Amherst News-Times, 1997-07-23

              Pastor trades collar for coaching — Page 7    |   Investor faces jail — Page ?
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Amherst News-Time
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Wednesday, July 23, 1997
Amherst, Ohio
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Law director challenges council on coum
by Glen Miller
News-Times reporter
City law director Alan Anderson
has gone to war with cily council,
mayor John Higgins and other city
officials over who has the right to
name the city's bond counsel.
Anderson is seeking an injunction
in Lorain County Common Pleas
Court to overturn a July 14 decision
appointing the Cleveland law firm
of Squire, Sanders and Dempsey as
bond counsel. On Higgin's recommendation, the firm will handle the
issuance of $500,000 in bonds for
the renovation of city hall.
In a heated debate with Higgins
and council members last week, Anderson contended he and he alone
has the authority to select a bond
counsel, not council.
In his July 15 injunction request,
Anderson also is asking the court to
prohibit council or city officials
from retaining legal counsel for any
reason  without his knowledge or
consent.
Several council members, include
Diane Eswine, said Anderson could
have broached the subject in a less
threatening manner. She and others
said they considered a July 9 letter
aboul Higgins' recommendation and
its consequences to be threatening,
if nol intimidating.
In the letter, Anderson said he
would file a suit if council follows
Higgins's advise. In addition, Anderson said council members would
be required to pay for their own
legal defense because it would be in
opposition to his legal opinion.
If the court rules in council's favor, the cost of their defense can be
reimbursed by the cily, he added.
Anderson said he carefully researched his contention before writing the letter to council. Higgins
said he also had made inquiries wilh
law firms that supported his
recommendation.
"You're calling us all incompetent because you're saying you arc
ihc only one with enough brains to
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pick a bond counsel," he added.
Anderson replied Amherst's status as a statutory city gives him the
"authority."
Higgins also said council is justified because Anderson is nol experienced in the handling of bonds. In
addition, the city has used Squire,
Sanders and Dempsey's services for
70 years without any complaint.
But Anderson said he favors the
Cleveland law firm of Calfcc, Halter
and Griswold because it could perform the same service ai 85 percent
of the cost charged by Squires, San-
\gfeira__U-KSI
Local teens rehearse for "The Music Man," which opens this
weekend.
Sandstone marks
28th performance
with 'Music Man'
on summer stage
Sandstone Summer Theater
will present this year's production of "The Music Man" July
24, 25 and 26 at 8 p.m. in the
Nord Junior High School gym.
Celebrating its 28th year as
the area's oldest youth theater,
SST will sec ils largest cast and
crew ever of nearly 100 students
wilh 14 additional musicians in
the accompanying orchestra.
Premiered on Broadway in
1950, "The Music Man" by
Meredith Wilson, is the slory of
a con man who convinces a
small lown that the only way to
save ils children from a life of
crime is to organize a band. Professor Harold Hill promises lo
lead ihc band, but when the time
comes for him to sneck out of
lown, he finds he's fallen in love
wilh ihc local librarian.
Nan Mahony, in her 1 llh year
as SST director, said lhat this is
one of ihc most lalcnicd group
of kids she's ever worked wilh.
"Auditions were the most difficult I've encountered in a long
time and wc could have casl the
show in len different ways and
had ten great casts." Mahony
said "The Music Man" has
something for everyone — ballads, ragtime, barbershop music,
and Sousa marches — along
with richly drawn characters.
"Meredith Wilson is a genius,"
she said, "and he considered this
musical his valentine lo the peo
ple and town where he grew up
and the wonderful childhood
they gave him."
Even though the musical has
many comical moments, it is not
a spoof, she explained, since
Wilson wanted the audiences to
love the foibles of his characters
as much as he did.
Musical directors Simonc and
Steve Gall called ihis year's cast
very excited and coachable. "It's
nice to have a lot of younger
kids on stage, loo," said the
Galls, who are in their third year
with SST.
