Fair tonight: Manchester, Conn. clearing Thursday Wednesday, Oct. 24, 1984 V,. — see page 2 Single copy: 254 Hnrljrfitfr Mrralh Democrats urge vote for CD, bonds By Alex GIrelll federal grant program sharply divided townspeople Herald Reporter regulations have been eased considerably. Mayor Barbara Weinberg said, speaking for in 1979 and in 1980 with a large majority voting to 2. The CDBG program has been running smoothly herself, that the town will not be in the housing withdraw from the program. Most of the opponents and efficiently in other communities and will continue business as a developer as it relates to the block grant The six Democrats on the Manchester Board of said they objected to the strings they said HUD to do so with or without Manchester’s participation. program. Dire^ors this tnorning urged voters to favor the attached to acceptance of the grants. 3. The fears associated with re-entry are willumt Director Stephen Penny, majority leader, said it town's re-entry into the Community Development The chief spokesman for re-entry into the program, grounds. was necessary for the majority to reaffirm its support Block Grant program and to approve a $4.6 million at this morning’s news conference was Director 4. The risk factorissmallenoughtobeinsignilieanl. of the $4,6 million bond issue because of the rejection bond issue for infrastructure improvements. Eleanor Coltman, who said she supported remaining Coltman emphasized that the fund.s allocated to of the question by the Republican Party. Five of the majority directors appeared at an 8 a.m. in the program in 1979 and 1980. Manchester will go to other communities it Referring to the $1 million in the proposed bond news conference at Democratic Headquarters at 200 She read from a prepared statement on the subject. Manchester does not accept them. "Should West issue for sidewalk repair, Penny said some Main St. to urge a ” yes” vote on both questions. They Meanwhile, Matthew Moriarty Jr., chairman of a will be on the ballot in the Nov. 6 election. Hartford or East Hartford benefit at our expense by townspeople are beginning to notice that it costs the citizens’ commutee that studied re-entry into the our not participating?" she asked. town money when people are injured in falls on One of the majority directors, Kenneth Tedford, program, today issued a separate statement in The statement said CDBG funds must be directed defective sidewalks. was unable to attend the conference. He submitted a support of rejoining it. written statement of support. toward benefitting low- and moderate-income people He said it will cost effective to make repairs. ” I urge the citizens of Manchester to act like the On Oct. 1, the Republican Town Committee voted 36 and a large number of the p*-ople in Manchester fall He said citizens are also expressing a sense of loss winners that we all are. Vote for the funding that is to 4, with 2 abstentions, to oppose re-entering the into that category. when dams have to be breached because they are not ours.” Moriarty said. She said another requirement is that ihle funds be safe. He said the bonding proposal contains $150,000 federal CDBG program supervised by the the Moriarty, a former mayor, said today that some Department of Housing and Urban Development. The used to prevent blight conditions, .something most for repairs to the spillway of Globe Hollow Dam. people think the town was the loser in litigation OOP also voted against the bond issue, but people strongly favor. She said a significant portion of Penny said no slate should be more sensitive to the regarding the CDBG grant. “ Far from being a loser, Republican Directors Peter DIRosa and Donna the $468,000 CDBG grant will lie devoted to housing need for repairs on bridges and culverts than our town was a big winner,” Moriarty said of the suit Mercier favored it at that time. The proposal was rehabilitation and to sidewalk and drainage Connecticut. against the town brought by three low-income made by Democratic Directors Stephen T. Penny and improvements. Because of inflation in coiistniclion costs. Penny , residents. The court decided the town did not violate James F. Fogarty. "W e need it and we are entitled to il,” the statement said. It makes sense to invest $4.6 million now. anyone’s civil rights when it withdrew in 1979 and .said of the grant. The Democratic Town Committee has not formally again in 1980 from the program. because the town can borrow at the relatively low discussed the two questions. The statement also said, "The fear of 'strings interest rate of 8 or 9 iH>rcenf. Moriarty issued the majority report of the citizens’ Theodore Cummings, Democratic town