18 Herald & Lantern 24 October '84

The Freeholder Race

Thornton

'From Page 1) Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May) so they can use those facilities; it's quite a compliment to the county." The county also constructed and rents for SI a year, the Jersey Cape Diagnostic Training and Opportunity Center for the handicapped. 'GOVERNMENT HAS a special obliga tion to those (handicapped) persons." said Thornton "Their needs are beyond normal family resources. That's one reason government exists, to provide for those unable to help themselves." Thornton also cited the veterans' cemetery, "a project I worked on for almost three years." Dedicated in 1980. it has about 6.400 burial plots, free to veterans. The county also maintains the

cemetery. Thornton said he got involved with the project after it was brought to his attention that the nearest federal veterans' cemetery with any space was in Ohio j The county Health Department. Thorn ton said, "has become No. 1 in theitate, as evidenced by the state giving us complete authority for environmental health." - Thornton is director of Health and Human Services, and he said the county has been "recognized by the state as pro-' viding most efficient and effective delivery of social services. We have helped tens of thousands of needy people." AT THE SAME TIME, he said, the Welfare Department had a $400,000 surplus last year out of its $1.5 million budget. This was accomplished, he said, by "increased fraud investigation, establishing paternity, actively pursuing child support, and tightened screening." Welfare payments are 75 percent federal. 25 percent county, he said. Thornton also cited the upcoming construction of a new Crest Haven nursing home, replacing the current one which doesn't meet state standards He said the home has a waiting list as high as 20. A spring of 1986 opening is anticipated for the new home. Aqknowledging that Democratic opponents will try to make the MUA (Municipal Utilities Authority) a key issue, he said it was "always the opposition party's whipping boy since 1972 I've been a critic since I came on the board of freeholders in 1976. In 1977 I expressed my reservations to the prosecutor. In 1981 I had public hearings about land purchases. "In the last 14-2 years." said Thornton, "the MUA overall has been doing a reasonable job considering the controversial projects they have and the cloud of suspicion hanging over their heads." THORNTON SAID the county had been "forced to address the sewage problem regionally ... and it turned out to be overall a pretty good decision We got a 1 I

significant amount of funding you would not be able to get today." One of the reasons the regional concept became necessary, he said, was a building ban that "upset local officials, particularly Democrats, because they couldn't increase their ra tables Thornton said the county "does not spend anything to finance the MUA; It is an autonomous body; all we do is guarantee their bonds, which get them better bond rates and saves MUA users a lot of money." Thornton said the MUA's new landfill is "the most modern in the state" and residents should be glad they are not forced to take their trash to some other county. HE ADVOCATES incineration and recycling, the former as a method of creating energy that can be sold. He said, however, that the Harbison-Walker plant in Lower Township would not be a good choice "because of environmental reasons; there is salt water intrusion there ; you go down 400 feet and there's salt water. A county Health Department report on the same salt water intrusion in private wells in Villas is in the "raw data" stage

and not yet ready to be released, officials said. Thornton said salt water intrusion is partly the result of "decisions of the past having a detrimental impact on the county; allowing development on small lots drawing from the same aquifers; every driveway and highway displaces tlie recharge into the acquifer and it is nbt capable of being recharged The .county, he said, needs to "control development and growth with zoning, aid any recommendations I would make tie county planning "board has made in js Master Plan.'\ HE SUGGESTED THAT possibly freih water now going from storm sewers iito the ocean could be sent back into the aicquifer. And he called desalination, a siag-* ■ ' • . <lT

