•^^^^•1 mmmmmmmmmm ' DQNT BLAME CAflmER FOR LATE OCUVERY, Livonia school board endorsements. Opinion, A14 To*/iH*il**«*yfcnclN fcAotyMrOtMft«re«Tf«. ' 0u« M IttfirU dMMjM, «M «w«,unabi« to 9« r* wmfawt a* en &T* Homelbwn t :()Mm.sn :«vrjuSw ••vu. T*W»»*K* Putting you In touch Thursday with your world June 3,1999 Serving the Westland Community for 34 years votuME 34 NUMBER 104 WESTLAND. MICHIGAN • 74 PAGtS • http: observercccehtric.com SfVf_NTV f-IVF ClNT<, 0 19M HomeTown Communication* Network, Inc. « .» Remembering Voters ^¾.^^ Observer readers are asked to likely submit pictures of themselves and their petfs) for an upcoming special section, ^«opU and ttftr Ptrtt." .'MAIL PICTURES TO; Special Prqject$ Editor to stay Ralph REchtinaw 36251 Schoolcraft Livonia, m 48150 ' I Please include a self addressed, stamped envelope if you'd like your picture returned. ' home I Be sure to tell us who's who in • Low turnout,- below 3 per­ your picture. A 50-word or less cent, is anticipated for the v writeup on your pet is optional. Monday, June 14, school I Submissions must be election of theAVayhe-Wegt- postmarked by i«M 30. The Observer will publish as many land district. Officials say as possible. the low turnout reflects voter apathy at other levels of government. BY DARRELL CLEM • STAFF WRITER - IN THE PAPER [email protected] • STAJT PHOTOS BY SHARON LEMIUTJ Fewer than 3 percent of Wayne- Friendly greeting: Daisy Miranda Jansen of Wayne's Hoover Elementary waves to the crowd Westland school district voters are during the Wayne-Westland Memorial Day Parade Sunday. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts were expected to cast ballots in a June 14 TODAY 1 election that will help among the youth organizations represented in the parade. ; '• , steer public education '••*•'•• for 14,600 students, officials said Tuesday. AT HOME Ohly 2.000 of'the district's 69,971- regis­ Parade: time to honor heroes tered voters will like- Scoring with style: The ly-decjde a four-way race for two school Hockey town Home Collec­ board seats, elections director Susan BY JULIE BROWN sible." Veterans have the job of teach­ Piereson said. : ... tion, developed by Ron STAFF WRITER ing young people patriotism, Watkins MEMORIAL DAY [email protected] added, reminding people to stand at District officials say the low turnbut and Kathy Hitch of Troy, simply, mirrors voter-apathy at other he flag carried high among oth­ attention and be respectful when the Honor: is a furniture line made of levels of government. ' ers carried the simple message national anthem is played. Wreaths UI really think it's just a reflection of hockey equipment that "Lest We Forget." The occasion A Stevenson Middle .School presen­ T were voting percentages on the state and was the Wayne-Westland Memorial tation at City Hall featured a book of helps you furnish your national level," Charlotte Sherman, Day Parade Sunday afternoon, and students' writings on military veter­ added to assistant superintendent of general home, in cool decor./DB the day was one for remembering ser­ ans and those who died for their this administration, said. vicemen and women and their.contri- country. "I think it's great," Watkins memori­ butions. said of the student effort. But officials also concede that the al. absence of tax issues io this Wayne,' "As it was then, it is today," parade The ceremony included laying of. Westland election will add to low council chairman Bob Watkins said wreaths and poppies and a roll call of ENTERTAINMENT turnout. .-- ..'.. of the early days of our nation. All the deceased. Military organizations "We find that if there's-a money- the freedoms we enjoy - worship, vot­ represented included the Veterans of issue, "the turnout is higher," Sherman , ing, speech - came at a price. Theater: St. Dunstan's jsaid. Theatre Guild of Cran- "Let us not forget-who made it pos­ Please see PARADE, A3 brook prepares for "How 7 " Please see VOTERS, A2 To Succeed in Busi­ ness."/El Movies: Cuba Gooding JK, Hopeful's walk in parade raises questions follows-his "Instinct."