The Mail-Journal, Volume 5, Number 31, Milford, Kosciusko County, 4 September 1968 — Page 8

\ THE MAIL-JOURNAL —Wed., Sept. 4, 1968

8

Letters To The Editor Cox On Town Government

Dear Editor: The only reason for this letter is to try again to show the citizens of the community what when they refuse to accept responsibility in the matter of choosing elected officials. A small group can — and will — take over with the result that is now apparent in the Syracuse town government. We have the highest tax rate in history, spend*ing the most money, the to'wrf is “brpke” and cannot pay its bills. Ronald Sharp has been “given” the office of clerk-treasurer to pay Byron Connolly’s debt to him for all those nice stories and pictures that have appeared in the Warsaw paper over the years. They are placing him in control of a business that is doing some $150,000 per year. The town proposes to spend in tax money next year over SBB, 000. The water company takes in near $33,000 per year and if my memory is right the sewage company takes in near $40,000. These two companies do not operate on a budget and, the board spends what and where it wants to. In 1863, prior to the town election Lois Schleeter stated many times that she was NOT a candidate for office. There was NO CONTEST — and citizens favorable to me did not attend the Republican caucus. Mrs. Blanche Bates on the day of the .Republican caucus made numerous telephone calls to her “party” friends telling them to attend that “something was going to happen — can’t tell you what, just be there.” At 5 p.m. on the day of the Republican caucus Mrs. Schleeter received a telephone call from the office of two attorneys at Warsaw. She won by one vote. A “woman’s angle” won by one vote. A “woman’s angle” was conducted and the town general election was mixed up further by two paster tickets, and although Mrs. Schleeter did not receive a majority vote she was elected. She failed completely to serve as clerk-treasur-er. She stayed a few months, hiring at times as many as four women to take care of her books and then resigned and Connolly placed in office Mr. Calnon. Mr. Calnon, who was in on the above has served the remainder of the term and seven months on a second term. Through the failure of thfe town board president to take his responsibilities and serve the public, Mr. Calnon literally ran the town. He did the best he could. He certainly took the responsibilities shoved off on him seriously. The board hired out-of-town bookkeepers and hired more clerical help. The clerk-treasurer was avaiiable only three hours a day, five days a week, instead of six days a week and all daylong. The clerk-treasurer acted as “mayor,” buying, hiring, firing, giving orders to police, street, water employees. This is the board’s duty. The clerk-treasur-er was also appointed to the office of building commissioner — You cannot hold two public offices at the same time. Ronald Sharp, the leg man for the Warsaw paper and who operated a gossip column in said sheet, was continuously praising Mrs. Schleeter’s abilities and experience in the columns of the paper. She had no experience. The paper refused to carry paid advertising of mine and never failed to give me a "black eye,” at every opportunity. They ALWAYS put my name in the paper (when necessary) in a manner other than the way I commonly sign it. At one time when I was an honor guest (with Ethel Bowser) at a year-end library board dinner, they left out all reference j to me in the story. I have a r"' file of hundreds of such incidents. This is “Freedom of the Press?" The board has been trying to hide the information given below. The fact that the clerk-trea-surer had resigned was kept from the citizens here at least six weeks after the board* knew about it. Ronald Sharp made out the budget when he was not even clerk-treasurer—and Calnon has

