Guy’s the Guy as Election Nears

By JOE ZELNIK Usually confident Cape May County Republicans are focusing their concerns on saving Guy F. Mimani from his second defeat in six months next Tuesday. Muziani, who dropped the Wildwood mayoralty in May, could be in danger of losing his bid for a second term representing the 1st District (Cape May and Cumberland counties) in the state General Assembly. The county GOP’s advertising pitch now stresses the ‘‘geographic significance” of a Muziani defeat, pointing out that could

leave the county with no representatives in Trenton. His Republican incumbent running mates for the Assembly and state Senate are from Cumberland County. The Republican appeal, plus a new advertising attack that singles out Democrat Edward H. Salmon of Millville, dearly indicates the GOP fears that he, rather than Jeanne L. Gorman of Ocean City, will topple Muziani, who won by only 2,012 votes in 1961. The Democrats, on the other hand, claim they can win the two seats now held by Muziani and Joseph W. Chinnici of Bridgeton THE COUNTY HAS 48.087 eligible

voters and will elect two freeholders in addition to two assemblymen and one state senator. TTiere also are eight statewide ballot questions, three local questions, and offices to be filled in eight local municipalities Using party affiliations declared in the spring primary, county Republicans had a 13,616 registration lead over Democrats, 22,472 to 8,866. But another 15,541 chose to declare ‘‘no party." That lead normally means Republican victories for county office. But a repeat run for freeholder by Democrat James R

lannooe of Sea Isle City, who lost by only 1,530 votes a year ago, has assured that the GOP is running, not walking, toward the wire. lannone’s running mate is Georgette Bond-Shirley of Palermo The Republican incumbents are William E. Sturm Jr. of Rio Grande and Ralph W. Evans of Stone Harbor, who are expected to finish in that order. BUT THE ASSEMBLY' and Senate races are normally tighter because they include Cumberland County, where there are 61.103 eligible voters. Its party affiliation • Page 20 Please)

Newsr)iop»cf Weeks Top Stories Unwelcome ‘Holidays 7 CREST HAVEN — Cape May County’s nutrition program for the elderly will be cooking on only two of five burners next week. The program, which on Mondays through Fridays feeds 355 persons at seven locations plus 102 with meals on wheels, will be closed for three “holidays”: Nov. 8, election day; Nov. 10, when the vo-tech school that prepares meals will be closed for a meeting; and Nov. 11, Veterans Day. A program spokesman said on one will suffer because its counselors keep tabs on those who otherwise have nothing to eat. Too Much Bulk

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Vol» 19 No. 44 1*M S#owov. Corp. All rigta.

November 2, 1983

Stone Harbor Noteworthy Exception Sound of Music Muted

CAPE MAY — Bulk trash collection has been cancelled by the city .Public Works Department this fall because of the problems involved in hauling the refuse to a more distant landfill. The E.L. Smith landfill near West Cape May closed Oct. 15, noted Jerry Inderwies, city base manager, and the next closest alternative dumpsite in Burleigh is quickly reaching its design capacity. Worth Waiting For? CAPE MAY COURTHOUSE - “Friends of Burdette” felt quite unfriendly after a meeting with the Burdette Tomlin hospital’s community relations director, Joann Oxley, last week. They didn’t like the fact that the hospital plans to use only voting machines at the county vocational technical center at Crest Haven and nermit no absentee ballots (Page 20 Please)

Doris Word

'THE SLATERS — TTiai's Debbie. 13. left, and Darrin, 15, with Dennie, 6, on his shoulders, as the children of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Slater of Swainton participated in the Middle Township Halloween Parade

last Saturday.

By JOE ZELNIK STONE HARBOR — The tortured sounds of musical instruments in unskilled hands pierce the night air. While bureaucrats lock horns over the propriety of private lessons on school time and in school buildings, this borough's kids continue with their saxophones, trumpets, oboes. The local school district has decided to fight the state Department of Education in order to keep its week-old private instrumental music program. But two adjacent districts — Avalon and Sea Isle City — have reluctantly backed out of the program. Twenty of Stone Harbor’s 44 pupils in grades 4-8 are participating, according to R. Donald Wendorf, chief school administrator. They began receiving lessons last week from Instrumental Music Program of Wilmington, Del. Instructor is Arthur Leiby of Ocean City. Half-hour lessons are given during school hours on Tuesdays. Cost is $18 a month for one pupil, $30 for two or more from the same family. Band practice, slated to begin in a few weeks, will be held Tuesday afternoons from 4 to 4:30 p.m. A THREE-SCHOOL program and combination band reportedly was in prospect until the Avalon unit of the New Jersey Education Association objected.