gestion of Democratic freeholder candidate Perggie Bierberbach. "extremelv costly" An incinerator at the MUA landfill in Woodbine, suggested, Thornton, cotld possible sell steam to the state school there, or create electricity for Atlariic Electric. "If there is no other choice, just buri it to save landfill space," said Thornton He called recycling "very difficult for local officials. How do you enforce it? ^Ve have a high rate of elderly. Suppose some aren't capable? Do you fine em?" "The county doesn't have jurisdiction," added Thornton, "but federal or state few will force us into source separation." THORNTON HAS BEEN an advocate of "permanent" beach protection because "in eight years we've seen millions' of dollars go into beach protection that hain't worked. There has to be a more ratictial solution than just throwing millions! of dollars worth of sand on the beach and watching the wind and rain blow it away in a matter of hours." "We have an obligation to protect Ocean Drive as a county road," said Thornton. "But we have to weigh what this protection is costing us. If we lose that roadbed it would cost millions to replace; I'mlnot sure we have the resources Thornton suggested several alternatives including "a low rock bulkhead to bneak the energy of the waves — it wouldn't hold back the water" for "historically most troubled" Strathmere to Sea Isle area! Thornton said a $6 million figure had been "mentioned" for bulkheading, but "it has to be worked out who would pay 7} IT WAS THORNTON who recommended a county management improvement studyto the board after he was approached by the state. He was as sirprised as anypne, he said, when it turned out that it woufcMje— - done mostly with local officials instead of high-powered corporate personnel as the state had done. ^ j ' "I thought they'd do it thaLJrfay

throughout the state," he said. Thornton appeared unaware ofi tl^ amount of local business participation in the study, but said that was because "the freeholders tried to keep hands offj; we didn't want it politicized." He said he felt the study's recommendation that the county hire a fulltime administrator had been met by changing clerk Kathryn Willis to clerkadministrator. And he said that, with Mrs. Willis expected to retire in January, deputy clerk Diane Rudolph "probably'has the edge" 'to be the next administrator. ; HIS RESPONSE TO other studyrecommendations: j • Abolishment of local welfare pro- i grams and consolidation by the county : t "That would be opening a Pandora 'spox," i laughed Thornton, pointing out Ujat 16 t municipalities now spent "about $6^000 a year" for individual administrators fcr the i General Assistance program. ( Ocean City, Thornton said, has con- j traded with the county welfare boSrd to i administer General Assistance "and it { operates better than it did. But it's very j difficult to do this without state legation < 'Page 19 Please)

'That's one reason government exists , to provide for those unable to help themselves ... '

'The number employed year-round is probablyhigher than ever. Our increased population creates more service jobs ... '

- Frederick

( From Page 1 ) "I'd like to see a year-round, pollutionfree industry to employ the unemployed. We have to start putting out feelers. We can't wait for them to come to us. "We have plenty of resources," he said. "Our population, young people moving into the area. The airport complex is an ideal T— — " — ' — 1 T .

location. We just need more of a push, more life. " FREDERICK DOES NOT THINK a community college, a frequent election issue, is necessary His sister, he said, graduated from Atlantic Community College, which "is extending services into the county." "Our own college is not in the best interest of the county at this time." he said. "I'm not objecting as the community grows and as the cost factor becomes more reasonable. If Atlantic and Cumberland are willing to send their professors here, it's foolish for us to spend the money. At some point it might be reasonable to build and staff a facility. My philosophy is. good business is good government, and good government is good business " Frederick said mass transit is "a big lack" for the county and he wants a study. "We do have facilities (Fare Free) for senior citizens," he said. "There should be a mass transit system throughout the ' county, even if it's only a bus several times a day. This county is so rural it's going to be difficult. "Even in the summer, transportation is terrible," said Frederick. "Families rent for the season and the husband is only

