The Daily Journal du lieu suivant : Vineland, New Jersey • 11

Daily Journal EDITORIAL BOARD Nancy Monaghan, editor and publisher Geri Ferrara, opinion page editor David Stomp, managing editoroperations Saturday, September 2, 2000 All up ON GURViEW Vineland will be lucky to dodge ataxincrease The Vineland city governments budget-balancing act has sparked lots of sound and fury during the past week, but whether it represents true financial wizardry or mere smoke and mirrors remain to be Jshf ibiM READER VIEWS determined. Whatever the case, Vineland taxpayers shouldn't get too comfortable with Mayor Perry Barse's $39.7 million budget plan and its promise of no tax increase. In fact, they may be well-advised to brace themselves. For one thing, the no-tax-increase budget hinges to some extent on a large boost in annual state discretionary aid The budget plan calls for $872,000 in such aid, about four times what the city received last year. Past performance by the state on such requests hasn't been good, and there's no reason to expect Vineland to receive much more than it did last year.

If it doesn't get any of the money, an outcome we also don't expect, taxes would go up by 5 cents per $1,000 of assessed real estate value Then there's the matter of the Vineland Community Nursing Service. Barse has proposed eliminating this service, which operates at a $11 million annual deficit, and having it taken over by South Jersey Health System This move would cut 20 jobs and save 2 to 3 cents on the tax rate this year, 5 cents next year. But many thorny issues arise over this proposal, one being whether a plan can even be hammered out in time Health system officials said Friday their contact with city officials on the matter has only been preliminary. No specifics have been developed and no timelines worked out, they said Barse him- by their loved ones through such callous acts. I recognized at least two persons who had recently died.

It was appalling to see their pictures as part of the "most-wanted" lineup, knowing they were deceased and their families would be subjected to unneces-sarypain. With all the technology, computer matching and click-of-the-mouse innovations available to law enforcement, how is it that the Sheriffs Department fails to check the obvious? Set up a network with the local hospitala Or, how about subscribing to the local newspaper? Have a little compassion. Don't make a joke when someone calls to say "a fugitive" has died. Regardless of your sarcastic remarks, there is one being who has the absolute final word as to what happens to each of us. So you see, you really didn't "get" your man or woman.

Wilma Lopez Vineland self has offered nothing in Nursing service fills crucial needs for city residents Most everyone at some time in their lives will be faced with taking care of a loved one in poor or failing health. "When sickness and tragedy strike, we are totally unprepared and need helpful, caring, compassionate professionals to guide and support us in all the rightdirections and decisions we must face The Vineland Community Nursing Service is a unique service that is irreplaceable. Its professionals work quickly, with the highest degree of integrity, care and compassion. They put the family at ease, and give you confidence your loved one will be properly cared for. A "great tragedy will fall on the city of Vineland if the VCNS is replaced by an outside for-profit service.

The visiting nurses know and understand our people. Elderlypeoplehavelivedand paid taxes in Vineland all of their lives. We should not turn our backs on them in their time of need I have used other for-profit agencies for assistance for my bedridden father, and their focus is on rules and regulations or "going by the book," which appear to be more important than care and concern for the patient I also experienced their unwillingness to listen to suggestions and requests from family members who know their patient best There was an occasion when I disputed the time an aide spent in my home and what she had accomplished. I asked that she sign in and out and record what services she had completed. The agency informed me I had no right to ask this.

Because Medicare is paying my father's occurred during this superintendent's tenure is reprehensible Those who say otherwise are biased and disgrace us all It is necessary to come to an agreement that the district must simply wait it out until the monies come, and thus enable the board to stop casting aspersions and insults on the administration Finally, it is prudent to add that anyone who knows Julie Botel personally, or her work professionally, knows the inordinate number of hours she works, the amount of respect she has garnered and the ease with which her personality makes her efficient and effective Any other district or institution would be honored and blessed to have her. Kohn should stand up publicly for the achievements of his administration so everyone can get the facts straight We cannot fail our children. Kudos to Board Member Robert Vanella, who does the math and finds that the sum of the parts is the whole idea Let's hope his decency multiplies, Anna Harrison Vineland Dead fugitives aren't fair game forSherifTsDept. To the Cumberland County Sheriffs Department I offer this one strong suggestion: Before sending in the "mugshots" for the newspaper's most-wanted feature, read the obituaries! I realize that in the eyes of many, these people are lawbreakers and should be brought to justice But whatever their faults or offenses, they are human beings who have parents, siblings, spouses andor children who are innocent and undeserving of the pain caused Del Bmndt Dunn House adds to city's attractions Sitting next to the Millville Historical Society at 206 E. Main St is a small home which has been restored for the public to enjoy.

