1 oters bury 2 proposals 111th Year, No. 51 ST. JOHNS, MICHIGAN — THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 1967 2 SECTIONS - 34 PAGES 15 Cents A sprinkling of voters went to the polls in St. Johns Tuesday and flatly rejected two H <M 1 How city 4*= proposals put to them by the city commis-y * 1 i—* O O 1 N sion at a special election. <D 1 voted on issues o (D- 'H 1 Defeated soundly was a proposal for a H ft ft 1 2 more Clinton GIs new fire-police hall with an accompanying POLICE-FIRE HALL: three-mill tax for two years. Yes 161 103 58 No 629 328 301 Losing by a narrow­ men and pedestrian and vehicular er margin was a mea­ traffic alike. Such congestion also slows up firemen in making CHARTER AMENDMENT: sure amendingthecity their runs, city officials said. It would also give police more Yes 278 169 109 killed in Vietnam charter as it relates to room for their multitude of oper­ No 507 258 249 special assessments ations. and taxation. .. Two more Clinton County youths died last week in combat action in Vietnam, Proposition No. 1, the chart­ raising the toll to three from the county er amendment, lost by a 507- in the last two weeks. 278 margin—about 2-1. Precinct High court ruling puts Killed by rifle fire last Wednesday at 2 voters were decidedly against Thua Thein In Vietnam was Marine Pfc. it, 249-109,whilePreclnctlturn- Ronald J. Fitch, 20, son of Mr and Mrs ed it down 258-169. Luther Cleland of 104 S. Whlttemore Proposition No. 2, the fire- Street. police hall issue, lost by a re- brakes on repportionment Nineteen-year-old Army Pfc, James . sounding vote of 629 against to W. Peltier of rural DeWltt was killed only 161 in favor. Precinct 2 Smiles lined the faces of Clin­ The City of St. Johns a day later 1963 constitution as a preview Saturday, reportedly having been acci­ beat it by 301-58, and it was ton County supervisors Tuesday announced it would appeal the 11- ruling on new laws. dentally shot by another U.S. soldier rid­ turned down by a 328-103 vote morning as they discussed the man plan because the districts The governor asked whether ing in the same military vehicle- with In Precinct 1. Michigan Supreme Court's ruling did not comply with the require­ the apportionment law conflicted him. He was the son of Mr and Mrs The total vote cast was 793, that the one-man, one-vote ap­ ments of the law. with a constitutional guarantee A. B. Peltier of 1660 E. Howe Road. called about average for a spec­ portionment of county boards is that every township supervisor ial election. invalid. THE SUPREME court's advis­ shall have a berth on the county FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS^ both Supervisors, don't want to ory opinion, on a 5-2 vote with board, regardless of township soldiers are incomplete, pending the ar­ THE DEFEAT OF thetwopro- change the present.board make­ one abstention, lacks the author­ population. rival of their bodies from Vietnam. posals hit the city commission ity of a regular decision, but it up, but they voted last Monday ST." JOHNS CITY Atty. Harold hard, and the charter amendment was felt it would probably block Pfc. .Fitch was a member of Head­ by a 15-7 count to reapportion Reed said Tuesday morning he downfall will probably have any redisricting work in prog­ quarters and Service Company, 3rd Motor the county as an 11-dlstrict board would have to see the supreme Pfc. RONALD J. FITCH Pfc. JAMES W. PELTIER repercussions felt this summer ress around the state. Clinton Transport Battalion. A recent Armed of supervisors, thereby comply­ court's opinion before taking fur­ by city residents. supervisors consider the court Forces news release placed him In Phu ing with the new state law re­ ther action on behalf of the city, The commission indicated opinion as a guarantee of the , Bai, Vietnam, participating in Operation all at home; and his grandparents, Mr Mrs A. B. Peltier, is a sister, Barbara quiring a new districting of be­ but he anticipated the' opinion prior to the election that if the continuance of the present coun­ 'Chinook Has a machine gunner and driver and Mrs Harry Berry of R-6, St, Johns, Ann, at home. tween five and 15 supervisors. would make the city's appeal amendments failed theyprdbably ty board setup.' with the "Otter" section of the Third Mo­ and Mrs Iva Fitch of Lansing. Few of the present board mem­ unnecessary. tor Transport Battalion, The "otter" is a Burial will-be in. Mt. Rest Cemetery EVEN RAFTER DEATH FELLED Pri- , would cut back the millage