down for weekends, leaving the familystranded. Older people coming from the city are used to transit. They don't have a (driver's) license and they're afraid to get it. It's not fair to them." CALLING THE BEACH and inland waterways 9 "key county resource." Frederick said he'd like to see the Health Department's summer monitoring of the quality of recreational waters extended to year-round. County Health Officer Louis Lamanna recently reported that the summer program cdst almost $145,000. but that includA about $27,000 worth of new equipment. As for beach protection, he'd like a "permanent solution" because "we can't keep Mother Nature out forever." But he hopes some engineers have the answer, because he doesn't. "Frederick said he expects a "big impnvement" in water quality "with the ^JflUA taking over treatment "procedures. The inland waterways are slowly but surely being cleaned up." Conceding "some problems" at the Municipal Utilities' Authority, "necessary evil" whose board is appointed and operations overseen by the freeholders, he said "nothing is 100 percent. A lot of problems are being addressed. Improvements have to be made." HE SAID HE FAVORS incineration as "one answer" to the problem of trash, "if it can be done without air pollution. Just filling holes in the ground (landfills) is not the answer." He supports county encouragement of recycling, but not mandatory sources separation at this time. "I am in favor of the county helping to get it started, " he said. "Its an up and coming thing and absolute necessity, but we can't force it down people's throats." v Frederick said the county is "^cond only to St. Petersburg, Fla., in senior citizens per capita. Federal figures indicate 16 per cent of the county, 22.379 persons, are over 60. He said he knows "and have experienced the problems they have" because they make up 60 percent of the population of his own West Wfldwood. ' "I love 'em," Frederick said of senior citizegj. "I get along with 'em great; they do want to be involved. The county is going the right direction, but it needs to expand services, and it needs a public relations person to promote existing programs and to take health programs to the senior citizens." Actually, both the Health Department

and Department of Aging have personnel with public relations responsibilities. FREDERICK ADVOCATES a coun tywide Community Watch program patterned on one started in West Wildwood in the fall of 1983. That is sponsored by the Republican Club, "the biggest organization in town."

It started after several breakins, led to a half-dozen arrests, and has reduced crime. Frederick said. West Wildwood's anti crime program amounts to neighbors keeping an eye on each other's properties, "not patroiing the streets." • Participants get ID numbers so they can • report "strange or suspicious activities" to police without having their own»identities known to anyone else. Frederick said he's discussed this with Republican sheriff candidate James Plousis who. he said, indicated his department would "coordinate" such a program, but it would have to be "instituted" bylocal municipalities. On the other hand, Frederick said he hasn't given any thought to a centralized police and fire dispatch system. FREDERICK IS a West Wildwood native born at Shore Memorial in May, 1950, five months before Burdette Tomlin opened. His father is a retired bridge tender; his mother an administrator with the county Health Department. They live several blocks apart, Frederick in a twostory saltbox he built himself in 1979. He is a 1970 Wildwood High School graduate, where he was senior rlact president. He graduated with honors from

Glassboro State College in 1974 with a BA in education and a major in industrial education and technology. He taught at Middle Township High School in 1974-75, then went to Wildwood High where he teaches woodshop. In a nonpartisan election in 1980. he was elected unopposed to the three-member commission of West Wildwood, the county's second smallest (behind Cape May Point) municipality with a yearround population of 400 that swells to 6,000 in the summer. It's got 700 dwelling units and an annual budget of about $400,000. \ His fellow commissioners named him . mayor, a $950-a-year job that expired in May. He didn't seek reelection because be was already in a primary fight for the Republican nomination for freeholder. TWO OTHER free holder candidates — Wildwood Crest commissioners Frank McCall and Charles Guhr, had dropped out earlier. Frederick said Catanoso (of North Wildwood) supported Guhr "until the last minute, but he felt I could do a good job. I'm from a sister community; our police departments work together and our children attend the same elementaryschool (Margaret Mace)." Frederick said he's campaigning on his record as mayor, a job which he said "probably is more demanding than freeholder; everybody knows me and they call me anytime." He points to the borough's lowering of taxes in 1983 and 1984 (after a reassessment in 1982). Frederick said he hadn't thought about the freeholder position until he heard Catanoso was expected to retire. Earlier be got countywide exposure by being elected president of the county League of Municipalities in 1982. And be said an "unforeseen" Herald-Lantern front-page profile in January "helped out." Frederick said he wrote letters to all committee people, met with all 16 leaders, "touched base with everyone. I did my homework. You can't take things for granted." With McCall and Guhr out, the GOP's support went to Frederick and in the May Primary he topped a maverick slate by about a 2-1 margin HE'S HELD A NUMBER of offices with the West Wildwood Fire Company and has been president o( the West Wildwood Republican Organization and borough planning board member since 1974. He's been West Wildwood's Republican leader since i960. (Page 19 Please)

'Our own college is not in the best interest of the county at this time ... '

'There should be a mass transit system throughout the county ... '