Referendum on MusicalFare project coming

Amherst, N.Y. (WBEN) - Residents have spoken, and they'll have their chance to vote for or against an $11 million bond project to build a new MusicalFare theater.

Former town board member Shelly Schratz is part of the group fighting the bond. She says some 4,000 residents signed petitions to bring the bond to a vote of the residents.

"We got a call [from the Erie County Board of Elections] that says they reviewed them all on over the weekend, they threw out 200 some signatures because the people didn't live in Amherst," says Schratz.

She says Republican Commissioner Ralph Mohr signed off, but Democratic Commissioner Jeremy Zellner had not.

"I went to the town board, I brought it to their attention. I asked the clerk [Fran Spoth] and I said, 'Listen, this is no disrespect of anybody, but you're the clerk. You're in charge of it for us.' She didn't know anything about it. She said she hadn't even heard that yet," noted Schratz.

She later received a call saying Zellner had signed off on the petitions.

Schratz says Spoth told her the election will now be scheduled between the next 90 and 105 days. She says the work is not done.

"The real win is to get people out to vote. If 4,000 some odd people could sign a petition, we should be able to get 30,000 people out to vote and say, 'No, I don't want it like this.' And that'll send a message," Schratz said.

The project is to be built at the site of the former Westwood Country Club.