m • Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 21 August '85

Mayor Sloan Vows Fight

By TOM FI.YNN AVALON - M-ayor Rachel Sloan had a lot to do last weekend Her year old grand daughter was being baptized. and Sloan's house was the gathering point for family as far away as California Sloan also had to begin her defense against a recall petition begun last week by former councilman James Busha i see related story i "Maybe I should just take a cruise or something." she joked But the recall drive is no joke to Sloan She addressed each point of. Busha 's charges of •mismanagement" with her rebuttal, and in the 21st Street pavilion case, an admission of error •1 REGRET the need to ■respond to Busha s charges I. because I feel such a debate is nonproductive. noncons tractive, and divisive to our town." she sSi'd However, she said the public has a right to know "the rest of the story ." In a press conference last week. Busha said "an in lormal group" of residents is seeking Sloan's recall.for declaring a IWtt building moratorium in the wake of pollution problems at the sewer plant, which prompted the state to order repairs costing $1 million Also. Busha criticized S I o a n ' ,s record of mismanagement and at linn's deceit in the operation of her office." citing: •TIIK RESIGNATION of Public Works Director David Carrick. • T h e' 2 1st Street pavilion, which was torn down, rebuilt, and then condemned ; • Starting the beachfront revetment project between 15th and 17th streets, during the summer season: • Her decision not to reappoint former Planning Board Chairman Philip Judyski and attempts to establish a majority voting . bloc on the board According to Sloan, the building moratorium im posed in the sqmmer of - 1983 was-necessary to provide time to study the problems caused by the borough sewer plant, which was polluting hackbays Busha's explanation of the problem, an improperly -set valve, was "factually not true." Sloan saicf She said the valve in the water system was defective, was replaced, and had nothing to do with the sewer 'problem. S II K MiTFl) t h e moratorium was encouraged by both borough council and the planning board, and its most vocal opponent. Realtor William Leahy, held the only building permit pending "at the time » Sloan also showed this newspaper minutes from a special meeting held Aug 4. l«i«:: with DEP officials in . Trenton In that meeting. then-Councilman Busha is quoted as favoring repairs, which would eventually cost the borough $l-million. "If we are willing to spend the money, and we

are. he I Busha i sees no reason in extending the r moratorium." borough 0 records said. The moratorium lasted I- about two weeks and was ended the day after the s meeting with DEP ofr ficials. Sloan said, s BUSHA LAST WEEK criticized the repairs as too 1 costly, especially since the 1 borough's plant is expected to be phased out by » mid-1987. The countyMunicipal Utilities t Authorities will provide • sew er service then, he said, Sloan said she acted in > the interests of the borough • "The costs of renovations to the plant were large, although I would not balance that against the ' health of our citizens." she said Sloan also defended the current beachfront revet ment project between 15th and 17th streets. Busha charged the mayor was being "insensitive" to the residents of that area, who pay between S1500 and $2000 for summer weekly rentals. SLOAN APOLOGIZED for the inconvenience caused by the noise and closed beaches. there, but said property owners will be grateful for the protection afforded by the revetment It is designed to stem flooding and erosion caused by storms. The $300,000 project could not be delayed. Sloan said, because it is estimated to take 60 days to complete. If work began after Labor Day. Sloan said the bulkhead would not be ready in time to combat October storms According to borough studies, violent storms have hit in mid- to late-October of the past three years, Sloan also dismissed Busha's charges that the borough was left without a state-licensed sewer plant operator when former Public Works Director David Carrick resigned Carrick reportedly quit under pressure from Sloan, who declined to discuss the matter, citing Carrick's right to privacyShe said, though, that Carrick's position was discussed with Borough Administrator Andrew Bednarek. who is in charge of personnel matters Busha alleged that Sloan triedlto fire Carrick while Bednarek was on vacation in February. - ON THE 2IST STREET pavilion, which was condemned as unsafe by Borough Engineer Alvin Herman after being rebuilt by borough employes. Sloan accepted responsibility She termed the i ' work "a botched job" and said all future projects i would be supervised by the f borough engineer The i pavilion was torn down a i second time after un- i treated wood was ] discovered. . Sloan dismissed Busha's i last allegation, of "dirty < politics." surrounding her | decision not to reappoint | former Planning Board t Chairman Philip Judyski. £ She said her decision was 1 based on residents' c complaints. j

