Herald A Lantern 14 October 81 •

21

(From Page 2) appoint an MUA. We didn't have any choice here. The state said we had to or else. I think the men that aro on the MUA are doing a good job. I think they’re trying to do the best they possibly can for' the people. ^ And as far as influencing anyone in the MUA. they’re all my friends. I don’t think that I influence any one of them. I try to stay away from the MUA as much as possible. They come to the (Freeholder) meetings and talk to us, and we treat them like everyone else. I think the Freeholders have been good to then}. And I think that they’re doing a good job. It's a tough job. They’re being criticized. It seems like that seems to be the political issue, every election, and after election it seems to die away. But I think that they’re good men. I think they’re capable men. And I think they’re doing a good job... ...You know, these men serve for little or nothing and they devote a lot of time to it. And I think everyone of them have a great interest in the couhty. And I really feel they’re doing a good job. Although—I don’t bother with any of them. As long as they do their job, I'm happy and most of the freeholders are. I thinlf after the election’s over, no one will talk about the MUA again (untikthe next election). • Aa overseer of the county's Public Affairs Dept, for 18 years, you most certainly have some expertise when it comes to tourism. Just what are the qualitfes which make the Jersey Cape so attractive to visitors and vacationers, and what are dangerous that citizens and elected officials < must guard against' lest our lure be lost? Specifically, is a growing year round population a threat to out resort image and heritage? ^ CATANOSO: First I want to say that think that I have a good man as my assistant, a very capable man: Lou Rodia... . , What We have to offer here in Cape May County, is, I “...politics and being a public offreiat has been the greatest part of my life. ” think, we have the best beaches along the eastern shore. We have the best hotel and motel accommodations for the people. And we have — it’s a ni4e area, in general. I think most of the towns are clean, and T think the people are very hospitable towards the people that come here. You take for instance, Cape May has a wonderful town there, to offer people something they can’t find any place else in the United States. Wildwood, the Five-Mile Beach, has something that they <nn offer the people that they very seldom find any place as a family resort And Stone Harbor — and each town along the coast stands out in some way or another. I think as far as increase in population in the towns — will that effect the tourist trade? I don’t think the shore areas, the barrier islands, can increase much more than what they are. I think planning is very important in all of the towns. And I think the people will come here, and continue to come here. Out in the mainland, the campgrounds are something big that we have to offer the people that love camping. We have mdre campgrounds in an area than in any place else that I know of. And I think most campgrounds are well kept, and the (Couhty) Health Dept, does a good job in supervising them. And I think the people that come here, in general, are treated very very fair. I think our Canadian Office has helped a lot bringing tourist here. We’ve increased our space in the Canadian Office. We’re working as hard as we can up there to attract the Canadian tourist here, which is a great part of our tourist business. And with the amount of money we have to work with -Cof course, we had the budget costs the last couple of years/-1 think, all in all, we're doing a good job to get the tourists here. And I think they’ll keep on coming here because of the weather and the beaches and the way theire treated by the people. • Is there anything the individual citizens and the elected officials should really guard against, be on their toes, so that this is kep an attractive area for vacationers; are there certain things we definitely don’t want down here? * CATANOSO: Well, I don't think we should out-price ourselves, for one thing. And I think the last couple of years, maybe it’s happened some. I think when we first went into this business, (of attracting Canadians) most of these Canadians — and I’m speaking about the Canadians now — they (used to) travel around the New England States. Of course the beaches are different th^re; they’re rocky, the water’s colder there and the season’s shorter. And they drifted toward our area because we sort of entice them; we had a lot to offer. And they're here now. And I think as long as they’re treated right, they’re going to stay here. It’s not that they’re going to keep on moving down South. A lot of them are moving now because there’s more people coming from Cahada — I think Canadians are the most traveled people in the world — and a lot of them are going to Virginia Beach and Myrtle Beach, and there's a lot that go to Florida now. But I staill think we can keep our share here as long as we treat them'right, and we try not to, you know, overcharge them or mistreat them in,any way. • The Canadians are. by far — don't they make up the majority of our vacationers? ’ CATANOSO: Oh yes, certain times. The last two weeks in July and the first week in August is when They're here the most, they travel the most — because mosVof their in > dustries close up at that time. \ • You're also the freeholder in charge of the.airfiort^ the county's induStripl hub. Why isn't there moririndustry in the county, and just how industrial do we want to become? CATANOSO: That's another political questin that comes every year around election time: Why don't we get mdre industries bf the County? (Page 36 Please)

