Herald/Lantern/Dispatch 24 April '85 65

Being the Mayor's Wife :

(Continued) homefront "I'm pretty selfish abput my own little domain," she said. Stig, 19, is now in college, and sister Annika. 17, a junior at Lower Cape May Regional High School, is the last Blomkvest kid still at home. Oldest daughter Stina, mother of five-year-old Kendra, runs a dance studio in Burleigh where Mitze works five days a week as office manager. Majkean. 27. is executive director of the National Council of Drug and Alcoholism in Ocean County; and Dagmar is married and the mother of Betsy. 4, and Mickey. 2: ' NEXT DECEMBER. Mitze and Mickey will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. Daughter of former Mayor Sol Needles, Mitze grew up in Cape May and met Mickey who had moved here when he was in third grade, when they were both 12 years old. "It was probably love at first sight." Mitze said. "1 only dated Mickey when I was in high school and college." After graduating from Wildwood Catholic High School. Mitze went off to Georgetown Visitation in Washington, D.C . then worked as a medical secretary at Georgetown University Hospital. She later* edited a research magazine at Children's Hopsital in the nation's capital before coming home to work in Charles Sandman's law office. The Needles-Blomkvest wedding at Our Lady Star of the Sea R.C, church is remembered as a "wonderful wedding where everyone came from the shoemaker to the Congressman." NEXT MONTH will mark 25 years since the First Family moved into the house across the street from what was then called "Bride's Row". "This is a typical Cape May house," Mitze explained "It has grown out of necessity. Fortunately Mickey's in the carpentry business. This house is symbolic of what's happened to Cape May over the years. We paid $6,500 for it and it wasn't easy to come up with the money. But it never occurred to us to live anywhere else but Cape May." The house has a relaxed atmosphere in spite of a constantly ringing telephone. During the years when Stina, Majkean and 4 Dagmer were teenagers and attracting hordes of friends, there was always someone ringing the doorbell. Mitze remembered Mickey going to answer the door one evening to find a teenage boy asking to see his daughter. "Which daughter0" Mickey wanted to know. Another time during dinner. Mickey decided to praise his family, for having a private meal together for a change, but Mitze interrupted him. "That one isn't one of ours," she said, and Mickey was quick to tell a neighbor's child, "You're just like one of the family " ACCORDING TO MITZE. the kitchen is the focal point of her home. "The kids have always been invited to bring their friends ^home." A pot-bellied stove stands alongside a wall made from bricks found in an old coal cellar at the Presbyterian church. An antique pendulum clock, discovered in the attic of a house torn down years ago. hangs on the brick wall, tick-tocking away the hours as the Blomkvests come and go "When urban renewal came along. Mickey advocated going very slowly He was involved the first four years the mall was underway. He kept saying when you have to tear something down, replace it with something of equal value." said Mitze. "Once buildings were removed, he wanted them replaced with something contiguous to the City of Cape May. A iot of relocation went on. People who had lived here a long time couldn't visualize what was happening. Washington Street was a sea £f mud with temporaty boardwalks in those days. " THE CONTROVERSIES OF Mickey's three terms as mayor have occasionally spilled over onto the school bus where the Blomkvest kids were expected by their peers to be answerable for their father's actions. "Someone would say do you know your father is putting in this strange pipe next to my house0' But Mickey has never given the children any cause not to be able to stand up with pride and say he must be right. "When the kids came home and asked about something they heard at school. Mickey's always answered them It's come as a great deal of shock to me that people in this community are not awate of what's happening.' iaid Mitze it's come as a surprise to me and to my