/El BY DARRELL CLEM Board of Education sign - a mow some STAFF WRITER viewed as political, coming just two WAYNE-WESTLAND SCHOOLS [email protected] weeks before the June 14 election. A Wayne-Westland school board "If he's walking with board members REAL ESTATE spontaneously to join Cox and Pitsen­ receive an invitation. hopeful said he wasn't trying to boost and he isn't even elected yet, I think it barger as the parade began at Wayne his own political campaign by walking could give citizens and voters the "To me, Skip was innocent." Robbins and Cherry Hill roads;. with two incumbents in a Memorial wrong idea," candidate Brenda Smith said. "I think he was set up, more or It's flying: Successful peo­ ""We met there and David invited me Day parade. said. "That's definitely not something less. David Cox knew what he was ple have learned to man­ to walk with them," Monit said, adding doing, and Martha did, too. Lome "Skip" Monit also said he somebody should do." that he agreed to join the parade to "I think it was very disrespectful to age their time. As Dick didn't intend to give the impression he Monit, Pitsenbarger, Smith and show support for a board whose policies the veterans," Robbins added. "It's not was a board member when he joined board hopeful Marshall Wright are Vitale said, luck is where he has favored. about school board campaigning or incumbents David Cox and Martha Pit­ competing for two school board seats. 'anything else. It's about the veterans. preparation arid opportu­ senbarger in Sunday's parade-in West- Monit and Cox denied that Monit's School board member Teresa Roh- nity meet. /Fl land. involvement in the Wayne-Westland bins questioned why Monit was asked "It doesn't have anything to do with to walk with Cox and Pitsenbarger con­ Skip as a person," she said. "It's the "Not in the least," he said Tuesday. Memorial Day Parade was pre­ arranged. sidering that Robbins and some other principle of the idea. I'm a little taken Monit walked behind a Cox-owned, e'lected board members didn't even 1954 Chevy adorned in front with a Rather, they said Monit decided Please see QUESTIONS, A2 INDEX Obituaries A6 City's budget director leaving for job in Livonia • Classified Index F5 Real[Estate F5 Crossword G2 By DARRELL CLEM I hate to see her go." Westland. She also lives in Livonia. Thomas, prevailed .in a lawsuit filed STAFF WRITER Duggan's departure is described by "I've enjoyed the work here a lot," she against them by ousted Parks and [email protected] Jobs _ G5 administration officials as amicable. said Tuesday of her Westland position. Recreation Director Charles Skene. _ Home & Service JT Westland Budget Director Elizabeth Partly for personal reasons, she sought "We've tried to streamline things a lit­ Skene claimed that he was wrongly Automotive ^ J3 Duggan will leave her job June 11 to a less demanding job. tle bit." fired and thaf administration officials ^ Mayor Robert Thomas hasn't chosen Duggan wijl leave as city leaders fin­ and local police botched an embezzling • Opinion A14-15 become a Livonia city accountant. Duggan, in charge of a $43 million Duggan's successor. He said he will ish budget talks that spanned months. investigation in which he was accused • Community Life Bl general fund, served as budget director consider an internal promotion, but Westland City Council members on -- then acquitted at trial. But a judge in • Calendar B4 for three years. She was the first didn't rule out seeking outSule candi­ Monday are expected to approve a new April dismissed his lawsuit. • Sports CI woman ever hired for the job. dates. spending plan. On Tuesday, McCurley said Dug­ "Westland is going to lose a good In accepting a Livonia job, Duggan Duggan's years in Westland brought gan's departure is timely because she employee," Finance Director Tim will return to a city where she served some stressful events. She and five will be leaving after having helped the McCurley said. "She has been valuable. as deputy treasurer before she came to other officials, including Mayor Please see DIRECTOR, A2 HOW TO REACH US -j ^ .... ' Newsroom : 734-953-2104 Mother fears for family's safety following assault Newsroom Fax: 734-591-7279 E-mail: bjachmanOoe. honttcomm.ittt BY DARRELL CLEM But he apparently will be returned to his Helton this?" he asked. '*[ believe it goes back to what has Nifthtline/Sports : 734-953-2104 STAFF WRITER Court home, even though a police report noted that been said about the media desensitizing these kids." dclem©oe.homecomm.nct Reader Comment Line: 734-953-2042 his mother is "very concerned and frightened that The 9-year-old boy soaked his 6-year-old brother • Classified Advertising,:734-591-090 6 A distraught Westland mother sought police help (he) could cause great physical injury to others." with gas grill cleaner at 11:30 a.m. Saturday - an A Wayne County youth official'told police that incident seen by'their 10-year-old sister, a police . Display Advertising:734-591-230 0 to control a "very violent" 9-year-old boy who doused his 6-year-old brother with gns grill cleaner on Satur­ juvenile court "does not have a placement area" for 'report said. •'••.'. Home.Delivery . 734-591-0500 The boy had broken a window with a hammer ear­ day. I : . the boy "due to his young age," according to a (>olire The young attacker apparently didn't try to set his report.