m b t o w a n f r e e _ p u b l i c l i b r a r y 165 MAIN STREtiT MftTPWON, NJ 07747 I THE Vol. 17 No. 44 October 28, 1987 25 cents P olice w ill take ditch death facts to prosecutor By Liz Sheehan activity,” which was not present. Sergeant says he’ll ask county official McCIoskey said OSHA’s investigation MIDDLETOW N — A township police was “incomplete,” and “all the eye w it­ officer said he would speak to the county to look into filing charges against nesses were not given the benefit of ques­ prosecutor this week about the possibility of tio n in g .” bringing charges against the employer of a It would be shown that the company township man who died after a ditch col­ em ployer of man who died in collapse “was in full compliance” w ith OSHA’s regu­ lapsed on him. lations on the day of the accident, he said. Police Sgt. Michael M ehler said Monday The work site was inspected by both that he would go to Freehold Friday to tions by the federal Occupational Safety and dlesex, and Montecalvo paid a $100 fine for T&M , the township’s engineer and a rep­ speak to someone in the prosecutor’s office Health Adm inistration in the incident: One the violations. John Sarin, of OSHA’s M id­ resentative of Lincroft Enterprises, the com­ about the Police Departm ent’s investigation for not storing m aterial 2 feet or more from dlesex office, said that the conditions in the pany overseeing the project, the day that into the death of George S. Jonas Jr., Swart- the edge of an excavation, and the second ditch were reported by a m unicipal building Jonas died, said McCIoskey. for having a construction trench more than z e l D riv e . in sp ecto r. W illiam Farrell, T& M , said that a comap- 5 feet deep that was not supported, Joseph ny member inspected the ditch that day in Jonas was buried in a construction ditch The company has appealed the recent Nycz, acting director of OSHA’s Camden the capacity “of the sewer authority engi­ on Half M ile Road on August 31 while he OSHA citation, which included a fine of office said. neer,” not to determ ine safety conditions. was checking u tility pipes for his employer, $1,040, its attorney Thomas McCIoskey Last year, Montecalvo was cited by the A spokesperson for Lincroft Enterprises Montecalvo Co., Keyport. said last week. OSHA Middlesex office for the same two said last week that an employee of the firm “ It is unusual that a job like this results in violations of regulations, and for allowing He also said if the police sent inform ation was at the site the day of the accident, and a death,” M ehler said. people to work under a power shovel. about the incident to the prosecutor, it added that the firm had no responsibility in The company was served with two cita­ No one was injured in the trench in M id­ would suggest “some suspicion of crim inal the incident. Van Wagner, Azzolina vie for 13th district Senate seat bent Joann Smith and her running mate, Control at stake newcomer Joseph K yrillo s Jr., are in a race with Jacqueline W alker and W illiam Flynn, form er Assembly members. as two men fight Both Smith, who has been in the Assem­ bly for one term, and Kyrillos back Gover­ down to the wire nor Kean’s school takeover bill. “I took a lot of heat from the New Jersey By Liz Sheehan Education Association” for backing the bill, Smith said. “I didn’t get an endorsement State Senator Richard Van Wagner and this tim e.” Assemblyman Joseph Azzolina are cam­ “O ur commitment to education is sym­ paigning down to the wire in a contest that bolized by our support of the governor,” may not be only for the 13th district Senate K yrillos said. seat, but for the transfer of control of the Flynn and Walker, who are against the Senate from Democrats to Republicans. bill, were endorsed by the NJEA, the largest When Azzolina announced he would run teachers union in the state. against Van Wagner, he said he had been Both candidates were also endorsed by asked by ,4area residents, Republican lead­ the Vote Environmental ‘87 Committee, ers and Governor Kean” to end 13 years of which represents the Environm ental Voters Democratic control. Alliance, League of Conservation Voters Van Wagner, who is running for his sec­ and the N.J. Environm ental Federation ond term, served as an assemblyman from Voter Education Committee. 