Richard Updegrovc HI, now
in his ninth season of acting
with SST, stars as Professor
Harold Hill, who fasttalks the
townspeople into buying band
instruments and uniforms to
keep the kids out of the pool
hall. Playing his love interest is
Julie Gall. Her character, Marian
the Librarian, battles gossip and
her own suspicions that the professor is up to no good to become his staunches! supporter.
An old partner in crime, Mar-
cellus Washburn, is played by
James Mahony. Now retired and
leading a life of bucolic contentment in River City, Iowa, Mar-
cellus reverts lo his old ways to
help the professor swindle the
town.
Chris Carafei plays Mayor
Shinn who leads the contingent
CONTINUED on page 2
Just a
touch
of magic
He looks like Merlin and
he acts like Merlin, but
he isn't. He's area magician Jim Kleefeld and
he visited the Amherst
Public Library recently
and played to a packed
house ol youngsters.
From the audience, this youngster manages a little magic ol his
own by pointing at some scarfs and making them drop to the
ground.
,
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Its the old rope trick as this fellow is asked to
get a knot out of a rope but finds it moves about
on him anyway.
dcrs and Dempsey.
The suit names c
John Diclrich, Diani
Kukucka,   Nancy   Brown,   David
Rice, John Mishak and Robert Sisler
in  addition   lo  Higgins,  treasurer
Kathleen Litkovitz and auditor John
Dunn.
During the council meeting, Litkovitz said she was warned by Anderson that she would be included in
the suit if she signed the documents
related to the ordinance awarding
CONTINUED on page 2
Fest cash
will help
city buy
park land
Some local organizers are hoping
to turn interest in golf, darts,
horseshoes and other community
sports into some money to buy park
lands for the city.
VTcrry Traster and councilmcmber
Dave Rice have organized the first
Amherst Parks and Sports Festival.
Willi the proceeds from the festival, Ihey arc hoping lo raise enough
cash to buy about 22 acres of properly located between Harris Elementary School and Crown Hill
Cemetery.
The three properly owners involved have offered to sell ihc property to the city for about 5150,000.
Traster said the properly will lie into
the city's plans lo develop a nature
park on donated land near ihc city
police station and jail facility.
Earlier this year, representatives
of the county MetroParks system
showed plans utilizing park lands in
Amherst to be incorporated in the
system's trails. One contained land
already owned by the city but the
second included the properties that
could be bought if the group raises
enough money.
The festival is spread oul over
several days in August and is taking
place at different locations in
Amherst.
Trasier noted that sponsors are
still needed for each event and although prizes will be given, the
prize is dependent on the number of
participants who register and sponsor donations.
Donations are also being accepted
toward purchase of the park land
and can be sent to the Amherst
Parks and Sports Festival, 1013 Milan Avenue, Amhersl.
Anyone who would like to enter
any of the festival events can also
send a check to the same address or
call Traster at 988-9070, or Rice at
984-3398.
The group has a small amount of
seed money and is planning other
fundraising efforts to raise park monies. Traster said a co-worker, Dave
Robinson, has come up with a lasting way for residents to donate toward the project.
The group plans to sell time capsules which will be buried in a park
area to be unearthed by family
members in 100 years.
The following is a list of the activities and the donation to
participate:
• Saturday, Aug. 9: 8:30 a.m., a
5K run/walk begins at the Marion L.
Steele High School parking lot. Registration is $10 or $12 the day of
the race. The first 100 entrants will
receive a T-shirt.
• Wednesday, Aug. 13: 8 p.m., a
dart throwing tournament will be
held at the Cedar Pub in downtown
Amherst. Cost is $10 per person or
$12 the day of the event.
• Saturday, Aug. 16: 9 ajn.,
ihree-on-three basketball tournament begins at the Powers Elementary School basketball courts. Cost
is $50 for a five-person team or $60
the day of the event.
• Saturday, Aug. 16: 5 p.m., a
horseshoe tournament begins a the
Amhersl   Historical   Society's
CONTINUED on page 3
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