Honest Abe introduces us to one of Monmouth County's forgotten heroes, Ovid Tuzeneu, a Middletown farmer in the 1890's.
On January 26, 1898, the New York Times reported about Mr. Tuzeneu, and his successful fight against the Middletown Turnpike Company.
For two years Ovid simply refused to pay the Middletown Turnpike Company's tolls, going so far as taking an axe to the toll gate that the company had installed. The community rallied around Ovid, he won in court and the tolls were abolished.
We could use some of the old Tuzeneu spirit. The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders should declare February 4, the day that Corzine comes to Monmouth County, Ovid Tuzeneu Day and everyone should bring a toy axe to Marlboro High School to protest Corzine's crazy plan.
Statewide, we need a stronger form of protest. I'm thinking of a Leave your EZ pass transmitter at home day. If your license plate is registered with EZ pass, and the transmitter is not read by the system, a camera catches your plate and your toll is simply charged to your account with no penalty. If a significant number of toll road users left their EZ pass transmitters at home on the same day in a organized protest, it would wreck havoc on the system and hopefully send a message that the legislature will heed. I've given up any hope that Corzine will heed any message from the people of New Jersey.
The Legacy of Thomas Lifson
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The Middletown Turnpike had something similar to E-ZPass. "The practice (was) to keep account of the regular users of the road, and at the end of the year present the bill." Ovid simply refused to pay the bill, beginning a chain of events that culminated in his axing the tollgate.
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