kevin Gaughan wants to erase some boundary lines.

It just got easier for him to get that on the ballot. As of Sunday, there's a new law stating that you only need ten percent of the registered voters in a village to get that issue on the ballot.

Kevin Gaughan said, "Would you consider signing this so they can get it on the ballot?"

Kevin Gaughan went door-to-door in Williamsville trying to get at least 310 signatures so there can be a referendum on whether to dissolve the village government into the town of Amherst.

>>>In a very interesting reporter's notebook, George Richert shows just how close Amherst and Williamsville really are

"So that for the first time in the history of western New York, people, not politicians, will decide their own destiny," said Gaughan.

He says New York State has too many governments and all of us are paying for it.

Gaughan explained, "If you paid sales tax this year, if you paid your state taxes, if you paid your federal taxes, you paid for village government."

But not everyone welcomed him with open arms.

"I do not understand how people don't, could just follow somebody that decides this. Does anybody just like one day say, 'Hey, I just need to save all these villages from themselves?'" said Williamsville resident Paul Steinbruckner.

Some think it's worth the extra $170 a year that one study estimates it costs to have a home in the village.

Williamsville resident Tom Davenport said, "My main concern is if the town of Amherst building machine comes into Williamsville, we're going to look like Niagara Falls Boulevard. Residents don't want to see that. It's not about the money."

"I haven't really given it much thought. I do like living in the village. I don't think much would change if we were dissolved. We'd probably still have the parks and things," said John Beck.

Julie Yates said, "There's a uniqueness about the village. There's a charm. There's a community and family feeling that I don't think we're going to get if we're dissolved into the town.

"Whatever we're doing here, in terms of self-government, it's not working and when something's not working, you have to change," said Gaughan.

Kevin Gaughan is hoping to have all of the signatures he needs by the end of April. That would put it on the ballot in Williamsville in September. Thursday he goes to Sloan pushing for the same referendums in September.

For more information, check out Kevin Gaughan's website and a study done by UB grads .