Nov 1979 - On-Line Newspaper Archives of Ocean City

editorials/ comment
Your vote does count;
that's a proven fact
If trends of the past prove true,
participation at Tuesday's General
Election can be expected to be
exceedingly light since there are no
national issues or contests on the
ballot.
There is, however, no valid excuse
for a registered voter to remain at
home in any ballot contest. America
is the oldest and strongest
democracy in existence and its roots
stem not from any federal
bureaucracy but from the small
towns where the people live and
work — and it is here where the
future will be strengthened or
eroded.
In Ocean City, voters will be
asked to choose one Cape May
County freeholder from a field of
two; two assemblymen from a field
of four, and will be asked to express
their feelings on three bonding
questions.
In addition to the county and state
candidates and questions, voters in
Somers Point and Upper Township
will be electing municipal officials
and' in Sea Isle City residents will
Have the opportunity of approving a
charter study commission and
electing its members.
These elections are very im-
portant to local residents. De-
cisions made in Cape May Court
House or Mays Landing can affect
the pockotbook of the taxpayer as
dramatically — and many times
even more so — than those decisions
in Washington and the deliberations
lhat go on in the State House have a
significant impact on the education
of your children, the health of your
family, the environment you live in
and a host of other issues that affect
the quality of your life and your
economic well-being.
The only way you personally can
make a difference is by par-
ticipating — and the data indicating
that the quality of government
leadership goes down in proportion
to the percentage of citizens who
vote is too hard to ignore.
It is not difficult to vote in local
elections. The ballot places are near
your home and if you need tran-
sportation, either your neighbor or a
member of one of the political
parties would probably be happy to
provide it.
The Sentinel-Ledger has provided
in-depth coverage on the candidates
and issues. Last week we endorsed
candidates and this week there are
front page stories wrapping up the
campaign and providing ballot data.
Now it is up to you. Take the time
to go out and cast your vote and
make sure your friends, relatives
and neighbors participate as well.
It isn't election time rhetoric to
say your vote counts — it's a very
important fact 3»f life in a
democracy.
views reviews
Page Five, Section Two
Thursday^ November 1, 1979
Marathon support urged
'Accident' may become
new-found legal defense
More than 1,000 runners from
throughout the eastern half of the
United States will congregate here a
week from Saturday for the Fifth
^Annual Fenton Carey Half
Marathon and the Women's 5,000-
Meter Boardwalk Run.
This event has grown
phenomenally each year and has
become an annual affair of which
this city can be proud. Among the
runners who follow the long distance
meet circuit the half marathon here
has gained the prestige to en-
courage the travel and planning it
requires of many and for the resort
it is garnering the type of publicity
that money can't buy.
Ocean City indeed owes a debt of
gratitude to Recreation Sports
Director Michael Allegretto and his
dedicated committee of volunteers
who meet regularly throughout the
year to develop the type of planning
that has led to the growth the half
marathon has experienced.
Its growing prestige is something
for residents here to be proud of in
and of itself. However, for those
whose prime concern is the
economic health of this resort, the
half marathon represents much
more.
First of all, of course, it brings to
(he city some 1,000 participants and
their friends and relatives at a time
of year when most attempts to
extend the so-called tourist season
have been exhausted.
Many of these people travel
distances that require lodging and
encourages them to stay for more
than the one day of the event. By
being here in mid-November,
participants in the half marathon,
their friends, relatives and spec-
tators are also introduced to the
enjoyment of a visit to the shore in
the late fall, something no amount of
publicity alone could possibly
achieve.
And finally, many of those who
will be participating in the half
marathon or the women's board-
walk run for the first time will also
be visiting Ocean City for the first
time. Allegretto has discovered
through letters from former par-
ticipants that people in this category
often decide to plan later vacations
to this resort.
Both residents and merchants
should lend all the support possible
to this event and, should the
suggestion be raised, it would
behoove everyone to encourage the
development of a full marathon.
Allegretto and his committee have
proved that they are committed to
the type of planning that encourages
the participation of runners who
follow the marathon circuit and
there is no reason Ocean City
shouldn't be elevated to a position
near the top of prime marathon
locations in the United States.
