The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 32

METRO and Area News THE CINCINNATI December 2, 1980 NEWS HIGH NEIGHBOR: Richard Johnson takes a the background are the steeple of St. Paul Catholic breather as he works on renovation of the roof of his Church and the Cincinnati Post building. Kickback Claim, Firing Probed LAWRENCEBURG, -Dearborn County Prosecutor Joseph Votaw said Monday he will ask for a grand jury investigation into allegations that County Republican Chairman Nathan Schwanholt demanded a $200-per-week kickback from the manager of the Lawrenceburg Auto License Branch Office. Violet Fox, who has managed the license branch for 12 years, was notified in a letter from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles last Friday that she was being fired on Schwanholt's recommendation. The letter from the bureau, signed by Bureau Commissioner Michael M.

Packard, said that Mrs. Fox would be replaced as office manager in Lawrenceburg by Schwanholt's wife, Carmen. Mrs. Schwanholt already is the office manager of the Aurora License Branch. Mrs.

Fox contended that Schwanholt wanted her dismissed because she refused to pay him $200 per week. Mrs. Fox recorded the conversation which Schwanholt allegedly made the request and turned the recording and her letter of dismissal over to Votaw Monday, the prosecutor said. VOTAW SAID he would turn them over to a grand jury he will ask Circuit Judge Lester Baker to convene. deaths Herman Bischoff, Cincinnati Artist Herman Bischoff, 72, Cincinnati-born artist, died Monday at his retirement home in Fairhope, Ala.

A native of Clifton and graduate of Hughes High School and the Cincinnati Art Mr. Bischoff was an illustrator for several national magazines, including the Saturday Evening Post, Colliers, Cosmopolitan, the New Yorker and Esquire. He was a member of the New York Illustrator's Society and was listed in Who's Who among American artists. A classmate at the Cincinnati Academy and now a practicing artist in Chicago, Edward Clusin, called Mr. Bischoff "perhaps the most famous Cincinnati artist in 50 years." Clusin said another colleague, upon seeing Mr.

Bischoff's work, decided he "had found the answer to this business." Mr. Bischoff was teaching at Eastern Shore Fine Art Academy in Virginia prior to his death. He is survived by his wife, Virginia, who now lives in Fairhope. Funeral arrangements are incomplete. James R.

Gibson, 88, died Sunday at Miami Heart Institute in Florida. He was a former Cincinnati resident and president of Gibson Art Co. Mr. Gibson retired years ago from the company founded by four Gibson brothers in 1850. He became president in 1947.

The company is the oldest greeting card firm in the world, and one of the largest. Mr. Gibson was a member of Country Club and Queen City Club. In Florida, his home during recent years, Mr. Gibson belonged to Riviera Country Club in Coral Gables and Bath Country Club in Miami.

Gibson Art Co. became an international business before it was sold in 1964 to C.I.T. Financial Corp. Mr. Gibson's wife, Katharine, died three years ago.

He is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Lewis Daniel; a son, James R. Gibson three sisters, Mrs. Lucas Venning, Mrs. Milton Bowman and Mrs.

Frances Russell, and three grandchildren. Services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at Spring Grove Chapel. No visitation. Burial will be in Spring Grove.

Memorials may be made to Miami Heart Institute, 4701 Meridian Miami, Fla. 33140, or to the local American Heart Association. Frank Rogers, 49, of Finneytown died Sunday at Good Samaritan Hospital after a sudden illness. He was executive vice-president of Cincin- Charter Panel Gains Opposing Opinions BY SUE MacDONALD Enquirer Reporter The committee drafting a charter for Hamilton County received diverse and polar opinions Monday when it asked for ideas on how many commissioners should become the legislators for the county and how they should be elected. Should the county be governed by three commissioners, as it is now, or should there be five, seven or nine? Should the commissioners, however many, be elected at-large from anywhere within the county? Should they be elected like state legislators, from a defined territory? Or, for the sake of balance, should some be elected from wards and some at-large? Should they all be elected in the same year, or should terms be staggered? More than 60 interested citizens gathered at Christ Church downtown to give their opinions to the five-member committee, which hopes to write a county charter by January and present it to voters next November.

For every point of view, there was a person to promote it. REPRESENTATIVES OF a citizens' review board suggested all three alternatives for the number of commissioners -five, seven and nine. Persons arguing for the lesser number of elected commissioners based their opinion on efficiencythe fewer the conflicting opinions, the easier decisions are made. Those promoting seven or nine commissioners said the larger more representative of the county and would prevent decisions from being made in a vacuum. Among the representatives was Sheriff Lincoln who supported a commission solely com- incl.