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not turned his finger for months except to sign checks. On August 2, I presented a list of questions to the clerk-treasur-er asking about finances of' the town. He refused to give me any information. Robert Reed, town attorney, then stepped in and told me that I certainly was entitled to all information and that he himself would get this information. I received it on August 23. Following are the questions: 1. How much money December 31, 1967, in the Syracuse water company funds? Answer total of $31,935.07. When the undersigned left office at the end of year 1963 this fund contained a sum of $47,505.41. Thus this fund has been tapped for more than sls, 000, over and above the normal increase that the water company had always shown. (The water company does owe money on a bond issue which this fund pays off. The bonds are at a low rate interest and excess money placed on interest almost pays all this charge and gives the board ready money for any emergency). 2. How much money in sewage company funds at end of 1967? Answer $3, 858.27. No fair comparison can be made for 1963 as the sewage company was just getting underway at that time. 3. Are all bills p‘aid up by town that are now due? Answer some 60 days old. According to the town attorney the town got into a !f bind” when the tax board took out of the budget the sum of $13,000 last year by a “mistake.” The failure to get this money has caused he town this trouble, they say. It is my understanding that the clerktreasurer was not present at the tax board meeting, but on vacation. This $13,000 was supposed to be for the payment of bills of the fire department. In the 29 years I have been in Syracuse I would say that this was the first time a clerk-treasurer was not present at the tax meeting to defend his budget. And also, if the money is not on hand, it is against the law for a clerk-treasurer to order or accept any service or materials. The clerk-treasur-er is required by law to state in writing prior to any purchase, that “I hereby certify that there is an unobligated balance in this appropriation sufficient to pay for the above order”. 4. How much money does the water company and the sewage company pay on policeman’s salaries? Answer each $1,852 in 1967. 5. How much is salary of clerk-treasurer? Answer $3,780. In addition this clerk has been paid for acting as building commissioner. 6. Did the town of Syracuse pay anything on the water and sewage extensions to the Stucky addition? Answer none. 7. What did the board agree to do for the new industrial park area, recently purchased from Dick Miller by an Elkhart firm? Answer: No record. The clerk-treasurer cannot be blamed for this. He was on vacation when this happened. Reports are that Lessig and Lessig, town engineers, are now at work on plans to extend 8 or 10 inch water mains and also sewage lines to this area. Guesses go from $50,000 to $150,000 on this improvement. I do not say that this is wrong. I do say that the citizens are entitled to know in advance what the board promises and what it is going to cost. Back-To-School Cash & Carry Specials Golden Rule 2-Hour Quick Cleaners Wawasee Village, Syracuse Dial 457-3553 Best dry cleaning in Syracuse Co-op Like, "not cheap but better” ...... 8 lbs. $1.95 Winter Coats (not zipper lining or fur) Special .. $1.95 Free piece of useful, beautiful kitchen-ware with each $5.00 dry cleaning order.

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The clerk-treasurer says that he told Connolly and the board that “you make more promises than LBJ and can keep them to about the same extent”. So — there WERE promises made. But the public is too dumb to be allowed to know. 8. Has the board discussed the possibility of raising the rates of the water company? Answer: No record. Well, I can tell you that the board HAS discussed this matter unless one board member told me a lie, which I doubt. So get ready for an increase in water rates next. The answer seems to be: Just spend more money. 9. How much money in 1967 was paid to accounting firms for bookkeeping services? No answer given here. They have had such services of course—and under Sharp it is planned to keep it up. It is a clear miscarriage. Past clerks kept their own books. Indiana law says this is their duty. The tax rate of the town of Syracuse in 1963 was a little UNDER the $2 mark. The proposed 1969 rate is $2.87 (Sharp and Connolly politics!) The amount of taxes the town proposed to collect in 1963 was $63,026.84. The amount of taxes proposed to be collected in 1969 is $88,132. The town has allowed the street parking meter fund to go down from near $5,000 annually to last year $2,947. There is no uptown supervision. The SIO,OOO (plus interest) that was on hand in the Grieder fund has been spent. Who knows where? The bridge near Mr. Calnon’s home should have been built by Kosciusko county. It would have been, too if anyone took the time and effort to get it done. I succeeded in getting the county to build both the Main street bridge and the Boston street bridge. Yes, Mr. Connolly went along on one trip to Warsaw but he said nothing and did nothing to aid. If part of this fund went to pay for the Hoopingarner real estate the public was not advised in advance nor afterwards. In the sanitation company, from May 1,1962, to December 31, 1963, (20 months) I spent the sum of $32,805.54. In the year of 1967 (12 months) Mr. Calnon spent $40,716.52. The town this year spent over SI,OOO for a heating plant for the scout cabin. Appreciated — but they broke the law in doing this. Street workers here are still paid SI.BO per hour and the town assistant clerk is paid $1.55 per hour. She does ALL THE WORK and Calnon and Sharp get the “gravy.” Well, they tell me that is just “smart politics.” A hundred dollars a week for a parttime job! If any member of the board ran his own finances the way this board (NOT the clerk-trea-