The Freeholder Race ' (From Page2) Interestingly enough, our County Health Dept, was the only county health department in the State ot New Jersey to have ah arthritis clinic. I think thePe is a need for an arthritis clinic I don’t care where the arthritis clinic is located, as long as the people are serviced. I made that point to representatives of the County Medical Society. I don’t really care if Cape May Coudty does it, if the hospital does it—as long as these people who are suffering have the proper care and the proper treatment. a. From those representatives of the CoiMy Medical Society when I met with them, they assured me that they would address that problem. I hope they do.. •One further thing.on this topic : Should the clinic be for diagnosis or diagnosis and treatment? THORNTON: I.don’t think necessarily that government should be in primary health care. I don’t know whether we should be in the treatment programs or not... If it were a county program, I would prefer having a referral physician to a specialist. The same way that the doctors do it now locally. They refer to specialist, and we do those special things, only we do it under county auspices which arc less costly. I would be in favor of a referral system. I think that's a better system. And then the consultirtg specialist refers the treatment back to the patient’s doctor. •You are a member of the County Planning Board. You're also representative of the citizen who has moved Ijis family here from the city (in your case a decade-ago) because of the undesirable aspects of city life! As a citizen of the Villas area of Lower Township you are also a resident of the county's most populated municipality which already exceeds the County Planning Board's Comprehensive Development Plan, and where there are many more planned developments awaiting only a more favorable money market. Is the population push threaten ing to citify this largely rural county; how much leeway do planfiers and government 1 officials hdve to control it; and exactly >n what direction would you like to see the^ Jersey Cape go? , THORNTON: First of all, as of the first of January because of a change in (county) departments, I'm* no longer a merfiber of the County Planning Board. But regardless of that, I was on the County Planning Board. I was director of the County Plartning DepU during the development of the County Comprehensive Plan. I felt that the County Comprehensive Plan was adequate, and I felt it addressed the needs oUhe county—the environmental impact of development in the county vs. hormal and reasonable growth in the county.' In Lower Township; I think Lower 'Pownship is one of, those very, very sensitive—or, becoming a very sen-sitive-area as far as development and growth, I think that the Zoning Board in Lower Township has tried to address that problemr What’s happening here, again, is that you have a problem with personal property rights vs. government regulations. I think that in some instances that we have to regulate our growth, and at the same time try to protect the property rights of those individuals., That’s a difficult thing to do. I think it can be done. Take an example: If the zoning law says you can’t build anymore on a 50 ft. lot—and I just went thru this othe other night—if there are adjacent properties where owners can negotiate with each other so that they can come into conformance with that particular area which would be, say, a 75 x 100 lot, I think then it should be the responsibility of the property owners to try and negotiate so that tjiey will come into conformance. Otherwise their property would be worthless, and I don’t think they want that. And I’ll show you an example: Say you buy a 50 ft. lot where I live (the Cape May beach area). You buy a 50 ft. lot, we’ll say three or four ypars ago, and you paid, we’ll say. $4,000. Now, if you try to buy a 50 ft. lot today in the same area, it has no valuebecause that lot, in essence, you can’t build on it withofit a hardship variance. If you went to purchase a lot, a 50 ft. lot in this area now goes for around $7,000 or so. // you could negotiate with your neighbor; and if there’s three lots involved and we’ll say the center lot, three people negotiate and you buy one lot so that two parties now have a 75 x 100 lot. Now, if that neighbor can receive, we’ll say, $10,000 for what originally before was worth $7,000—he has shown a profit of $7,000 or whatever in that short period of time. A 75 x 100 lot—I just saw'a price, that’s why I know—in the same area is worth more than $15,000. So now you've certainly increased your profit margin—if you’re looking “(being) very careful about 1 think that’s the key issue at a profit margin—much higher. So now you’re going from an original investment of $3,000, a purchase price of $5,000, which is a total of $8,000 investment—you can immediately sell that property for $15,000. I think that's a good option; I t|iink that’s a good alternative. And I think it should be enforced. I don't think they should make it so restrictive that if the option isn’t there—in other words, if the property owner is boxed in on each side because of development—I think he should be allowed to develope on that 50 ft. lot, because the intent at that time was he had a buildable lot That should be ad-

dressed.

On the other hand. I think that you have to take a look at how far you want to go as far as lot size. I think that there can be an equitable solution. If you want to make all lots where it can be 100 x 125 or 100 x 200 or whatever I think they should do that. I think they’re on the right track 1 thinjt it’s very difficult to deal with •Let’s talk countywide; in terin's of a general direction that the Jersey Cape edn ta!te. How would you like to see

that go"?

