One Sent to Hospital During Town Board Meeting

A woman at the Town of Tyre Board meeting on Thursday, during which the town approved the proposal for a casino, was taken to the hospital after a dispute over a chair. Lynn Barbuto is an active member of the Casino Free Tyre coalition, and was said to have gotten into an argument with Karen Thomson, the wife of Tyre Town Board Member Thomas Thomson, after Barbuto refused to move out of a chair reserved for town officials only. As Karen Thomson tried to retrieve the chair after Barbuto’s refusal to move, Barbuto was said to have slipped and fallen. Jack Stenberg of the Seneca County Sheriff’s office has said that there was no indication that Barbuto was forced from the chair. An investigation has led to the sheriff’s office concluding that no criminal act took place.