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surer) has run town affairs he would be bankrupt. The board O.K.’s every check in writing, and this is the final responsibility. * The best thing that could happen would be for the whole bunch to resign. A citizen’s committee could pick a board that would SERVE and they cbuld certainly find a clerk-treasurer that would be available in Syracuse every day. The town is commiting suicide in allowing this to continue. The splinter party that Sharp has been working on for years was thought up in Warsaw to defeat me. While I operated the local paper, they made NO headway, but in later years they had everything their own way. IF the Warsaw paper and Sharp were so cracked on “serving” this community (as they intimate), why did they not at end of 1967 when the town was having another election give the people the facts? They wanted to protect their own people — it is that simple. I think the citizens of the community have a right to know what has been going on in the town government. The end is not in sight either. There is some strong language in this article, and I believe it to all be true. If anyone can show me where I have made one statement contrary to fact, I will apologize. J. Barton Cox Fairfield’s Budget , Approved Thursday The Fairfield board of school trustees met in special session at 8 p.m. last Thursday for the purpose of conducting a local hearing on the proposed 1969 budget. No patrons were present and the board unanimously adopted the resolution of tax levies and appropriations as published. They are as follows: General fund $4.30, debt service fund, $1 and cumulative building fund 25 cents on each SIOO of taxable property. In other business, the board accepted the resignation of Mrs. Robert Larimer, cook, at the new high school; granted a transfer to Zoe Yoder to Goshen high school so that she might enroll in French which Fairfield does not offer; and set actual cash values for purposes of insurance on the new high school building and contents. The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held September 10 at 7:30. JOYCE SPONSELLER WINS RIBBON Joyce Sponseller of r 3 Warsaw won a white ribbon at the state fair on September 1 with her demonstration in horse and pony in the state 4-H and FFA demonstration contest.

Perry Hoovers To Celebrate 69th Wedding Anniversary

Mr. and Mrs. Perry Hoover of near Milford will celebrate their 69th wedding anniversary on Tuesday, Sept. 10. A family dinner is being planned but no open house will be held. Mr. and Mrs. Hoover have three children, Harry of Fort Wayne, Robert and Mrs. Charlene Traster, both of Milford; five grandsons, Richard and Ray Hoover, Fort Wayne, Frank Hoover of Park Forest, Hl., Don Hoover of Milford and Howard Fuller of Sylvania, Ohio. There are 17 great-grandchildren. Local Holsteins Receive Lactation Credits A report of milk production levels attained by dairy cows in area herds has been received from Holstein-Friesian Association of America. The actual food production output, under official testing rules, by these local Registered Holsteins is: Ulika Pride Burke Betsy 6525559, a two-year-old, produced 17,900 pounds of milk and 577 pounds of butterfat in 351 days; Ulika Sky Comet Abby 6525557, a two-year-old, had 15,620 pounds of milk and 568 pounds of butterfat in 353 days. Both are owned by Harold Wilson, Milford. These new production figures may be compared to the estimated annual output of 8,513 pounds of milk and 315 pounds of butterfat by the average U. S. dairy cow, notes the national Holstein association. Purdue university supervised the sampling, weighing and testing operations in cooperation with the Holstein organization’s herd and treed improvement programs. Dan Beer Places At Judging Dan Beer was one of the individual winners in the 4-H dairy judging competition held Monday at the Indiana state fair in Indianapolis. Dan won money. MARIE BEERY WINS RED RIBBON Marie Beery of r 2 Claypool won a red ribbon in the state 4-H and FFA demonstration contest with baked goods.

Qualifications and Beliefs ofKenneth Haney CANDIDATE FOR Lakeland School Board FROM DISTRICT 111 (Van Buren and East Half of Jefferson Townships) In filing for candidacy for the Lakeland School Board from District 111 (Van Buren and Jefferson townships), 1 would like to submit my qualifications, family and educational hack ground, and my aspirations for the Lakeland schools for the consideration of the corporation’s voters in the November 5 election —

Mrs. Haney and I own and operate our farm in Jefferson township. We have three children — Larry, a Goshen teacher; Galen, a salesman residing near North Webster; and Mrs. Eugene Cotton of Pierceton. Among these three families there are four college degrees. I have taught school in St. Joseph and Kosciusko Counties for 13 years. I have had 3% years of college at Indiana University and hold an Indiana teacher’s life’s license. I am an active member of the Island Chapel United Methodist Church and have held most offices in the church. I am now church treasurer and leader of Men’s Work. As Men’s Work leader—and with the help of many others—we . . . a. Canvassed Jefferson township the first time for CROP to initiate this worthwhile project which has become an annual Kosciusko county project. b. Were active in the beginning of the Kosciusko County Blood Bank program in World War 11.