i f RACHEL SLOAN

She said that Busha and Realtor William Leahy were planning a recall effort if she didn't reappoint Judyski. She said she acted in the interests of the people. "I felt a duty to listen to the people, in spite of the threat of recall." she said. SHE ALSO SAII) that Judyski initiated a complaint to the county prosecutor's office stemming from a June 29 meeting at Sloan's home Planning Board members Sloan. James German. Thomas Marvel. Thomas McKittrick attended, along with Stephen Slattner. who was appointed to the board three days later The complaint. charging a violation of the Sunshine Law. was later dismissed. Sloan said the nature of the meeting was to provide a smooth transition for the board, which was in the midst of a reorganization She denied charges by Busha that she was trying to "load" the board with a sympathetic voting majority. "It was our hope for a smooth transition, for the good of the borough. The board has a very important function, and we want it to run smoothly." she said. SLOAN ADDED that the meeting was not a Sunshine Law violation, since a majority of the board was not present. As an experienced public official. Busha should have known the meeting did not break the law. she said She denied Busha's charge that the meeting breached the borough's Code of Ethics. Last week. Busha asked the Board of ' Ethics to investigate the matter He said in a letter to borough clerk Dorothy Brennan the meeting was "clearly a conspiracy to control the Board jpd violates the intent of hav\ ing an independent Plann ing Board " 'I've never done anything that would be unethical I've always tried to be open There is no breach of ethics here." Sloan said. She supports the right of people to engage in a recall effort, she said, and is willing to provide more information to interested voters "If any resident wishes more detail on the facts. I am always available and would be glad to discuss these matters," she said. SLOAN SAID SHE has tried to make her availability to her constituents a hallmark of her term as mayor A native of Ohio, where she was born 4. 1919, Sloan graduated from her state's university in 1941 with a degree in education. She met her husband. T Griffith. in Philadelphia, and they moved to that area after they were married. Sloans have three daughters and five grandchildren

JAMES BUSHA Sloan's interest in politics developed from her general involvement in neighborhood affairs. "I've always been interested in neighborhood and civic things. I get involved." she said. A past president of the Burdette Tomlin Hospital Auxiliary. Sloan is currently the vice president of the Cape May County Leagqe of Municipalities. She is also involved in anti-cancer effprts. She has been involved in politics for what she estimates as the "greater part of my adult life." She began by working the polls in Lansdowne. Pa., in her mid-20s, and a move to Merion, Pa. included a 12year term as a Republican committeewoman She resigned that post to own and direct a nursery school in Gladwyn. Pa. SLOAN SAID she first came to Avalon like many others do — with their families, on vacation. Her family first . visited the borough in the mid-1950s, and preferred it to other shore communities. Avalon was "a sleepy little town" then, she said, and the borough's open spaces' and well-planned design attracted the Sloa'ns to buy a plot of land in 1962. The house built on that lot has changed greatly. Sloan said, "but the address is the same " Their purpose for the home has changed, too; a summer residence for nine years, it became the Sloans' yearround home in 1972. Sloan first ran for office in 1979. when Avalon's government changed from a committee to a council form. She was elected to its initial council, and ran for mayor in 1983. citing her experience on council.

"I FELT I did have the qualifications — leadership. involvement in civic organizations — to serve on council I felt I could serve the town. And having four years' experience on council and understanding the potential for the town. I felt that would qualify me for mayor." she said. The mayor's job, a parttime position which pays $6,000 annually, need not be filled by a person with business experience. Sloan said. The borough staff includes professionals such as an administrator, treasurer and auditor, and Sloan said she depends on their advice. Despite the current pro- i blems. and the demands which make her part-time I job almost a full-time posi- < tion, Sloan is determined to i hold her title as mayor of s Avalon. t "I've dedicated six years < of my Ij/e to this town. I'm not in it for the gratitude, i It's a labor of love," she c said. t