■41 fcjr Doris Ward FOCAL POINT — Mitze Blomkvest shows memorabilia on brick wall in the kitchen, focal point of her Cape May home. children that there are people who don't know who their congressman is. or their freeholder, or what form of government we have in Cape May. To my kids it's always been as natural as what kind of cereal you eat." MITZE'S BACKGROUND as a mayor's daughter, later a mayor's wife and school board member, has made her comfortable with people. "When I go to the grocery store I am. always stopping and talking to people This is a fascinating community ; there are so many levels of society . There's no social ladder to climb in the City of Cape May. "People don't stand in awe of me. The fact that I'm the mayor's wife doesn't mean anything. The people in Cape May have a personal relationship with their councilmen and their families." Even the neighborhood kids find the Blomkvest home just another house in town, but occasionally they've come to ask for the mayor's autograph or a lock of hir hair while collecting items on the list for a scavenger hunt. "This entire town is just another member of Mickey's family" said Mitze. "I've always been interested in tile things that interest my husband We're very good friends. We share confidences and discuss issues with each other. What happens to this town is important to us."

Good Shape (Continued) tion between the citwand officials of Lower Township has helped solve dispute^ over water supplies that went back 30 to 40 years. He cited completion of new water lines in Schellenger's Landing as an example. Coldren said increasing demands for water are going to have to be met through regional cooperation. He said local officials have been meeting with officials of three water companies that supply the lower half of the county. Coldren called the planners '(attention to a study of growth patterns prepared by the county Planning Board in February. "The real shocker from the countyreport is West Cape May. not Cape May." said Coldren. "Unless West Cape May gets some controls they are going to have a hugh city — triple the size of Cape May." HE SUGGESTED the planners consider seeking an agreement with West Cape May officials limiting the number of homes served with public water. \ West Cape May draws its water supply N from the Cape May system. ij Coldren suggested the planners start / thinking about possible implications in the recent sale of the Victorian Plaza for $810,000. The new owners have not been identified beyond calling them "New Jersey • businessmen." The Herald-Dispatch has learned, however, that they have asked for a meeting with city officials. But there has been no word whether such a meeting has taken place. "Can they expand the commercial uses of the block without increasing parking '" Coldren told the planners is the question they ought to study. «. COLDREN'S COMMENTS on water were a capsule preview of what is expected to come out at a meeting in City Hall on April 30. Beginning at 7:30 p.m.. a number of cityofficials intimatelylnvolved with the city's water system will meet in public session with the city's Environmental Commission. After reporting their findings, the officials will accept questions from the

Council Okays Plan Board Recs. —

(Continued) "I'M NOT IN FAVOR of spending $10,000 to have someone tell you what you need when you already know it." said Capehdh There are plenty of places to park. Capehart said, but summer visitors "want to step out of their cars into the water "I don't think there's anymore of a parking problem in Cape May than in other resorts." he said. "For 12 weeks we're congested, but for the other 40 there's no problem." Blomkvest said he feels the city needs professional advice. But the mayor said he had C some reservations about a consultant "I'm concerned about having a profes sional come in and do something we don't want him to do." said Blomkvest. "That's my fear " JOHN DUNWOODY. proprietor of The Brass Bed. a bed and breakfast guest house, insisted that- parking is a year-round . problem ('I've heardpeople from all parts of town complain about parking in their areas, and their fears about how much worse it is getting." said Dun woody, who said he spent three years pondering solutions. The advantage of bringing in an outsider. Dunwoody said, "is that they see the problem from a different perspective, and know what is needed " * MB mm wmm mmm MM MM — MM ■ See Coupon On I I Classified • | rV50c | 1/ OFF ,

To think that citizens can't do anything about it. Dunwoodv said, "is wrong." BLOMKVEST. WITHOUT explaining why. said he could not approve a planning board proposal that the city prohibit the covering of grass areas including lawns with stones. "I like to have that option, and that's the way I'm going to stay," said the mayor Mhrianne Schatz, a member of the planning board, said there are environmental hazards connected with the practice of replacing grass with stones In most instances, she said toxic chemicals are sprayed to kill weeds before the stones afe laid. "It's environmentally 'dangerous." said". Schatz. who is a trained chemist "They do wash off and go into the ground " BLOMKVEST SAID he coqllLtfe^ept a proposal from the plannei^Tthat ansrea centered on the intersection of Broad anth Elmira streets be zoned commercial provid - ed that area residents are Notified of* the change, and given the chance to react to it The planners' recommendations urge the city to acquire all privately owned beaches . to work toward the preservation of existing open spaces; and- to acquire the'land east of Pittsburgh Avenue for open space or recreational use instead of permitting housing development. « Another recommendation %alls for—-' minimum standards for store sizes to prevent a proliferation of undersized commercial uses. I Planning for the city 's future. Blomkveat^ said", has to keep»in mind the success th^t \ Cape May has become in recent years. \j» "I think what concerns us is that we stay " successful, and don't destroy what we have." he said. He directed city solicitor John Ludlam to . prepare ordinances implementing the planning recommendations. , "I'd like to see the ones that nequire an ordinance as soon as possibl*^" he told Ludlam. "We don t want to drag it out."

