14 - ^ ^ ! Herald/Lantern/Dispatch 24 April *85

Deaver Resigns Purchasing Post ■

(Continued) to handle emergencies and the established purchasing system is not utilized by all departments,'" wrote the authors. THE REPORT recommended "a set of guidelines. ..to provide lines of responsibility for all activities involving county contracts. •* bidding and purchasing." Freeholders approved that recommendation and Deaver was directed to develop those guidelines. With the help of the state Department of fe

Community Affairs, he did. They were submitted to the county management team made up of six department heads on May 5. 1984, and approved by them on May 22, 1984, Deaver said. They were never approved by the freeholders. DEAVER'S recommendations led off by stating that the purchasing agent's powers and duties would be "to develop county purchasing goals, objectives, policies, programs, procedures, rules and regulations

Domestic Violence Up 54% in County v.

(Continued) larceny increased in the county last year Rapes rose from 36 in 1983 to 41 in 1984 while larcenies climbed from 4.385 -Jo 4.398 The total number of county crimes dropped from 6,933 to 8,785 between 1983 and 1984. Murders fell from seven to two, robberies from 83 to 68 and aggravated assaults from 162 to 150 for a total violent crime decrease from 288 to 261 Non-violent ' crimes in the county fell from 6,645 in 1983 to 6,524 last year Burglaries dipped from 2,007 to 1.936,'auto thefts from 253 to 190 and arsons from 42 to 29. • , State police statistics on crime rates — the number of victims per 1,000 residents — will be released in the final UCR this, summer Last year, the county posted a five percent crime rate decrease. Also pending release in the annual UCR are crime statistics for each state municipality. Two local ones, however, released their crime stats earlier this year, showing a big difference between them. LOWER TOWNSHIP POLICE Chief Robert M. Denny marked a 15.8 percent crime drop between 1983-1984 in his January report It was the third annual decrease for his 32-member force despite a population increase, from 17,105-18.000. since 1980 and the seasonal influx of campers, thousands of other vacationers and summer residents. Meanwhile. Ocean City's 60member force reported a 24.1 percent crime hike between 1983-1984 Resort police blamed it on a large increase in the city's resident population (13.949 in 1980 to an estimated 14.731 in 1982). and to the proximity of , 'A Bad Week' (Continued) Reeve's son, Edward, had been administrative secretary to former Sheriff Beech Fox. dumped by the GOP last year Reeves supported Fox in the Republican primary. Fox lost the election and young Reeves lost his job. Reeves said he and his son will work together at the Westwood Mobile Estate mobile home park he owns in West Cape May Sturm said Deaver. the county's first purchasing agent who "set up the department." had "done a great service to the county." Deaver had conceded he voted for Fox, a personal friend, even though he didn't think he could win. Aid for Police (Continued) would have come if the crime rate had" been used. f Avalon, 17 police. $15,069, $8,359 J Cape May. 13 police. $11,523, $18,677 / Cape May Point. 1 police. $866, $55? Lower Township. 27 police. $29,933. $43,726. Middle Township, 32 police. $28,365, $41,407 North Wildwood, 24 police, $21,273, $29,526. Ocean City, 55 police, $48,752, $67,022. Sea Isle City. 17 police, $15,069, $17,703. Stone Harbor, 15 police. $13,296, $7,922 ' West Cape May. 2 police. $1,773. $444. ( West Wildwood, 2 police. $1,773. $1,461 Wildwood. 33 police, $29,251, $79,144 ! Wildwood Crest. 20 police, $17,728. I $11J341: ( What about Woodbine, Dennis and Up- 1 perl townships, you ask? They have no 1 loc#l police departments (the State Police J patrol ) and do not qualify for the program. I