It has taken a number of years for society members and friends to reopen the house and make it a historically important spot near the center of town. This house, newly painted and fully furnished, is open to the public on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons and offers a nice adjunct to the main society headquarters next door. Named the Baracha Dunn House, the structure was built by Baracha Dunn in 1798 when Millville was a small, bidding village still under control of a much larger Maurice River Township. Robert Francois, the historical society president says the house dates back to the 18th century and preserves a place where life in South Jersey 200 years ago can be examined close up. Much of the work in pie restoration process has been done by energetic volunteers headed by a restoration specialist Craig Allen.

Fola Bevan, longtime society officer, keeps it all rolling Over the years the building experienced several structural changes, one from a singletory buildingtoatwostoryplaceand finally to a duplex. It was mostly used as a business site but now has returned to what was originally intended a single home. According to Francois, the restorers aren't through yet They would like to build a barn at the rear to the house; an 1886 Whitaker Ice Wagon would then complete he restoration. Meanwhile, the public can tour the house, which has five rooms and an attic. The furnishings are a mix of Colonial and Victorian styles, A black wood-stove that occupies what may have been a fireplace in the master bedroom is on loan from the Cumberland County Historical Society, of which Francois is also a member.

A children's bedroom is furnished with a roped trundle bed and a portrait iof Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale," decorates the wall of another bedroom. In the parlor of the restored home is a framed newspaper clipping that shows the premises were used as a barber shop between 1923 and 1991, when the building, showing signs of decay, was sold by the city to the historical society for the sum of The intervening years were spent raising money and encouraging supporters to give of themselves and their dollars to turn the home into a historical site Inside, a small "keeping room" serves nicely as a living room, kitchen and sometimes bedroom furnished in the Colonial period. A real, home-like atmosphere has been achieved with the furnishing and small extras, which go to make up an interesting little home It now joins the forthcoming Millville Arts Center up on High Street to lure visitors who are interested in both history and the arts. Those involved in the restoration of the Dunn House deserve at for follcwir through, jj Hopefully, the Levoy Theatre folks can do the same i The "in-town" groups join with Wheaton Village to augment that site's popularity with the public 5 JJ IS Del Brandt is Cumberland County historian emeritus. His 00-umn appears on Saturday.

3 Correction 1 1 Becauseof an editing errur, the letter on Friday's Opinion page by Ed Piatt contained mistake Piatt wasreferring tp far moving this popular and necessary service into the private sector. The plan also begs the question of whether the private sector can handle it Many in Vineland's aging population depend on the community nurses, and given the tenuous nature of health care for the elderly and widespread shortages of nurses, now certainly seems to be a bad time to propose slashing this service from the budget Clearly, the City Council faces tough choices when its members begin their review of the mayor's draft budget on Thursday. And they may also face criticism if they restore proposed cuts however unrealistic or unpalatable they may be and end up with a tax increase. But Vineland is a growing city with ambitious goals. Council members shouldn't let fear of a small the way of a concrete plan PUKMD DOGFIGHTS I tax increase deter them from doing the right thing.

bill, it is the agency's responsibility to see that services are completed. Remember, home-care employees are often visiting unsupervised in your home You must have respect and trust, and your opinion on the care of the patient must be valued I ask all Vineland residents to concern yourselves with the proposed demise of the Vineland Community Nursing Service, as you never know when you will be the one in need. I am very proud that Vineland is host to this wonderful, greatly needed service I ask Vineland residents to help convince Mayor Barse of this, Gail Burke Vineland Kohn should point to record to quiet critics The Vineland Board of Education is holding Superintendent Gerald Kohn, Assistant Superintendent Julie Botel, and indeed the entire administration hostage That is the unfortunate, undeniable result, and the reality, of a district being the recipient of Abbott funding. Consequently, those who care about our schools and our children here in Vineland are also being held in a state of bondage I truly believe that the members of the board understand this but fail to publicly recognize that the money is coming, all the rest is form and formality, and that personal political gain should be left out for the well-being of our children (remember Therefore, not judging and accrediting the achievements of our system and all the new programs and successes that have Michael I Riley 7W said to myself "You know what would be good about now? A decapitation." "Oh, don't be obtuse," some anti-dancing fundamentalists say. "You know what we mean.

