36 Herald & Lantern 24 October '84

Another Honor for 'Bravest Dog'

By JOE ZELNIK Villas — If only Villa could read The 90-pound Newfoundland, owned by Linda and Richard Veit. is the subject of an article in the November issue of the 'Reader's Digest." It goes on the newstands today with a four-page, staff-produced story entitled. I "The Bravest Dog in America " To markthe event. Bob Amberg, district manager for the Sales Marketing Division of the Digest, will present commemorative. leatherbound copies of that issue to the Veils, to Mr and Mrs. Robert ' Anderson, whose daughter. Andrea. Villa saved, and to Villa, "because she is the featured participant " VILLA'S HEBOID deed occurred in February. 1983. when Andrea, then 11, was blown over a sandbank into a snow pile near the hay She couldn't move, and no one could hear her* cries — except Villa, who scaled a five-foot fence to run to the child, lick her face, and then drag her out of the dangerous spot. For that. Villa was named Ken-L-Ration - Dog Hero of the Year, which meant a $500 Savings Bond for her owners and a year's supply of Ken-L-Ration for her. Villa also was awarded the Newfoundland Club of America Medal for 1983. appeared on ABC-TV's "Good Morning America." and got to pose in front of a Ji replace in the Vice President 's residence

with Mrs. George Bush. NOT TO BE Ol'TDONE by that Republican event. Democratic Sen. Bill Bradley read a statement into the Cngressional Record praisng the dog for her "loyalty and intelligence. " Amberg said he goes around giving leatherbound issues of the Digest to lots of people it features, but, he conceded, "never to an animal before." For example, he said, he's done this with television personalities, marathon runners, etc. Possibly coming up, he said, movie star Candice Bergen. "I've crossed my fingers on that one," he said.

Andrea and Villa

Women Gain Officials ' Ears 1

(From Page 1) grams to meet the needs of county women." she told the Herald and Lantern. She suggested day care and battered women as "the two leading issues, off the top of my head. "MOST POOR PEOPLE are minority women, in general." said Chojnacki. "but this county is totally different." She said 10 of the state's 21 counties have advisory commissions and six more are in the process of forming. "Some have budgets." said Chojnacki V "We don't know if these freeholders will give us money A budget would be nice." Chojnacki had asked Freeholder Gerald M. Thornton about an advisory commission at AAUW-sponsored candidates' reception earlier this month, and Thornton agreed He is a candidate for reelection. "I THINK IT'S a good idea," Thornton told the Herald and Lantern. "They'll advise us . on issues of specific interest to women's groups and women's organizations. They'll give us insight into some of the pro-

blems they encounter in Cape May County." Chojnacki said the advisory commission will be bipartisan and meet once or twfcea\ month. She said it hopes to work with the American Business Women's Association of Ocean City, and with other countywomen's groups including the NAACP "Our general objectives will be to study needs, problems, capabilities, interests and concerns of women in the county," she said. ' She said the group will have a "flexible" size of five to 12 members. It also will serve as an advisor to the state Commission on Women, she said, "which reports to the state director of the Commission on Women, who reports directly to the governor." The AAUW is limited to graduates of four-year colleges and has about 105 members, Chojnacki said; It meets every second Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the county library building meeting room, she said.

Apples , With Roast Pork

By JEFFREY SCHW ARTZ After a summer of salads and cold foods, fall appetites call for something a little more robust. Such a dish, featuring hearty pork and the delicious products of the autumn harvest, follow LOIN OF PORK STUFFED WITH APPLES. SERVED WITH SAUERKAUT 4 pounds boned loin of pork 3 small apples, peeled, cored and sliced Salt and pepper to taste 4 ounces pork fat. cubed, or butter 1 carrot, chopped l medium onion, chopped 1 bay leaf 4 teaspoon thyme l stalk celery, chopped 4 cup dry sherry 4 cup brown sauce (available in supermarket) 1 pound chestnuts or I pound canned chestnuts, unsweetened 3 tablespoons honey

14 pounds sauerkraut 15 juniper berries PORK AND apples were, of course, made for each other. The final touch is added by the glazed chestnuts and sauerkraut. Have your butcher bone the loin of pork — a tenderloin, actually, and a delectable bit of tender meat it is. Cut the loin lengthwise to make a pocket. Fill with the apple slices. Tie the loin with three rings of kitchen string. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown the pork on all sides with the cubed pork or butter on top of the range in a roast pan.

Remove pork from the pan and add the carrot, onion, bay leaf, thyme, and celery; cook until golden in color. PLACE THE pork back in pan and add the sherry' and brown sauce. Roast in a 350-degree oven 1 hour and 45 minutes. Meanwhile put the sauerkraut and ' juniper berries in a pot with a lid, simmer for l hour. When the roast is done remove to a platter. Strain the sauce, and pour it around the meat. Glaze the chestnuts in the honey for a few minutes over a lot heat, stirring to be sure they are well coated. Serve the sauerkraut in a separate bowl. Serves 6. Jeffrey Schwartz of South Dennis is chef ana partner in Tortilla Flats Restaurant. Avalon. He received his culinary reducation at the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park. NY. and The ' Restaurant Schoo I. I Philadelphia. 1