casino gambling and its related crime from Atlantic City. 4 Officials there, however, expect a 13 perl: cent or betjer crime drop last year aver h the year betore. Their expectation is based d on the assumption that crimes committed i- in casinos will remain the same number as i in 1983 ( 558). Without counting casino t 'crimes. Atlantic City's 1984 offenses fell to 12.902 last year from 15,480 in 1983 when it I logged the highest crime rate in the state Since 1977, the year before the first ) casino opened. Atlantic City's crime rate ) has Roared 252 percent. When it peaked in 1983. the city's rate (124.2 victims-per 1,000 residents) forced > Atlantic County's crime rate to the top of the state list — followed by Cape May i County with 80.6 victims per 1.000 down from 86.5 in 1982. : LAWMEN IN BOTH COUNTIES 'consistantly complain, though, that, based on resident populations, crime rates don't ac- ; curately account for the impact from the i hundreds qf thousands of seasonal residents, vacationers and other visitors — like gamblers. Cape May County's Chamber of Commerce estimated that 672.078 tourists visited in 1983, 581,741 in the summer-fall and 90,337 during the winter-spring. In 1976, before casino gambling, Atlantic City was lucky if it saw 5,500 daily visitors and 40.000 vehicles. With the six percent drop last year, New Jersey posted its fourth annual crime decrease in a row. Violent crimes fell four percent and non-violent crimes slipped six percent, according to the UCR Neighboring Cumberland County was the only county in thf? state to log a 1984 increase. at six percent. But its prosecutor. Kenneth Pagliughi. has called the statistics misleading. He argues that a small number of crimes account for the increase. For instance, murders rose from four in 1983 to six last year, a 50 percent hike. nationally. 1984 crime fell 4.5 percent overall but with no decrease in the number of violent offenses, according to a report this month from the U.S. Justice Department Crime has been falling across the country since 1980. Lawmen attribute that to a number of factors: on older overall population, stiffer sentences, better police deployment and greater citizen involvement in deterring crime. State Had 35,050 Domestic Crimes State police report 35,050 crimes of domestic violence (child and spouse abuse) were committed in New Jersey last year. \ That s 43 percent more than the 24,447 committed in 1983. Ten juveniles and 5,658 adults were arrested in the state last year for "offenses against family and children," according to the state police 1984 preliminary Uniform Crime Report Only Essex County recorded a decrease in those crimes last year. Following are the numbers of domestic violence crimes committed in each of New Jersey's 21 counties last year compared to the number of offenses in 1983 (The 1983 figures appear first): Atlantic ( 908- 1 .694 >. Bergen i (1.701-2.537). Burlington (1,311-1.703). i Camden (2,294-3,275), Cape May (363-559). i Cumberland (876-1,197), Essex < (3,965-3,789), Gloucester (665-1,306), Hudson (1,557-1,723), Hunterdon (212-250), ( 1.352-2.333). Middlesex ( (1,360-2,741), Monmouth (1,598-2,568), (992-1,493), Ocean (1,133-1,590), Passaic (1,437-2,201), Salem (280-566), i (575-599), Sussex (306-500), i Union (1.374-1.986). and Warren (218-239)

for the acquisition of materials, supplies, i equipment and services." There are indications some of the freeholders thought that would have reduced their powers. "I agreed with his recommendations," Sturm said last week. "I was ready to move the day they came down the road, but some people don't agree." "In some cases,," Deaver said last week, "we don't know anything until we see the contract sent down to us." INDICATIONS that Deaver might be in trouble with some freeholders came early this year when they released the minutes of a secret meeting of Thursday. Dec. 6, which was "reconvened" at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 8. A portion of those minutes stated: "Various personnel matters were discuss- ^ ed by the board, including the continued employment of current employes and the hiring o prospective employes, including the evaluation of their performance and the term of their employment. Also discussed was an evaluation of the performance of personnel in the county's Purchasing Department." Although the format of the county's secret meeting minutes requires a list of those present. Deaver's name did not appear Asked about this last Friday, Diane Rudolph, county administrator and clerk to the board, said those minutes were taken byformer County Counsel Albert M. Ash. She conceded Deaver's pYesence at the closed meeting and said "it is a correction that should be made." NEITHER DEAVER. Sturm nor Thornton would discuss what, if any. -probleqi there was with Deaver's "performance" at that time. "I had no problem with him," said Sturm, "but I don't discuss matters concerning personnel." Deaver said, "Mr. Thornton could answer that better than I." "That was a personnel problem and it was resolved." said Thornton. "We took care of it." In the meantime, the freeholders delayed Deaver's three-year reappointment, normally due on Nov. 5. That reappointment finally came, in a curious fashion, on Feb. 26. Sturm made the motion to reappoint Deaver and the pause for a second, normally an instant, seemed