Its representatives contacted county Schools Supt. Robert G. Bongart. He told the Herald and Lantern Monday that the program is “patently illegal.” “Education for youngsters iif New Jersey should be free," said Bongart. "I would consider this part of what is normally a regular school program. They should not be charging tuition. In addition, having an outside company use school facilities for profit during tlie regular school day is an improper activity. “When these youngsters are in an instrumental music program, they obviously are not getting what the other students are getting as part of the regular school program,” he added. THE NJEA MADE the same points and expressed concern about lack of local taxpayer control over the program. But the NJEA also reportedly felt a teacher should be hired and shared by the three districts, as is now done with a vocal music teacher. “I explained we might take some flak, but my board approved unanimously," said Wendorf. “I am operating the program 70 percent after school. Once a week a child is pulled out of class for a half-hour. That’s less time than they take to go to the orthodontist.” The NJEA also said the program was a bad precedent because not all students could afford it.

Boro Limits Booze

STONE HARBOR — Borough Council Monday afternoon restricted the sale of alcoholic beverages to the present central business district. Despite an opinion from its solicitor, William Balliette, that litigation could result, it unanimously amended Ordinance 646 to limit the sale of alcoholic beverages to an area from the bridge to the ocean bulkhead on 96th Street and from 93rd to 99th Street on Second and Third avenues. Although never mentioned Monday, the action reportedly was triggered by plans of local developer J. David Diaco to purchase Hahn’s Restaurant on 96th Street from Bucky Petosa and transfer the liquor license to an office building and restaurant planned at 81st Street and the bay. Diaco reportedly intended a 21-store mall on the Hahn’s site

None of the principals would be reached to verify if the restaurant sale is contingent on transfer of the liquor license COUNCIL GAVE the ordinance change, first read in early October, a second reading at 4:30 Monday, then went into a closed session for 15 minutes, came out and gave it the third and final reading. Council member Robert J. Fitzpatrick said it acted because it felt a commercial business in areas which have become residential would place undue pressure on police. Voting for the measure were council president Eric J. Arenberg and council members Fitzpatrick, Louis C. Clelland, Harry E. Strohmetz and Kenneth Hawk Absent were council member Dorothea A. Pfeiffer and Mayor Arden W. Hand.

"I know of no child in my district who has ever lost out on anything we’ve done before, after or during school because of finances,” said Wendorf. “There are no complaints in my school. I'm convinced I’m doing what’s best for the kids." “IT’S CERTAINLY a worthy thing to have as part of your school program,” said Bongart. “But they should provide it free of cost. I’m hoping he will stop charging tuition. They pick up the cost for (Page 20 Please)

Social Security: Big Bucks % ( WILDWOOD — Social Security is a $100-million-a-year business in Cape May County. Twenty-six percent of its 82,266 residents receive monthly checks. That compares to a 15.5 percent state average. A special pull-out section of today’s Herald and Lantern discusses changes taking place this year and next in Social Security regulations The 20-page section was requested by the Social Security Administration and sponsored by some 70 local advertisers Monthly benefits are totaling $8 5 million, according to Delton Brooks. .Social Security branch manager in Wildwood, and go to 21,552 persons. That includes 13,922 retired workers plus their 1.823 spouses and 298 children under age 18; 2,714 surviving spouses and 1.149 surviving children; and 1,097 disabled people with 164 dependent spouses and 385 dependent children. There also are 334 elderly and 830 disabl- . ed residents receiving Supplemental Security Income <SSI). And local health care providers received another $28 million in Medical payments last year, according to the Social Security Office County population figures project a 40 percent increase between 1970-1990 and a majority of the new residents are expected to be senior citizens. (Page 20 Please)