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After 32 years of town service, Johnson to focus on family
By John J. Hopkins Times
Tom Johnson spent 32 years serving the Town of Cheektowaga as a councilmember, never missing a regularly scheduled meeting and sometimes attending up to three meetings any given night. His schedule may free up a little with his retirement, but Johnson plans to remain active in other capacities.
Johnson was president of the Depew-Cheektowaga Home Association when he was elected councilmember. Since his election in 1975, Johnson served as an advocate to create a better town, and he wasn't afraid to step on toes to reach his objectives.
"My principle has been that the town must gain and the surrounding residential community must also benefit, not simply the developer," Johnson said. "Identifying resident quality of life issues has guided me in every case."
Today, Johnson is a member of five taxpayer associations and is a member of several other civicminded groups.
His introduction to politics began in the 1970s because of a plan to build a mall behind his Meadowlawn Drive home in Depew. Dick-Urban Plaza stands on the site today.
Johnson and his wife had just moved into the neighborhood when the mall was proposed. There were also flooding issues in the neighborhood.
"I was going to village board meetings to fight a rezoning for the mall," Johnson said. "And I was going to town board meetings to fight for (sewer improvements to relieve) flooded basements."
Armed with a petition of more than 700 signatures, Johnson went to the Depew Village Board meeting hoping to convince them to deny the rezoning.
The board members went into a back room. When they returned, they announced their 7-0 vote to allow the rezoning.
"That threw me for a complete loop," Johnson said.
Many town residents have dry basements and better street conditions after major rain storms and spring thaws due to Johnson's work as a councilmember.
Flooded streets and homes from creeks that spilled over their banks were commonplace into the 1970s.
"When I first took office, flooding was endemic throughout the town, and I set myself to working with our then- Town Engineer Chester Bryan to secure over $100 million in public works funding,' Johnson said.
Johnson and Bryan aggressively pursued the Army Corps of Engineers for flood control on Cayuga and Scajaquada creeks. Meanwhile, the town made improvements to the tributaries.
New storm sewers helped reduce "overland" flooding, and provided additional benefits. The redirected storm water once flowed into sanitary sewers, which went to the Buffalo sewage treatment plant. Because Cheektowaga is charged by the gallon for sewage treatment, the reduction saved the town money.
The new sewers eased basement flooding because sanitary sewers no longer backed up into residential homes.
"We bought a huge number of emergency pumps in 1977 and 1978," Johnson said. "They relieved the sanitary lines."
In the 1980s, Johnson fought hard to achieve several concessions from the developers of Walden Galleria. The concessions included a more developed Galleria Drive and stormwater retention facilities for Scajaquada Creek, which flows underneath the mall.
Johnson successfully pursued a 1980s lawsuit against the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority for nonpayment of storm water and sanitary sewer levies. The NFTA now makes annual payments worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"I distinctly remember bringing the NFTA's first check for $150,000 back to the town," Johnson said, "and stopping a sanitation truck to show the crew the check."
Johnson has also butted heads with the NFTA over glycol (a de-icing agent) discharges into the UCrest Ditch and the results of a noise study in which Johnson believed that more homes near the airport should be treated for noise abatement.
He has supported residents in their individual neighborhood battles to preserve quality-of-life issues and other matters.
Johnson continues to back Bellevue residents who oppose expansion of the Buffalo Crushed Stone quarry, and sided with Cedargrove Heights residents when a developer proposed razing the low-to-middle-income neighborhood to build anew with more upscale homes.
Several years earlier, Johnson helped Harriet Penny, Mildred Allen and other residents found the Cedargrove Neighborhood Improvements Committee and renamed the World War II development formerly known as Tiorunda.
Johnson helped start the Community Development Block Grant program in the Walden Avenue and Cedargrove neighborhoods, then extending housing rehabilitation loans town-wide.
A self-admitted "tree hugger," Johnson founded the Cheektowaga Conservation Advisory Council and drafted the town's tree preservation ordinance. With former councilmember Bill Rogowski, Johnson formed the Stiglmeier Park Steering Committee. He said he plans to join the Sierra Club in his retirement.
"I'm an environmentalist at heart," Johnson said, vowing to be "very active."
Johnson helped found the Cheektowaga Patriotic Commission in 1976. More recently, with the help of Don LeBarron and Town Historian and current supervisor Mary Holtz, Johnson helped a town landmark receive a national designation.
In October 2002, the War of 1812 Garrison Cemetery, located on Aero Drive, was named a National Historic Site. More than 300 British, Canadian and American soldiers are buried at the site.
Because he worked for many years to get Cheektowaga's Rails-to- Historic-Trails bike path constructed, Johnson said he regrets that he will not be serving on the board when the path finally opens.
"Although we did break ground in 2006 after 10 years of trying," Johnson said.
Johnson said he has other regrets. He noted that a flood control project for Dingens Street and neighboring streets- the last remaining sector in town without flood controls- has not started, and efforts to convince the New York State Thruway Authority to build an interchange with Broadway have not yet produced results.
The Broadway ramp, Johnson pointed out, would relieve traffic congestion along William Street and Losson Road.
"Although I regret the objectives that I have not yet achieved, I am proud of those accomplished for the people of Cheektowaga," Johnson said. "My major frustration has not been working through public opinion, but through the red tape and bureaucratic obstruction that characterizes our dealings with other levels of government, authorities and agency jurisdictions."
Johnson was first encouraged to run for a council seat by Cheektowaga Times founder and publisher Willard Allis, who asked him to run on the Republican line.
He attended the Town GOP's endorsement meeting, and received their nomination. However, Johnson did get cold feet while waiting for their decision.
"I called my wife and said, 'If you want me to come home, I will,'" Johnson recalled. "She told me I'm old enough to make my own decision."
At the first campaign meeting, Johnson asked if there was any money to support the party's efforts.
"If we did, we wouldn't have asked you to run," was the reply, Johnson said.
Despite the bare-bones budget, Johnson won election to the town council. During his first term, Johnson was wooed by the Democrats to switch sides.
"I was told I had a lot of good ideas, but as long as I was a Republican, I would never get a second on a resolution," Johnson said.
Because he wanted to help Cheektowaga's residents, Johnson joined the Democratic party.
At the December 27 town board meeting, Johnson's last as a councilmember, he wished the board and town residents well.
"I have been honored to serve the people of the Town of Cheektowaga. I wish them prosperity and the best of times," Johnson said. "I also wish the new town board great good fortune in the challenging time to come ... the new board is bright, energetic and capable."
In his private life, Johnson worked as a tire performance manager at Dunlop Tire Corporation, later Goodyear Dunlop Tire, for 39 years.
Johnson said he will remain active with several town taxpayer and homeowner groups. He also plans to "refocus my energies" in a family direction that includes his wife Barbara, daughter Jennifer and grandchildren Natalie and Eric.
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