1974 u n til his election to the Senate. Flynn, who was a member of the Assem­ Azzolina was in the Assembly from 1966 bly for 12 years and chaired the Legislative to 1973 and in the Senate for two years. Oversight Committee, has made a stong Two key bills that the opponents have issue of campaign funding, and said that if clashed over are the verbal threshold bill, he is elected, he would give p rio rity to legi- which would lim it the ability to sue for saltion that would put a fixed lim it on cam­ damages resulting from automobile acci­ paign funding in state elections, and have dents and the school takeover bill, which matching funds contributed by the state. would permit the state to step in and run The cost of running for a state office has school districts that have severe problems. reached “ the point o f obscenity” he said. Kyrillos, 27, served as a special assistant Azzolina favors both bills, while Van to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and Wagner opposes them. Both were defeated said he would use his past environmental th is year. knowledge to help remedythe environm en­ Van Wagner said he opposed the educa­ tal problems in the 13th district. tion b ill because the state already has this Walker, who served one term in the As­ power and has exercised it in Trenton and sembly, believes the state is proceeding too Newark, while Azzolina called his oppo­ quwkly in implementing REACH, the wel­ nents opposition to the legislation a vote fare reform plan advocated by Kean. against the children in the state. She said that provisions had not been Azzolina voted for the verbal threshold made for day care for the mothers who Photograph by Ed Brett bill, and said it would result in substantial would go to work or receive job training and COSTUME PARADE savings in insurance premiums for state res­ education through the program. Erica Thompsen, 2, of Hazlet, marches in the Halloween parade on Middle Road idents, while Van Wagner said the savings W hile in the Assembly, W alker said, she Sunday. The Independent this week features a roundup of spooky activities. See would be m inor in comparison w ith the loss sponsored several bills that would provide Page 39. of the ability to recover compenstion from for more day care facilities and latch key losses resulting from auto accidents. programs, that were not accepted by the Re­ In the Assembly race. Republican incum­ publican adm inistration. 2 O C TO B E R 28, 1987, TH E IN D E P E N D E N T M edic are premiums are slated to rise of treating this disease were recently ‘W.5% next year — the largest jump in transferred to the already heavily burd­ history! — on the recommendation of ened Medicare system. Glenn M. Hackbarth, Deputy Chief of the Mr. Hackbarth says that the 38.5% increase Federal Health ( ’.are Financing Agency is a “precipitous jump" made necessary by a (HC'.FA), which runs Medicare. This will policy decision to “hold down the premiums mean that monthly premiums for 31 million So what has caused the rising costs of for 1987 and to spend down the contin­ elderly and disabled Americans will climb Medicare’s “Part B," which pays for doctors’ gency reserve.” The Medical Society of New to $24.80 in 1988. services, outpatient hospital care, and home Jersey says what’s really necessary is a close Why? Bureaucrats in Washington are health care? Several factors: look at how government action has once attempting to blame the increase on doctors’ D R G ’s. These government mandated con­ again placed stress on the physician-patient fees for services. For example, Congressman trols have shifted the cost of care away relationship. Fortney H. Stark Chairman of the Health from major medical coverage by dumping Please let your congressman know y o u r Subcommittee, claims the current payment patients into an outpatient healthcare feelings. system "gives doctors a key to the treasury.” delivery system. Don’t believe it. Physicians’ fees for Medi­ A “graying* population. As America’s care reimbursed services have been frozen senior population increases, more people ^ T h e Medical Society for two and half years—and two years prior are entering the Medicare system, and of New Jersey to that,New Jersey doctors voluntarily re­ more are requiring physician services. 2 PRINCESS RD.. LAW RENCEVILLE, N.J. 08648 frained from raising their fees. AIDS. The potentially catastrophic costs THE INDEPENDENT, OCTOBER 28,1987 3 INSIDE STORY Police seek Contests recapped camera eye Candidates for local, county, and state offices yesterday began the last week in their campaigns for the elec­ for 3 cells tion Tuesday. The Independent fea­ tures summaries of the campaigns and By Liz Sheehan •________ lists area polling places.