By TIM FAHERTY
Last week's "accidental"
military coup in South Korea
has already sent ripples
throughout the world, and the
social effects of the incident
may prove to be more im-
portant than the political
reactions.
On Friday South Korean
President Park Chunghee and
five of his body guards were
shot at a dinner party by the
country's Central Intelligence
Agency chief and a few of his
friends.
The CIA chief's ex-
planation? It was an accident.
Most of us could imagine
the scenario. At an intimate
social affair two friends begin
to discuss politics. Before
long, tempers flair and a half
dozen people are accidentally
"gunned down." (See the
accompanying column on the
dangers of handguns.)
This seemed plausible
enough to me when I heard it.
You never know when the
guns that you wear to a dinner
party are going to misfire 20
or 30 times, and the polite host
will never hold a grudge in
such instances, even if a piece
of Lenox is broken.
Apparently, the "accident"
explanation was bought by
many others as well, because
even after South Korean of-
ficials announced that they
were just kidding, and gave a
different explanation for the
shootings, the idea that a
military coup could be an
accident/ may have forever
changed our judicial system.
Already American judges
are blaming the South Korean
incident for the inception of
what they call the "Dog Ate
My Homework" school of
defense.
In Albuquerque, New
Mexico, a man was able to
convince a jury Monday that
his robbery of a liquor store
was an accident. He had in-
tended merely to buy a gallon
of vin rose, he said, but, his
vision obscured by a ski
mask, he had accidentally left
with the cash drawer instead
Professor Ed Hoc, of
Harvard University's law
department, recently took
time out from filing his briefs
to discuss the phenomenon.
After apologizing for in-
terrupting him on his laundry
day, I asked the professor if
he thought accidental crimes
were here to stay.
"As Spencer Tracy said to
Frederick March in 'Inherit
the Wind;" 'yes.' "
According to Hoc, defen-
dants who felt they didn't
have a chance a week ago are
now hurrying to change their
pleas to "guilty by accident."
"And how can a jury
resist?" Hoc asked. "We've
all spilled milk or kicked the
cat by accident. Why, I
remember a time..."
Hoc proceeded to tell an
embarrassing story involving
himself, his governess, and
the lost key to the bathroom,
which I am mercifully
deleting from this report.
He then told me of several
upcoming cases in which
defense attorneys will plead
accident.
A Salem woman accused of
Senseless handgun
brutally beating her dog is
expected to plead/that, in the
dark, she mistook the animal
for her husband.
Other defendants are
preparing to claim that they
accidentally committed
forgery, counterfeiting, ex-
tortion, and bribery.
"We've all written the
wrong date on a check," Hoc
said. "How hard is to write
the wrong name?"
i Of course, not every jury
would believe that a man
would murder his wife, cut up
her body, and bury her under
the driveway by accident. For
this reason, Harvard has
instituted a new course for its
law students, entitled "Oops,"
in which they teach ways to
select juries full of klutzes,
who should be sympathetic to
such pleas.
: A more serious develop-
ment may be felt in appelato
courts, Hoc said.
Already one convicted
hitman has appealed to a
higher court claimingthat the
jury found him guilty by
accident. Who knows where it
may lead?
The reverberations are
bound to be felt in politics as
well. For years we have been
electing people by accident,
and it seems likely that they'll
be attributing their programs
to accidents in the future.
Although some people may
find these developments
frightening, Hoc feels the
accident can be very useful.
"Have you ever thought," he
Suggested, "of using it as an
excuse for your columns?"
ByTOM.HALLIGAN
Last week a Gino's
restaurant employee was shot
and killed during a robbery
attempt in Atlantic City.
In Atlanta, a 26-year-old
woman was gunned down by a
man with a history of mental
problems as she and a friend
were walking to a restaurant
to celebrate her birthday.
Monday, President Park
Chung Hee of South Korea
was assassinated with a .38-
caliber revolver.
Besides being dead, these
murder victims have one
other common element
among them: They were all
shot by handguns.
The only purpose of a
handgun is to project a piece
of lead into a piece of human
flesh for the explicit purpose
of terminating life.
According to the. FBI
Uniform Crime Report — a
300-page plus collection of
facts, charts, categories and
statistics — the amount of
crime that spoils these amber
waves of grain each year has
increased from 1977 to 1978.