THORNTON: W$ll, I would like to see, again, reasonable development on larger lots that's able to protect our environment. At the same time, I think we have the foundation {lere of a toi/rist economy We have to recognize that I’m concerned, and I think there are some

(From Page 2). amounts or figures, but there tigaiq. this cost the tax payers of Cape May County a lot of»money because the Board of Freeholders had to go out. which they did. and hire an outside attorney to defend the county All of this could have been nipped in the bud had the freeholder in charge of that department stepped in when he saw things were going bad. That 's my. complaint there, and I just don’t feel as tljo the freeholder in charge was doing his‘job. •Asa municipal construction official,-j^u see firsthand the relationship between ratables and taxes; the effect of property on tax revenues and on expenditures for govern ment serviced. Asa freeholder would you foster controlled growth, or favor growth limited only by the market place? VISTENZO: I would lake controlled growth, and there’s a very good reason for that: Ratables don't always mean “Ratables don’t always mean prosperity as far is taxes are concerned... ” prosperity as far as taxes are concerned or the communities are concerned. You know, you build a house; you get One child going to school, and already you're in the hole I'm not against that, don't get me wrong... f What you're saying is the taxes on that property don't pay for the education of that one child. VISTENZO: That's correct. So you don't really — certain kind of ratables. yes. The county could use some, and we've all known this: Every community in the United States is looking for the ideal industrial plant that doesn't cause apy noise, doesn't make any smoke or what have yoi^and brings in a lot of revenue We just don't happen to have thqj down.here right now', and I don't know whether we ever Will have But I think we have (6 be careful that we don't overpopulate Cape May County*of those of us who have lived here all our lives aren't going to like it too much and people in the future aren’t going io be able to come because it's too crowded, "• If elected, how would you, ak the lont; Democrat in a Republican-controlled couhty government, go about put ting your ideas into practice; how effective do think you would be? VISTENZO: The only way I could possibly answer the this would be: 1 would be a voice.,! would be there working my opinion whenever I could, trying to swgy or at least get some thoughts across. I ($>uldn't guarantee or premise anybody what I could do Becuase as you’ve said it,, it would be d 4 to 1 situation. I'm sure (here woultf be times when maybe I couljUielp with some things. B^it 1 think if I made the things pTrolic, used enough voice speaking for the people, exactly how the people feel as Well as how I would feel — that eventually somebody's going to have to listen to me. • Any final comments? >, VISTENZO: I think that the Cape May County Board of Freeholders absolutely needs a balance, checks and balance. I think the people of the copnty need someone there. The philosophy has been, you know, the country needed 'a change. And I agreed the country needed a change. J agreed with Mr. Reagan and all his/things needed change But I think the county is in the same rut the country was in, and I think the county neqds a change.

alternatives that have to be addressed throughout the entire county. Throughout the entire county I think we have time to address those problems and come up with reasonable alternatives and.be very careful about when we approve subdivisions. I think that's the key issue right there. On large tracLs of land, make sure that the subdivisions are large enough—that's addressed in the County Comprehensive Plan by the way: that subdivisions be larger, because when you start covering—the problem is going to be in the future, water supply, pure water supply in the county. We don't have that problem now. We have good water. We have pure water We have some of thf best water supply in the State of New Jersey, as a matter of fact. But as the barrier islands are today, we're going to have problems with salt water Intrusion. It's happening in some areas now. It's happening in some areas of'Lower when we approve subdivision, right there.” Township, and it’s only because people are drawing from wells. That’s going to have to bei,addressed So, once you put houses over land, once you put highways and roads over them;'once you put driveways over them—the rain water’s not seeping down and recharging the groundwater sypply. And that’s a real problem. That's the problem we have to recognize •You touched on our next question already, another health related question: During the birth defects im broglio, you called for the testingof private water supplies and also raised the possibility of drinking water con lamination thru chemicals Used’itj farming such as fer tilizers and pesticides. Would you reiterate for ux the water testing conclusions.’and tell us if you are entirely satisfied with the testing methods in terms of their thoroughness? • THORNTON: Absolutely In fact. I'm satisfied with the way the state came down and conducted the tests And. again, it should be recognized that the stale came down ahd conducted those tests and made additional sophisticated water tests in the county at the urging of Cape May County At the urging of myself and the County Health Dept., they came in here and performed those

tests.

* Those tests were adequate Again. 1 have to emphasize (Page 36 Please)