. •" / Herald & lantern 5 September 'B« ■ • ' ■_ * 39 I . ' - ' .

L' a/ ' ■ ' Seniors: 'Politics' at Center :

(From Page l) election in May. That slate defeated the Regular Republican one backed by local party chairman and Freeholder Gerald M. Thornton, who heads the Department on Aging. The freeholders decided to let Thornton handle the issue. "It's Gerry's department," said Freeholder Director Anthony T. Catanoso. "Let's see if he can straighten it out" Thornton defended Dionne's promotion from Nutrition and Mobile Meals Services. "I assure you my concern is for the integrity of the program," he said. "I can't deal with nersonalities. 1 "A NUMBER OF PEOPLE have called . me and have supported Jo Anne," said Thornton, "I want you to understand there's another side to this." » Clark is a member of the township's Board of Health and of its Solid Waste Advisory Council, a group working with the township Incinerator Authority Thornton opposes a proposed incinerator at the Sunset Beach magnesite plant. - Clark, in an interview with the Herald, and Lantern, declined to blame politics for her "harassment," but said "everybody feels it's politics. I'm very vocal in favor of an incinerator." A member of the Lower Township . Republican Club, a faction on the outs with regular Republicans headed by Thornton, Clark also is a vocal critic of the county Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA). "America is a free country said Gark. t "but when you hit Cape May County, you have to be very careful." SOURCES TOLD the Herald and Lantern that Clark, who supported Common Sense Coalition candidate Joseph Lonergan for the Second Ward, was public ly. thanked by him at council's July 1 reorganization. The sources said frriends of Clark joked that that could cost her her job. Lonergan, who accompanied the group, asked, "Why did you bring in someone who didn't know the job''" "It's our policy to promote from within, said Thornton. "It was rational to transfer her from nutrition to site manager How woudl you feel if 1 brought someone ,in from off the street ?" The women who complained to the freeholders on Aug 28 were in a ceramics class that Clark had led They praised her as being ■ experienced.'' most helpful and kind," "a wooderful person," and "no back stabber " "CASS WAS MY FIRST friepd when I moved here five years ago," said Louise Shillingford "She started a garden club in Villas and had crafts in the municipal building She took charge of the dogs and cats in Lower She's wonderful She plays the piano She even cuts hair . " The women applauded They charged Dionne "treats us like we're either senile or little kids We're grown women." "She said it's^faer center," said Peg Pirolli. We thoughiiTWasmir center " "She said 'This &>qy cabtcr; you'll do what I say," said Becky Best. "She told a lot of people that her orders come from above " "We were forbidden to call or write you," Mae Williams told Thornton "I never said that," Dionne told the Herald and Lantern in a telephone interview "Anybody can call me anywhere, any time," said Thornton "I've been trying to call Mrs Kathryn Lowe, but I got no answer " WE WROTE YOU letters also, said one of the women, "quite a few." "I got one anonymous letter." said Thornton, who distributed business cards with his phone number to each of the women "We ah want Cass back," said Margaret Emerson "That's the bottom line." I said no one would fire Cass." said Fall Injures Woman NORTH WILDWOOD - Sandra Smith, 23. of West Cape May was hospitalized for multiple trauma and back injuries after a 2S-foot fall to the beach from the spinning Himalaya trill ride oo Morey's Pier last Wednesday night Ride inspectors said a preliminary investigation indicated that the accident was not caused by mechanical failure One investigator said the probe revealed that Smith removed her legs from ride roatniatT— — ■ ni; 1 " "r *'