And for the first quarter of
1979, it is rising still higher.
In South Jersey violent
crimes rose 20.5 percent for
the first half of 1979compared
to last year. Rape, robbery,
assault and all the rest of the
crime categories increased in
South Jersey, with the national
trend.
But the one statistic that
stands out the most each year
to me is the number of
murders committed by
handguns. Last year 49
percent of the murders
committed were by handgun.
Finishing in second place
were murders by rifle and
winning the bronze medal
were sitot guns, which came in
third:
The report also states that '
most of the murder victims
knew their assailants and tbtt
arguments were the mJrm
causes of death by handgun.
The slat istic s prove each year
that "the heat of passion"
explanation is the reason
humans shoot humans, but we
still make, sell and use
handguns with only little
effort by government leaders
to curb their sale to the
general public.
Many rifle and gun dubs
support lobbyists whose sA;
purpose is to convince
Washington bureaucrats that
Americans have the right to
bear arms and that it is stated
in the Constitution and
shouldn't be denied.
These groups display cute
little bumper slickers which
say "Guns don't kill; people
kill" and other slogans that
boast the need for guns by the
people. .W;
• They're advertising slid
lobbying efforts have been
effective so far, as evidenced
by the increase in murder by
handgun. These groups
contend that if guns are
banned only criminals will
have guns and that if we are
ever invaded like
Czechoslovakia was, we won't
be able to defend ourselves.
They have a lot of reasons
guns shouldn't be bani-,0;
some of their arguments
make sense, some are idiptic.
The only point I would
question is: What purpose do
handguns serve? If people
want to bear arms, for hun-
ting or sport shooting, okay.
But small handguns can't be
used for hunting. If handguns
could be .banned or more
strictly controlled we all
would benefit — and
Express your views
MAYOR
Chester J.Wimberg
201 Asbury Av.
399-2654
COUNCIL MEMBERS
ATLARGE
Herbert J. Brownlee
530 W. Surf Rd.
399-1407
HenryS. Knight
2217 Haven Av.
399-4646
Nickolas J. Trofa Jr. -
66 Walnut Rd.
399-3895
U.S. SENATORS
BILL BRADLEY (O>
315 Russell Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
HARRB0N A. WILLIAMS JR(D)
352 Russell Building
Washington. D.C. 20510
U.S. HOUSE
WILLIAM J. HUGHES (D)
Cannon House Office Building
Washington. D.C. 20510
WARDONE
William II. Woods
356 W. Surf Rd.
398-0200
WARDTWO
Jeanne M. Clunn •
315 Central Av.
399-6232
WARDTHREE
William J. Meis
600 E. 9th St.
398-5337
WARD FOUR
Jack Jones
212 Clipper Dr. _
399-0267 , 9
NEW JERSEY SENATE
JAMES S. CAFIERO (R)
3303 New Jersey Av.
Wildwood, 08260
NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLY
J
JOSEPH W. CHINN1CI ^
Bridge ton Av. '
Bridgeton, 08302
JAMES P. HURLEY (R)
821 Columbia Av.
Millville. 08332
letters / readers react
The Ocean City Sentinel-Ledger
Page Four, Section Two Thursday, November 1,1979
Readers express sentiment for Livingston
Editor, Sentinel-Ledger: I
read with interest your
political endorsements in the
October 25 edition of your
paper. -
I am troubled by the in-
consistencies of your en-
dorsements. How can you say
Ocean City needs a freeholder
and not say Cape May County
needs an assemblyman.
Concerning the freeholder
endorsement you state we
must insure "that Ocean City
and ihe northern portion of
the county receive a dollar's
worth of services for each
dollar contributed in taxes to
the county administration."
Further in this editorial you
state "In reality, one cannot
divorce a representative from
his home constituency..."
On the front page of the
same edition of the paper you
state "Livingston is the sole
assembly candidate living in
Cape May County."
As a resident of Upper
Township, I strongly believe
that Cape May County
deserves an assemblyman to
insure that Cape May County
"receives a dollar's worth of
services for each dollar
contributed." Isn't it true that
every appropriations bill
comes from the Assembly?
Cape May County needs an
assemblyman and Jerry
Livingston is the one.