Pension Ballot Shenanigans Fail

By E.J. DUFFY VILLAS — Councilmen last week decided against asking Superior Court for an injunction to change a ballot question on the proposed switch in police pension plans. They reached their decision during a closed session Oct. 15 after two unsuccessful attempts to amend the referendum so that the cost of the switch would also be . listed on the ballot. "I think we should just leave it the way it is now and not go for an injunction," Councilman Robert Conroy said just after the closed council meeting last week. He said township officials would have to "take our chances on it" and trust that voters will disapprove the referendum Election Day. Approved for placement on the general election ballot by voters in the June primary, the question asks: "Should Lower Township permit its police employes to transfer from the Public Employes' Retirement System to the Police and Firemtns' System, and provide for the financial requirements of such a pension plan?" Although council was required to adopt a L resolution, authorizing inclusion of that question ion the November ballot. Township Manager James R. Stump upstagfcd Loner's police representatives by opposing the pension switch at a Oct. 1 public he^ymg on the resolution. — TWO DAYS LATER. Solicitor Bruce Gorman wrote County Clerk Angela F. Pulvino, asking her to "please add the following statement to the (ballot) question: The estimated cost of said (pension) transfer will be $40,000 for 1985. $40,000 for 1986 and $105,000 per year for 26 years thereafter." (According to Stump's figures, the township currently contributes $65,113 to police pensions through the Public Employes' Retirement System (PERS).) In Pulvino's absence, her assistant informed Gorman that the township governmeqf would first have to adopt another resolution, approving the amendment to the referendum. With 25 minutes notice to its official newspapers (the Cape May Star & Wave and North Wildwood's Gazette-Leader), council adopted the amending resolution (No. 84-74A ) during an emergency special session 4 p.m. Oct. 9. Lower Patrolman John Maher, township representative for PBA Local 59, criticized township officials for calling that meeting and not notifying police. Gorman, he complained, spoke to Detective Frank Ma jane shortly before the special session and didn't tell him about it. "WE HAVE NEVER once, by any means, attempted to hide the cost of the (proposed pension) transfer," Maher protested. "We have been actively speaking to groups about the cost of the transfer." Maher griped that the PBA has proposed an explanatory statement on' the ballot question that would be "fair to both sides." He said he resented the township's unilateral attempts to amend the wording, and hired an attorney to fight the emergency resolution before Pulvino. Any changes in the question would have to have been made before voters approved it in June, Maher maintained, and Pulvino ruled in favor of the PBA. Stump decided to call the emergency meeting "as a result of my running into Majane at the county," Gorman explained. While Maher and the PBA might regard the rejected ballot question amendment as the township's maneuver to muster voter opposition to the referendum — as Conroy implied — that was not the reason council wanted the amendment, said the solicitor. "IT HAD NOTHING to do with tt," Gor- i man added. "Council wanted the question amended to include the estimated costs so the township could take advantage of a proposed state Assembly bill (AB:1129) i that would allow municipalities to exceed <

their 5 percent annual spending limits (caps) to pay yearly pension costs — provided those costs were incorporated in the pension change ballot questions. "In fact," Gorman continued, "it was the PBA that brought it to our attention at the Oct. 1 (regular council) meeting." Although he considers AB-1129 "a very poor piece of draftsmanship" — since municipal officials are unlikely to propose pension changes and police who do are .unlikely to tack the cost onto ballot questions — Lower's council wanted costs included on the local referendum to take advantage of AB-1129 provisions if it's signed into law. "If that bill passes ...," said the solicitor, "we can put that whole (pension) increase outside the cap." Meanwhile, he added, the township has asked local Assemblyman Guy F. Muziani's office to draft a bill that would permit municipalities to account for retroactive pension payments to the Police & Firemen's Retirement System (P&FRS) outside thacap. BESIDES LOWER, the pension referendum will appear on ballots in Sea Isle City, Avalon and* Stone Harbor. Police chiefs in those municipalities support the proposed change (see Letters to the Editor). Most local municipalities, the countysheriffs officers and county investigators are covered by the P&FRS pensions preferred by Lower's lawmen. Ninety percent of police in New Jersey are covered by P&FRS, Maher told spectators at the • Oct. 1 council hearing on the question. Under the existing PERS plan, police can retire with 25 years' service at age 55 and collect only 40 percent of their yearlypay - less than $12,500 on a $25,000 annual salary. Coverage under the proposed P&FRS plan would permit retirement after 25 years' sen-ice at 60 percent of a policeman's last year's pay. "You have to decide if we, as police officers standing here, ^ are making a reasonable request," Maher told the apprehensive audience Oct. l. STATE POLICE, he said, can now retire after 20 years' sendee. If voters approve the pension plan change, it would mean a $6 annual increase in taxes to a township property owner whose property is assessed at $60,000. "My opinion is, it's worth it," Maher added. "How are we going to pay for this?" asked Earl "Joe" Klinger of Villas. "That's all I'd like to know. Where is the money going to come from?" "We realize that it will cost money," Maher replied. "All we're asking you to do is ... consider the facts laid before you tonight." Maher and Majane has planned to present the PBA's case for a switch from PERS to P&FRS during what they thought would be an infonnational hearing Oct. 1. They met with Stump beforehand and outlined their position. FROM THEIR INFORMATION, the manager drafted a report in opposition to the PBA proposal which he presented before the police could unveil it. Conceding that current township pensions are "not good," Stump suggested that the PBA abandon plans to change them and offer alternatives to strengthen existing pensions - like Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) - when Local 59 renegotiates the police contract it signed in the summer. "We could cut the cost down immensely and provide a better benefit," agreed Mayor Robert Fothergill, who negotiated the existing PBA contract as deputy mayor of the former township committee "We're not trying to torpedo their (referendum) approval," he said, adding that council wants to "enhance" the existing PERS plan rather than pay for the proposed P&FRS replacement. "I think there might be a cheaper alternative plan for it," Councilman Conroy coocurred. "We can't afford it (P&FRS)."