Thornton. "She quit. She walked off the job." "She was harassed," called one of the women. * "We can't have people walk off the job," said Thornton "There are lots of remedies if they feel harassed. They can appeal to me, to the board (of freeholders), to the union." "DID YOU TRY to get in touch with her for her side of the story?" asked one of the women. "That's not ethical for me," said Thornton. "She has a union, that's where she has to go. She has the right of appeal. This is,a personnel matter and publicly we can't say too much. Mrs. Clark has the right to normal civil service procedures. " Clark told the Herald and Lantern she went to the union and "they did nothing." She said she is undecided about appealing to Civil Service. "Are you saying you can't do anything about Jo Anne?" the women asked. "We will talk to Jo Anne," said Thornton. "I don't think we're going 'to get anywhere, girls," said Pirolli THE WOMEN urged Spencer, who also was Airport Center manager from 1979 to 1983. to respond. "I have seen great progress' in the program," she said. "There has been a lot of development m Jo Anne's tdjent " "Ha! " scoffed one woman "No way!" called another. "I've seen many of you aod no one has come to me with any of these problems," said Spencer "Some were Resolved two or

three months ago We've responded to every question I'm available to meet with you if you don't feel your questions have been satisfactorily answered." Spencer told the Herald and Lantern that the group of senior citizens "included a couple people that I have never seen in six years.. > "I have no plans to make more personnel changes there." she said. "There have been too many in the last year and a half People consider a senior center like their home and family. They feel very possessive about it And they don't like to see change It's a very difficult adjustment ." SPENCER WAS REPLACED as Airport Center, manager by Roberta Brown who made a lateral move to public relations and courtesy van scheduling in January She was replaced by Dionne. who came to the agency as a nutrution site manager in June 1983 She worked at several sites and also managed the mobile meals program before being promoted / to the Airport Center manager post Jan. 1 of this year Clark came to the agency in January I960 and resigned Aug 14. She is well known as president of the Animal Welfare Society Executive Director Sheva said Dionne's post was in the $12,000 to $16.000-a-year range and Clark's was in the $10,000 to $13,500 range Clark told the Herald and Lantern she was a "permanent, part-time" employee . paid at $6.11 an hour for a 21-hour week three seven-hour days. She said she asked to work a fourth day, but was told "no way' they were bringing in someone else for Wednesday and Friday and I would have to train them " "I loved my job." said Clark. "When Jo Anne came in, not knowing much about the center, she asked me to help her learn, which I did. I taught her much of the routine _ * "Everything was fine until recently when everything I did seemed to bp wrong One day she told me I had better think where my loyalty lies I said, "Where She said. 'Don't you talk up to me.' "I felt every time 1 turned around a new rule was being put into effect. The people were being treated like children The day I left, she said some people had more than two jars of paint and she wanted me to get it from them The people started complain tng I just couldn't take it any more " Dionne denied telling Clark to collect the paint "I just told her to keep her eyes open," she said. County officials conceded that Dionne had posted a sign listing rules and regulations which was removed after many complaints "Some people felt it was offensive and condescending.' said Spencer i

News Digest (From Page 1 1 Clear Forecast WILDWOOD - Police Chief Ralph Sheets predicted last week that his department will be cleared of alleged wrongdoing when the state Attorney General's office concludes its investigation into charges that resort police burglarized at least three businesses here in the early 1970s. Meanwhile, Assemblyman and former city Mayor Guy F. Muziani said be took a - lie detector test last week that shows be did not cover up those allegations as claimed by current Mayor Earl . Ostrander. , i Narrowing Gap? ~ CAPE MAY — Superior Court Assignment Judge Philip Gruccio received this city's second condemnation suit to acquire 10 beachfront lots west of Convention Hall last week Judge John Call man ruled that the city improperly bargained with outdated property appraisals in its first effort to take over the 1, 500-foot shorefront from its seven owners Despite an increase of $134,500 in the city's appraised value, none of the owners have agreed to the new $350,625 offer for their beaches They said the lots are worth between $4-120 million

i Rookie of the Year? OCEAN CITY — Rookie summer > Patrolman James Wood. 21. tagged 34 I people for drug arrests — including 17 i resort residents — that city detectives Somers Point police and state troopers concluded last week Working undercover for three months. Wood, a college