' Mary Skinner
Seavllle
Editor, Sentinel-Ledger: In
1977,1 ran for Assembly in the
First Legislative District. As
the only candidate from Cape
May County, I paid par-
ticularly close attention to the
promises made by the in-
cumbents as to Cape May
County.
They promised to open an
Assembly office in Cape May
County; (hey promised to
insure we received our fair
share; they promised our
voice would be heard. They
failed to keep their promises.
This year the people of Cape
May County again have an
opportunity to be represented
in the Assembly.
I sincerely hope that the
people of our county consider
the incumbents' records of
non-accomplishments for
Cape May County when voting
in the Assembly race.
Jerry Livingston lives here
and works here. He is raising
his family here. Jerry
Livingston knows our
problems and our people.
Jerry Livingston cares about
Cape May County and the
entire legislative district.
In Jerry Livingston and
Randy Wilhelm, we, the
people, have two candidates
for the Assembly who know
our problems and our hopes.
More importantly, they have
proven that they can be ef-
fective legislators in the mold
of Congressman Bill Hughes.
It is not enough to make
empty promises at election
time. Candidates must be
judged on their records.
When considering the
records of the candidates, I
sincerely believe that it is
time to. give the new guys a
chance. That's why I strongly
support Jerry Livingston and
Randy Wilhelm for election to
the New Jersey Assembly.
JefferyA.April
Sea Hit City.
Editor, Sentinel-Ledger:
After reading your en-
dorsements for the state
Assembly candidates, I felt I
must respond. For freeholder,
you endorsed Jack Bittner,
stating he was the best choice
for Ocean City and vicinity
residents. If your feeling is
that Ocean City needs p
freeholder, whylair you feel It
is not important for Cape May
County to have an assem-
blyman? You endorsed Mr.
Hurley, a resident of Cum-
berland County.
Jerry Livingston, candidate
for state Assembly is a
resident of Cape May County.
Cape May County has had no
resident assemblyman since
1968 when Marvin Perskie
represented us. You failed in
include that Jerry Livingston
was responsible for con-
vincing a Trenton official to
visit here which played a
significant role in bringing
about t he repair of the Grassy
Sound Bridge in Wildwood.
It is my desire and should
be the desire of all Cape May
County residents that Cape
May County have
representation at all levels of
government. We can only
achieve this by electing Jerry
Livingston to the state
AuemWy. SMrfeyBftUwsby
OcaanVMw
Letter
policy
The Sentinel-Ledger
encourages its readers
to express their views
on this page. Letters
should be brier, signed
and accompanied by an
address and. when
possible, a telephone
number. Requests for
the name of the writer to
be withheld will be
honored at the editor's
discretion. The editor
retains the right to edit
letters for length
without changing
meaning. To insure that
your views make it in
time for publication In
the current week, let-
ters should be in our of-
fice no later than
Monday noon.
Family 'shocked'
Editor, Sentinel-Ledger: As
a member of the Spruill
family, I am shocked at the
headlines given to the letter
from BUI SpruUTs children in
contrast to the treatment of
the letter of tribute from
Edward McClaih in your
previous issue.
I have lived next door to my
cousin for the past 20 years
and have shared with them in
happy occasions as well as in
sickness and have neither
seen nor heard from these
people who "kept in tou^T'
with their father. ""
I am amazed at the in-
sensitivity shown to my
family by the recipient of this
letter and the editor of this
newspaper. I would have
thought that they would have
checked the facts with
members of the Spruill family
before printing it.
Portia Spruill Thompson
Ocean «rv
Editor, Sentinel-Ledger: I
have been living with
Elizabeth and the late
William I. Spruill ("Aunt
Debbie and Uncle BUI") for
over 20years and I have never
seen Cora S. Williams or any
of the names mentioned in
last week's letter. There was
no contact or visits ever
during Uncle Bill's years of
sickness.
I am the one that helped
Aunt Debbie when he was
sick. If any of them were
concerned or cared in the
least, why didn't they make
their whereabouts known
while he was alive.