chairman, attached’ to accepting this money is hard to Penny referred to a proposal by Republican committee, It favored re-entry. One minority report said at this morning’s conference that the Demo"ratic understand, coming as it often does from those Director Peter DiRosa that each year the town set favored staying out of the program, and another Party endorsed "these people” (the Democratic citizens most in favor of fiscal responsibility. The aside for capital improvements an amount of money report took no stand. Directors) for election. members of the Board of Directors would certainly equivalent to a mill on the tax rate Penny said this C’oltman’s statement this morning made a four- He said Democrats have too much to do as a party to not favor any unit of government, be it local, slate or year’s apprpriation falls short of that test by only point argument: give up a night or two for discussion of the two federal, spending onr money — and it is our money — $60,000 or $70,000. 1. While HUD regulations have not significantly questions. in a way that did not hold the spenders accountable for He said $70,000 is nowhere near $4.6 million. changed since the town voted to get out of the grant The question of the whether the town should be in the how it .s spent. We will gladly account for how we plan ’The.se i.ssues are high cost items that can’t be program, the interpretation and enforcement of the to use the money and, if we get it, how we did use it ” addressed on an annual basis.” Penny said. Swensson admits flier contains inaccurate data By Kathy Garmus was a Democratic leadership bill "I'm still going to stand on my Herald Reporter appropriating money for the De­ record," Swensson said. partment of Transportation. Swensson said the mistake on the A political flier mailed last week "A re they all wrong?” .she asked appropriations bill arose when to homes in the 13th Assembly when que.stioned about the others, campaign workers copied down District falsely claimed that state Swensson said she did not seethe the wrong bill number. She voted / Rep. Elsie L. Swensson, R- tabloid before it went to the for the bill, legislative records Manchester, ’’sponsored and printers. But she said it was read show. enacted into law” nine different over the phone to her by a member The tabloid, which was paid for bills, her opponent charged of her campaign staff. by the Republican State Central Tuesday. The two-term incumbent said Committee, also said Swensson Democratic challenger John W. she was not sure exactly which sponsored: » 'Thompson said Swensson, a two- staff members worked on the • .A bill to establish a special Rf” term incumbent, only co­ tabloid. transportation fund (Public Act sponsored seven of the bills and did The tabloid listed “ a sample of 83-30). not even co-sponsor two of them. the over two dozen bills sponsored • A constitutional amendment She spoke on the floor of the House and enacted into law in 1983 and prohibiting discrimination against on behalf of only one of them and 1984 b y Representative people with physical or mental voted against another, he said. Swensson.” disabilities. "It destroys to some extent the Among those was a bill which • A bill to make it harder for credibility she has as a legislator," would have allowed the commis­ landlords to evict blind or elderly Thompson said of the claims. sioner of aging to act as temporary tenants (Public Act 83-94). He called on Swensson to "apol­ conservator (or some people when • A bill to stiffen penalties for ogize for the distribution of this no other conservator could be drunken driving (Public Act 83- grossly inaccurate piece of cam­ found. Swensson voted against the 534), paign propaganda." bill, according to legislative • A bill to re-establish the When contacted by the Herald, records. Connecticut Student Loan Founda­ Swensson said she was aware of ”I voted against it, huh?” she tion (Public Act 84-381). only one bill that was incorrectly said when asked why it was • A bill to provide incentives for identified in the tabloid as having included in the tabloid. ’’Well, been sponsored by her. That bill someone’s really goofed me up.” Please turn to page 10 Dig shows Pitkin furnace f may have been removed By Tracy L. Geoghegan Other findings by Warner sup­ in cooperating with the project, Herald Reporter port conclusions previously drawn according to Ruth Shepherd, a by other students of the glass member of the group. ^ ^ The Pitkin Glass Works Inc., the works: The glass manufactured by Brainard passed his information group which maintains the ruins of Pitkin was amber and green in along to Dr. William Buckley, a Manchester’s Revolutionary War- color.