student, bought marijuana and L£D from the suspects in Boardwalk arcades. — Eighteen adults and 14 juveniles were arrested before Thursday with two warrants outstanding then All but two of the suspects are South Jersey residents, police said. Beach Bust AVALON — Resort police arrested four adults and three youths from Chester County, Pa , last week on drug, weapons or drinking charges at the 24th Street beach James Paul Deegan and Rodney Andrews, both 19 from Pboemxvilie . Chad, ip. and Wes Watson. 20. of Kimberton ; and the youths were charge with drinking offenses Andrews and Deegan were also charged with possession of weapons and marijuana while Deegan was charged with possessing drugs and a hypodermic needle without perscriptions. and withcarrymg a false identification Dunes or Duplexes? OCEAN CITY — More than 600 residents from Second Street and Pennlyn Place petitioned city council last week to preserve the nearby beachfront by purchasing lots proposed for duplex development regardless of the co6t " The city sold the lots for a reported $17,000 two decades ago. they're supposedly worth around $900,000 now Petitioners' spokesman David Jacob asked council to consider using beach .fees, bonds, federal or state funds to buy the property —

Links Sea Isle Aid to Zoning Changes

' From Page 1 1 them , we block it off when it floods If they don't want us to,, that's fine." UPPER'S BEACH replenishment project has a $1 .692.400 price tag with the state paying 75 percent. $1 .269,300. and the coun ty paying $141,033, one-third of the $423,100 local share Raffa said he doesn't know what Sea Isle City's program will cost The county said it will require removal of some public lands from zones permitting development before it will give Upper Township future money and Sea Isle City current money for beach protection. For Upper, that involved some parcels east of Commonwealth Avenue and parcels of wetlands west of Commonwealth Avenue on Taylor Avenue FOR SEA ISLE CITY, that means land east of Land is Avenue from 32nd Street to 20th Street now zoned for "C2" develop men! . land from 22nd Street to 19th Street and land west of Landis Avenue between 20th Street and 8th Street zoned for "R2." and wetland areas and "the old dump site." * • Raffa said the requested zoning change for land west of Landu between 20th and 8th was a problem "A man already has building permits on 12th Street." he said. "I can't see why they

want to stop development there There's no problem west of Landis "The Wetlands won't let us go back toward the bay." said Raffa There s only one strip along Ocean Drive > Landis ) we can develop It goes back about 110 feet off Landis We want to develop it BOTH COUNTY LETTERS also stated "Should beach protection measures prove successful, a commitment should be given not to move developable zone boundaries seaward " "We don't want to go seaward." said Raffa Both letters also asked for dune maintenance "A commitment should be made to provide an active dune maintenance program, including but not limited to, beach grass planting and fertilization. limit of access to specified areas * and sand fencing in appropriate areas " Calling those measures necessary to supplement beach protection measures in minimizing potential damage to Life and property, Raffa was told the county "will be pleased to proceed with funding of this project upon receipt - of your acknowledgement "We are trying in a gen tie way to try to persuade these municipalities so there will be no building on the ocean side ot Ocean Drive," explained Freeholder William E Sturm Jr

Slate Home Care Program

From Page I > ing to provide basic care " Participants will be required to share in the cost of the program, according to Freeholder Gerald M Thornton The coat share will be what's left after a living expense alkrwance^nd medical expenses are subtracted from income "The key is to keep people from being placed unnecessarily in nursing homes, said Thomas Daning. Medicaid administrator in Cape May and Cumberland rwtiar He said the program has been funded "initially" for tBree years Here's the path for Community Care Program applicants: Contact the Income Maintenancf section at the county's Social Services Department \ A medical team, Daning^wd. <^il^cer

criteria that they need nursing home care A state team, he said, "will investigate if it's a long term case The program will be operated by Medical Social Services, headed by Marianne Sheik She said the program will offer such home health services as mobile meals, transportation, physical therapy, nursing care, medications, etc "There will be concentrated case management, she said "with closg socuJ wort supervision at least twice a month, even weekly " She said the little-publicized program has had only one applicant so far. but she estimated that "perhaps 10 percent" of 50 clients receiving homemaker care would qualify Jersey Cape Visiting Homemaker* will ' orovtdt the program's hnmrmaker care, Sheik said