Sexy music leads to dancing, which inflames the loins and blocks your way to heaven." In the first place, these people really ought to keep their noses out of my loins. And second, my reading of Scripture indicates that husbands and wives are pretty much commanded to inflame each other's loins, at least now and then. So, if Fm all in favor of cutting the rug, and Susan longs to hootchy-kootchy occasionally, why "haven't I danced with my wife in a decade and a half? Because, to my everlasting sorrow and shame, I can't dance God gave me hips that move with all the grace and alacrity fif TIP TEE SPCA ABOUT Collect $1,625 reward Preacher wrestles with demons Write a letter to the editor The Daily Journal encourages an open forum with readers and is interested in your opinion. Send letters to The Daily Journal, 891 E. Oak Road, Vineland, J.

08360, or fax to 691-6535. You may also dictate a letter by call-ing 563-5287 orsenda letter by e-mail to If you have questions about letters or content, call Geri Ferrara at 5635257. of dance Of course, miracles can be treacherous, and the Holy Ghost can leave you flat-footed. For verily, I say unto you, God got me on the dance floor, without actually visiting unto me the ability to dance I just sort of held onto Sue and shuffled around "It's all right," she whispered into my ear. "There's nobody here but you and me" "Oh my God," I thought "She's been struck blind.1" Because, in fact, the dance floor was fairly filled with Freds and Gingers.

What she meant, of course, as she held me tight, was that it didn't matter how many people were around "You're doing fine," she said We danced until a fast song came oa Miracle or not, I sat down. That dance will come in time, Sue said, because wonders never cease and love is an endless surprise. Michael Riley, a staff writer for the Asbury Park Press, is an ordained Baptist minister His Lbs I JlJ for tip about dogfights Sixteen-hundred twenty-five dollars and counting that what you could earn for helping save the lives of innocent dogs. Our joint effort with our readers to put an end to dogfights in our region and the brutal killings of animals that stems from them has grown into a reward fund of $1,625. The Daily Journal started the reward program several weeks ago with $200 cash Shortly there-! after, several readers made $300 worth of donations and The Daily Journal added another $150.

Since then, the fund has continued to grow. Residents' concern over these crimes has risen in response to a sickening trend the killing and dis-; posal of dogs apparently wounded during dogfights 1 A tipster's information leading to a successful raid on a dogfight will be the first step in rounding up those responsible for these unconscionable crimes against innocent animals, If you have information about an upcoming dog-i fight, call the SPCA, Sherman Avenue and Orchard Road in Vineland, at 691-1500. Call in plenty of time for investigators to organize a raid Leave the day, time and location of the fight Leave a code name (you provide your own code name) to be used for reward purposes. If the SPCA receives more than one successful tip about the same dogfight, the $1,625 reward will be paid to the first caller. Once you see the story about the successful raid in The Daily Journal, contact the SPCA with your code name to make arrangements to receive your cash questions asked a rusty gate.

And even if I lubricate them with strong drink, Fm still faced with the prospect of moving my feet in a pattern more complicated than simply putting one foot in front of the other. Not to mention that there's music involved, music presumably you follow with the hip movements and footfalls. There's a whole procedure involved Plus, most of the time I watch guys dance, they look like losers. Dancing's a mug's game Not long ago, though, Sue and I ditched the kids, went out to dinner and wound up at some small club in Rah way. There was a tiny dance floor and an Elvis ballad playing softly.

And then the miracle happened I was Moses at the burning bush, Paul on the road to Damascus, Lazarus walking out of the tomb. Filled with the inexplicable power of the Holy Ghost, I heard my own voice asking Susan if she wanted to dance Never one to look a gift miracle in the mouth, Sue took my hard in hers and led me onto the dance floor. Not long ago, I danced with my wife for the first time in more than 15 years. Now, I don't want you to get the idea that Susan has suddenly turned into some seductive temptress, leading her man off the straight and narrow. Sue is about as upright as they come Heck, Amish farmers have told her she should loosen up.

The truth is that I've never held the same position on the subject of dance as some of my more severe Baptist brethren, who generally hold that dancing is a two-stepping hip-shake away from the flashing neon gatesofhelL Oh, sure, they think they've got the Bible on their side If Salome had not shimmied and undulated with such passion and fervor, they argue, well, Herod mighthave been thinking with his brain instead of little Herod, if you catch my drift, and not agreed to have John the Baptist's head chopped off and served on a silver platter. Now, Fve seen some pretty hot dancers in my far from sheltered life, and never once have I.