Obviously, had these
children kept in touch, they
would have been aware of
Uncle Bill's falling health and
there would have been no
reason for such a distorted'
and undeserving letter. 'Q
Miss WUUeS. Taylor
Ocean City
I •',: In a complex, changing world
Institute develc to help journalists work on issue backgrounds
It's a complex, rapidly
changing world we all live in.
•$g>New technologies, political
structures, and local and
national issues turn up almost
daily. Terms like "petro-
dollars," "meltdown," and
"energy efficient" are new to
our vocabulary, the result of
current events that constantly
demand our attention.
If it's tough for the rest of
us, pity the poor journalist
who has to explain it all.
_ Giving reporters, editors
(jpand broadcasters a chance to
study and absorb new in-
formation, so that they can
better report and interpret the
events that shape the world, is
the goal of the new Jour-
nalism Resources Institute
(JRI) under development at
Rutgers University.
Still in its infancy, the in-
stitute has already begun to
make an impact on jour-
m and how it is prac-
liced, according to Professor
Jerome Aumenle, the in-
stitute's director and
chairperson of journalism and
urban communications at the
Stale University's Livingston
College.
"For example, a
photographer who par-
ticipated in our first seminar
last spring, on 'Cameras in
the Courts,' used what he had
learned to persuade the judge
to open a murder trial to
photographers," Aumente
said.
One and two-day con-
verences on specific topics
like courtroom photography
will be offered in the first
stages. But Aumenle foresees
a permanent institute that
will also provide fellowships
to journalists for extended
study at the State University
in their specialty areas, a
professional staff to provide
support and assistance to
reporters, publishers, editors
and broadcasters, and a
major collection.of research
materials on subjects of in-
terest to the news media.
Removing reporters,
editors and managers from
the daily pressures of
deadlines will enable them to
discuss the background of
possible future stories without
having to deal with them
immediately or worry about
the competition.
A former journalist himself
with many years' experience
on the now-defunct Newark
News and on the Detroit
News, Aumente has compUed
an ambitious list of subjects
he would like the institute to
cover in the near future.
Editors and publishers might
discuss newsroom and
newspaper management and
the employment and ad-
vancement of women and
minorities. Television critics
could analyze their potential
role in improving broad-
casting. Interested reporters
would share with other ex-
perts information to help
them better cover areas like
health care, elections and
zoning.
The institute will
sometimes be a school for
beginning journalists,
Aumenle said, but more often
will be a place for the ex-
perienced members of the
mass media to supplement
their knowledge. And the
act ivitiesof the JRI are unlike
the traditional professor-
si udent relationships one
would expect to find at a
university.
"Our participants have a
lot to learn from each other,
and we can facilitate that
learning by providing the
resources of a state univer-
sity, outside experts in a
particular area, and an at-
mosphere for serious
discussion and research.
"Of course, Rutgers.
University benefits by having
its students and faculty
members interacting with
news media professionals.
This is really a whole new
cooperative effort," he said.
Mutual learning may be one
reason why JRI has begun to
receive enthusiastic con-
tributions of both time and
money from mass media
companies and individuals.
Funding is certainly
necessary to help JRI fulfill
its goals, Aumente notes, but
he is particularly proud that
many influential journalists
have volunteered to serve on
the Institute's board of
directors and have devoted
time to the planning of its a
activities. New Jersey's
Broadcaster's Association
and. Press Association have
endorsed the concept and are
helping plan future sessions
as well.
At the moment, the Jour-
nalism Resources Institute is
officially, in the formative
stages, awaiting final ap-
proval by the Rutgers
University Board of Gover-
nors and University Senate.
Aumente is seeking long-term
•Obsolete roads in New Jersey
lead to 64,000 accidents each year
Obsolete roads and streets
in New Jersey are to blame
ff>/or an average of 174 ac-
^*tidents every' day, a new
study found.
Out dated roads —
amounting to almost one-fifth
of the stale's paved road
system — were the second
leading cause of highway
accidents, in the state in 1978,
according to The Road In-
formation Program (TRIP)
of Washington, D.C. Human
g^error was first, weather
©ranked third.
The study estimated that
5,504 miles of New Jersey's
29,592 miles of paved roads
and streets suffer from such
factors as narrow lanes,
sharp turns and inadequate
acceleration ramps on ex-
pressways. These roads
contribute to an annual total
of 63,683 accidents.