to take long enough to cook a three-minute egg Finally new Freeholder Herbert (Chuck) Frederick made the second and the board voted unanimously. THORNTON CONCEDED last week that "we held up his appointment." "I didn't hold up his appointment," said Sturm, "and he's my department head. I hadTW problem with his performance. Some people thought they did. It clarified itself." In Deaver> last public appearance before the board on March 26, it spent more than 15 minutes watching a demonstration by three _p roc tor & Gamble sales represen- _ tatives of incontinence briefs used at the Crest Haven Nursing Home. After several years of being the supplier, P&G had lost the contract to a lower bidder. , — ^Asked to comment, Deaver told the freeholders he thought it "highly unethical that we listen to one company and not the others." Thornton cut him off at midsentence as he said, "If you want to throw out the contract laws ..." DEAVER'S LETTER of resignation said the MUA had offered him "an opportunity which I consider to be a career advancement and professional challenge." And in a prepared statement he said he had been offered "the opportunity of directing the MUA's daily purchasing activities along with the challenge of developing purchasing procedures to accommodate the authority's tremendous projected growth." Deaver had just received a 5 percent raise and was making $27,349 for the county. His MUA salary will be $25,776. He replaces Ray Hetzel, who died Feb. 15. "This was a good move on his part," said Sturm. "He's out from under the limb of the three-year-appointment, moving to perhaps a more professional atmosphere. "He's done a great service to the county," said Sturm. "He's the first purchasing agent we've had. He set up the department. He was the first in the state to be state-certified. I wish him well." Deaver is a county native who was elected to North Wildwood City Counil in 1972. He resigned after serving two of his three years because his liquor salesman job was viewed as a conflict. He also was the Republican candidate for Middle Township Committee in November, 1982, losing to Democrat Charles Leusner.

News Digest (Continued) r Ax permitted to remain on staff. The hospital had dismissed him two years ago. A B-T news release said it was appealing because Nanavati has refused to drop a federal law suit charging it with racial discrimination unless all suits against him were dropped, including a personaF^aw suit for libel and slander by Dr. Roberj Sorensen. ' * 82,266 to 89,100 COURT HOUSE — Cape May County is the second fastest growing county in New Jersey, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. In the past four years, county population has jumped 8.3 percent, from 82,266 to 89.100. Only Ocean County saw a bigger increase at 8 4 percent. Atlantic County's population has grown 3.7 percent since 1980. according to the census figures, while Cumberland County's population inched up 0.5 percent There Goes da Judge WILDWOOD — Municipal Judge Joseph C. Visalli last week resigned from the county's Mental Health Alcohol and Drug Abuse Board, citing a recent state Supreme Court ruling that judges should not be members "of any,advisory board of any county or municipal government. " The freeholders accepted with regret, but Freeholder-Director Gerald M. Thornton commented that one would think municipal judges, because of their experience, are uniquely qualified to serve on such boards. Cook Replaces American SCHELLENGER'S LANDING - There a new item on the menu at the Lobster restaurant. The schooner Captain James Cook has been moved in to

replace the schooner American that has been a fixture a^ a floating restaurant and cocktail lounge since 1965. Age and dilapidation ofjhe American are given as the reason. The State Did It COURT HOUSE — Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital President William Waldron said tougher state rules on reimbursement are responsible for hospital cost-cutting measures that prompted a statement of "nonconfidence" being circulated to the medical staff. There are 160 on staff , administration foes would not say how many had signed. Stroke the Embers WILDWOOD — Putting his reputation on the line last week, Victor DiSylvester said he's not going to be branded as the mayor who allowed the usual excesses of Senior Week to continue. Senior Week is actually two weeks in June when high school graduates flock to the resort to have a good time. To replace the expected underage drinking and whatnot by some 35,000 teenagers, DiSylvester suggests activities like volleyball and touch football on the beach. Very Low Priority ? STRATHMERE — Upper Township's Committee recently approved a $250,000 loan so the townshjp school district can solve an odor problem in temporary classrooms, but has failed to take measures to "fix the problem" that, for 15 years, has plagued customers of Aramingo Water Co. here. Committeeman Thomas Bonner told his colleagues last week. The state Department of Environmental Protection has ordered Upper to take over the ailing utility. Instead, it's spent $50,000 on legal billS; fighting the state, complains Elizabeth jL Bergus, president of the Strathmere lirt provenient Association.