asked The Michigan court's opinion bers approved of the law, and Reed was prepared to file an tracked vehicle used in re-supplying units in St. Johns. Funeral services, to be an­ vates Fitch and Peltier, funeral services next year—and city services as a the 15-7 vote was only a reflec­ was an answer to a requestfrom result—because of a legal doubt appeal with the Michigan Court operating in the field and on the beach. nounced later, wlU be at the Osgood Fu­ were being held in Maple Rapids for an tion of their approval of an 11- Governor Romney for an advis­ neral Home in St. Johns, earlier war victim, Pfc, Rocky R. Snyder about the city's millage ceiling. man plan over other alternatives. ory opinion, provided for in the (See RULING, Page 2-A), A recent charier studypolnted . Pfc. Fitch had lived in St. Johns aU Pfc. Peltier, of rural DeWitt will be of rural St. Johns. He was killed by ma­ put the charter does not specif­ his life, graduating from Rodney .B. Wilson buried in DeWitt' Cemetery, and the*Rev chine gun fire March 30- near ^Quang, ically set a millage limitation; High School in June 1965,Hewasaformer Reginald Becker of the Bath Methodist Nam, Vietnam. the state -law which it referred employee of Central Michigan Lumber Church will officiate at funeral services. His funeral was Sunday* at 2 p.m. at to has a limitation of 20 mills, Chamber Secretary Co., and he attended the Church of the The date- and-' tlmer'-pf 'the funeral will be the Maple Rapids Methodist Church, with unless the city charter does not Nazarene, announced by the Vincent-Rummell Fu­ the Rev Ralph J. Conine of the County establish a definite ceiling, in He joined the Marines in March 1966 neral Home at DeWitt, which Is handling Line EUB Church officiating. A two-mile which case the maximum would * and had been in Vietnam since September arrangements. long procession of cars followed the cas­ be 10 mills. Mrs Minsky resigns 1966. Pfc. Peltier was serving with the 1st ket to Union Home Cemetery, where he Infantry Division in Vietnam at the time was buried, Mrs John (Betty Jane) Minsky, Cheboygan, where she was sec­ of his death. He entered the Army Aug. Pfc. Snyder was the son of Mr and Mrs secretary-manager of the St. retary of the Chamber of Com­ HE. WAS BORN Feb. 10, 1947, in St. THE HOME RULE ACT, which 17, 1966, and had been overseas since Lyle Snyder of 11089 S. Croswell Road. Johns Chamber of Commerce merce there for three years. Johns, the son of Clarence R. and Isabelle is the general law that applies Brown Fitch. Surviving are his mother, Christmas. He had lived in the Maple Rapids area to the situation, provides for a for the past 25 months, is re­ She has authored a number Isabelle, and stepfather, Luther Cleland He was born May 21, 1947, in Lansing most of his life and had attended East maximum levy or 20 mills, .un­ signing from that position effec­ of magazine'articles and a book of St. Johns; his father, Clarence Fitchof and was a 1965 graduate of Bath High Essex and Fulton High schools. More less the city charter does not tive April 28. concerning promotional work for Lansing; a half-sister, Jenifer and three Schoo'l. complete obituary information was pub­ establish a definite ceiling, In Mrs Minsky said she has ac­ businesses, business organiza­ half-brothers, Douglas, Steven and Kevin, Surviving besides his parents, Mr and lished last week. which case the maximum would cepted a position as a writer for tions such as chambers of com­ be 10 mills. the State Journal in Lansing. merce, and other groups. Her City commissions since 1933 The board of directors of the book, "Gimmicks Make Money in have apparently regarded the Chamber, in a special meeting Retailing," was published by 20 mills as the limit, and the last Wednesday, accepted the Falrchild Publications In 1963 Road weight tax rate has been above 10 mills resignation "with regret." They and reprinted in 1964. v since that time.' Currently it is said every effort will be made She was listed in the 1966 16 mills, which includes 3 mills to continue the Chamber oper­ edition of "Who's Who of Ameri­ limits off for a water improvement bond ation. No successor to Mrs Min­ can Women." Spring weight limitations on issue. Because of the doubt cast sky has been named. Mrs Minsky, her husband John all non-trunkline roads in Clinton by the charter study, however, who teaches, at Central School County will be lifted at noon this the city commission decided to All programs of the Chamber in St.