Busha Heads Recall Drive

By TOM FLYNN AVALON — Former councilman James Busha. who said he once supported Mayor Rachel Sloan, announced last Wednesday a recall effort against her. becoming the first borough voter to sign the petition calling for her removal. He accused Sloan of "mismanagement and at times deceit in the operation of her office." He gave examples dating back to 1983. Sloan's first year in office. Sloan defended her record against Busha's charges (see related story), and said she regrets the need to take part in a debate that is "nonproductive. nonconstructive. and divisive to our town." "This can't help the town at all," she said. A CCORDING TO BUSHA. Sloan unnecessarily declared a building moratorium in 1983, following a sewage problem Busha said was due to an incorrect valve setting. The moratorium attracted the attention of the state Department of Enviornmental Protection, whcih called for $l-million in improvements to Avalon's sewer treatment plant. Busha said the' moratorium was declared "without foundation and would have done absolutely nothing to address any sewage problem that might have existed." adding that only one building permit was pending. Sloan's actions, which included bans on watering lawns and washing cars. i did nothing to alleviate the , problem. Busha said. Busha also faulted Sloan - | for trying to oust former ^ Public Works Director | David Carrick, who also « headed the water and sewer department According to Busha. Sloan pressured Carrick into resigning last February, when Borough Administrator Andrew Bednarek was on vacation. When the administrator, who does the hiring and firing. is away, the mayor assumesthat I responsibility. , ( Carrick's departure left the borough without a state-licensed operator for the department, a state re- ' quirement Busha said. A i temporary replacement | cost the borough $4,500; the < post is now filled by < Howard Blood, at a salary i of $34,000. Carrick's salary I for heading both public i works and water and sewer < was $29,000. i ANOTHER ACTION < taken by Sloan in the ad- < ministrator's absence was « the razing of the 21st Street f pavilion. According to i Busha. the pavilion was * rebuilt under pressure and without consulting the borough engineer. He later r condemned the structure c as unsafe, since it was con- v structed without weather- Kt treated materials. Busha said he didn't have the f costs for this "fiasco." Busha attacked the timing of a second project, the current construction of a f reventment bet- u

ween 15th and 17th streets. While noting the benefits of the wall, designed to protect the area in case of hurricanes and violent storms. Busha said the construction during the height of the summer season represented an "inexcusable insensitivity to the people" there, whom 4 Busha said pay between $1500 and $2000 for a weekly rental. He added that a state project to extend the 8th Street jetty is not slated to begin until the end of September Busha also complained about a June 29 meeting of Planning Board members at Sloan's home. Present at the meeting were board members Thomas McKittrick, Thomas Marvel. James German, and Stephen Stattner, whQ was appointed to the board three days later. BUSHA CHARGED the meeting was a conspiracy by Sloan to control the Planning Board. He has asked the borough's Board of Ethics to investigate the possibility of Sloan's possible violation of the borough's ethical code. At the board's meeting July . 2. former Planning Board Chairman Philip Judyski was not reappointed. Since then, rumors have circulated that a recall effort was imminent. Busha has declined to name who is behind the petition. He characterized the petition's supporters as a small group of people in varying professions. "That's the beauty of this thing. There's no formal committee, just about 12 to 15 people from all walks of • It's not real-estate dominated, which is the popular thing to say." he said. BUSHA & ALONG WITH Sloan, was a member of Avalon's first borough council in 1979. He decided not to seek his third term this year. Currently on the board of the county Municipal Utilities Authority, Busha has his for sale, and plans to to Florida. In order to force a recall vote, Busha estimated that about 400 signatures, or 25 percent of last election's eligible voters, are needed. Once the signatures are received and validated by the borough clerk, the would have five days to announce for reelection. Any qualified candidate would be permitted on the ballot, he said. The election would be held 60 to days after the mayor anher intentions. Busha added that the recall proponents have no candidate yet, and are waiting until after the petition drive to nOme one. One person out of the running is himself. "I will not be a candidate for mayor. I have no ulterior motives." he said.