tlispatrfos — (Continued) A Surprise Baby WEST CAPE MAY — Barbara Lamb, an employee of the Whale's'Tale gift shop in Cape May. unexpectedly gave birth to a seven-pound, seven-ounce son in the hall of her Stimpson Lane home last week. The birth was assisted by April Jarmah. a neighbor, who fortunat£> ly had taken childbirth classes and had just stopped by to see how Lamb was doing. i i Parking Approved GU^E MAY — Barbara Freedman. owner of a property at thej:orner of - Brodd and Bank streets, was given permission by the city Planning Board to creat\^ nine parking spapes on the site. Car Crash Victim j CAPE MAY — Joseph Vitelli, 24. of this city, was in critical condition in Newctunb Hospital in Vineland. N.J., as* the result of injuries suffered in a twocar accident in Vineland on Sunday. Vitelli was a passenger in a car that police said failed to halt at a stop sign Fisherman Found CAPE MAY - The body of William Dodson. 52, of Newark. Del., washed ashore last week in Lewes. Del. Dodson. uhe captain of the Caprice III. a sport fishing boat, was lost when he fell overboard a ifreek earlier near Cape May. A Failed Rescue \ CAPE MAY — Coast Guard pilots airlifted a heart attack victim from a fishing boat off the Delaware coast to a hospital last week, but the man died. George W. Tyson* 72. of Dover. Del., suffered the attack about 8:50 a.m. He was pronounced dead in Beebe Memorial Hospital. Lewes. Del., at 10:10 a.m. Bidding ' Shoddy ' (Continued) transportation companies had been asked to submit proposals left the matter hanging A week later. Council voted to seek additional applications Letters were sent to a number of transit firms giving them until April 29 to submit plans. Mrs. Stiles, who was contacted to see if she intended to bid on the service, said. "As far as the way it was set up, I'm not intei'efcted. There's no way I could be ready in three weeks " Saying that she feels "there is something hidden there," Mrs. Stiles asked what kind % of controls the city will have over the service "Are the gross receipts going to be public knowledge every month0" she asked. "And who is going to have control ovfcr the tickets0 The city, or the operator0" Mrs Stiles asked Coldren said the ordinance under which + the city is trying to set up the service is very clear , ' "The applicants are supposed to devise a good t/ansit system." he said . Last year. Mrs Stiles said, she proposed using my van to serve the city, not Beach Avenue " ( Fifth Ferry ~n < Continued i horsepower diesel engines, weighs 2,200 tons, is 320-feel long, ana has a beam of 68 feet The cost 6 f the vessels has increased over the years Thecfirst three were built in Houston. Tex . at a total cost df $11 million The fourth ferry, acquired four years ago. cost $10.8 million, reported Chapman THE«NEW FERRY is scheduled to ar- * rive at the Cape May terminal at about 6 p.m. on April 30 It will be chifistened by Gov. Thomas H Kean's wife, Deborah, at 11:30 a m on \ May 3. A by-invitation-only party wjll V follow , and guests will take a trip on the 3>a>4 weather permitting VThe ferry sen-ice is operated by the Delaware River and Bay Authority which also operates the twin Delaware Memorial ' bridges that connect New Castle. Del . and Pennsville. N.J Tolls from the ferries and the spans are used to amortize bonds, and to pay of)erating and maintenance costs