SATURDAYS, NOW TILL posed of at-large representatives. Commissioners elected from wards, he said, would bring about "fragmented and special-interest government." Others said they felt the commission should be a combination of at-large and ward delegates to ensure they represent the citizens individually but have a broad enough base to tackle countywide issues effectively. THE REV. James Milton, a representative of the black community, supported ward elections so all constituents could feel sure their interests would be represented on the commission. "I cannot envision any support for a county charter in the black community with an at-large system because it automatically excludes us," he said.

Milton agreed with Sycamore Township Trustee Denny McKeown that most blacks live within the City of Cincinnati, but he pointed out that many services- -the welfare department, the correctional system, tax rates -are handled by the county. Any system proposed by the charter, he said, must include latitude for participation by blacks and other minorities (including Democrats, some said) if officials expect to receive the black vote, he said. COMMISSIONER ROBERT Wood said he supported a commission of no fewer than seven members, four of whom are elected from districts and three of whom are elected atlarge. Delhi Township Trustee Dusty Rhodes, who once ran unsuccessfully for county commissioner, emerged as a strong supporter of political patronage rather than the civil service when discussion turned to the operation of county personnel under a charter government. Photo for The Enquirer BY JEFF HINCKLEY home at 1614 Cumber Mount Auburn.

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Gentry, until 30 days after Christmas. All major credit cards welcome. KENWOOD On Galbraith just off Montgomery Rd TRICENTRE Princeton near W.B. Meier Furniture: 791-9800 across TILL CHRISTMAS: License branch office managers are political patronage jobs in Indiana. The appointments technically are made by the governor through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

But in practice, county chairman of the governor's party recommends persons for jobs to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, according to bureau officials. Schwanholt, contacted at his home Monday night, denied doing anything improper. He said he never asked Mrs. Fox to give him a kickback, he merely asked her to put him on the payroll of the license branch at $200 per week. "That wasn't asking for a kickback, that was just asking for a job like anyone else would ask for a job," he said.

"I understand she made a recording of our conversation. If she did I'm glad, because that will show what I really said." Schwanholt insisted that Mrs. Fox's refusal to hire him had nothing to do with her termination, although he refused to say why he wanted her removed. He said that Mrs. Fox had made contributions to the party over the years, although she did not always make contributions as large as those made by patronage employees in other counties.

-DAVE WELLS nati Board of Realtors since 1972. He also co-ordinated courses in the Real Estate Department of University of Cincinnati. Mr. Rogers was a member of the Executive Officers Committee and the State and Board Leadership Advisory Committee of the National Association of Realtors. He also served on the Convention Committee, Political Affairs Committee and Education Committee of the Ohio Association of Realtors.

Mr. Rogers came to Cincinninati from Fort Worth, Texas, where he was executive vice president of Fort Worth Board of Realtors. He also belonged to American Society of Association Executives. Mr. Rogers is survived by his wife, Bettie; his mother, Hettye Rogers, and his brother, William Rogers.

Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at Anderson Funeral Home, 8611 Winton Finneytown. No visitation. Burial will be in Fort Worth. The family suggests memorials be made to the Northern Hills life squad unit, or favored charities.

Michael Eckert, 81, of Blue Ash died Sunday at Bethesda Hospital North after a long illness. Mr. Eckert was retired from Lockwood Manufacturing Co. He was a former left-handed pitcher for the Cotton States League, and also for the Fenwick Club of Cincinnati. He belonged to the Blue Ash Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Eckert is survived by his daughter, Dottie Durham; three sisters, Margaret Horstman, Norma Schaiblein and Irene Sprang, and a granddaughter. Visitation will be 6-9 p.m. today at Strawser Funeral Home, 9503 Kenwood Blue Ash. Services will be at the funeral home Wednesday, 10:30 a.m.

Burial will be in Rest Haven Cemetery, Blue Ash. Memorials may be made to Blue Ash Presbyterian Church. Mary White Francis, Mount Lookout, died Saturday at the William Booth Hospital in Florence. Mrs. Francis was a retired clerk with GlobeWernke Corp.

There will be graveside services at 2 p.m. today at Laurel Cemetery in Madisonville. There is no visitation. Allison and Rose Funeral Home, Covington, is in charge. deaths elsewhere Thomas B.

Slate, 99, an inventor credited with developing dry ice for use in commercial re- nursing frigeration, home died in of Corvallis, cancer last Ore. He Wednesday would naive been 100 today. CINCINNATI Pike near Kemper Rd SWIFTON CENTER Seymour, Reading Rds from Gold Circle: 772-3000 351-3220 1180.