I Welcome The Support of All Who Believe In These Principles

HIT AND RUN CAR FOUND The driver of a white Rambler which struck and damaged a parked 1965 Mercury owned by Lowell Leer, Syracuse, last Friday at Goshen is expected to be questioned by police. The car, which was found with a wheel missing along SR 119, hit the Leer car in the 100 block of West Lincoln avenue. The driver left the scene of the accident. A woman witness gave Leer the license number of the hit-run car. Pythian Club Meets At Lake Cottage The Pythian club of Syracuse met in the lake cottage of Mrs. Mary Brown for a pot luck dinner at noon Thursday. Mrs. Herbert Blue presided at the business meeting. Games were played during the afternoon. Winners were: High, Mrs. Ethel Grubb; travel, Mrs. Be von Crafton and low, Mrs. Robert Moser. Mrs. Estella Swartz won the door prize. Syracuse Locals Mr. and Mrs. G. B. Hadsall of Attica, Kans., visited in the home of Mrs. Ella Unrue, Mrs. Agnes Stiffler and other friends and relatives in the Syracuse area last week. Mr. and Mrs. Clem Gangler Jr., and children were guests last week of Rev. and Mrs. T. L. Hertenstein. Mr. Gangler is a high school teacher at Normal, Hl., and is a nephew of Mrs. Hertenstein.

NOTICE ON GARBAGE COLLECTION All garbage must be wrapped and placed in 30 gallon or less container with lid. No 55 gallon open containers will be used as garbage containers in the future. If these are used, garbage will not be picked upBy Order Os The Syracuse Town Board

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Ed Tatman Hospitalized Following Accident Edwin Tatman, 44, of SyraSyracuse was admitted to the Goshen hospital following a twocar accident near Oakwood Park, one-half mile south of Syracuse at 11:05 p.m. Thursday. Tatman, whose 1968 Rambler station wagon was involved in the collision, sustained fractures of the left shoulder and four ribs, a left shoulder puncture wound and lacerations. Betty J. Sicks, 31, r 4 Syracuse, whose 1959 Chevrolet was struck by Tatman’s auto, was not hurt. According to state trooper Donald Sand and Syracuse police, Tatman was northbound, crossed the centerline at a bridge and sideswiped the oncoming Sicks’ auto. The accident is under investigation. Mr. Tatman is listed improved.

c. Work with about 100 churches of all faiths to collect good reading material for Indiana state prison “Good Literature Day.” I am a member of the Board of Trustees of Indiana North of the United Methodist Church. I am a charter member and vice president of the Kosciusko County Historical Society. I am vice president of the Van Buren-Jeffer-son Township Farm Bureau. Statement of Beliefs I believe in good schools at moderate cost. I believe this annual spiral of increased and burdensome taxes must be stopped or reduced. I believe a better means of communications between school board members, teachers, patrons and taxpayers must be established. If elected, the latch string will be out. All taxpayers will be welcomed and shall be heard in a courteous manner without the fear of being ridiculed, insulted, berated or in any manner unbecoming a citizen of the Lakeland community schools.

Win In Carcass Classes At Fair Kosciusko and Noble county farmers won awards in the carcass classes of the Hoosier quality lamb contest at the state fair this year. Their placings are as follows: 80-90 pounds — Second, Jim Thomas, r 4 Warsaw; tenth, Thomas. 100 pounds — First, Latimer and son, r 5 Warsaw; second, Thomas; 12th, Thomas. 101-110 pounds — Eleventh, Helene Harper and family, Cromwell. Grand champion wether carcass, Latimer and son.

INDIAN LORE GUERNSEY DISPERSAL SALE Mr. and Mrs. H. C. (Jack) Schlichtenmeyer — Owners Cromwell — Phone 856-2491 1 mile east of the fish hatchery MONDAY, SEPT. 16 12:30 p.m. 46 head of registered Guernsey to sell and equipment Romayne Sherman Auctioneer