The Morning Call from Allentown, Pennsylvania • 33

FOURTH B10 THE MORNING CALL. ALLENTOWN. FRIDAY. AUGUST 7. 1981 BeftlhDelheirtn) sypairppeinidein BSkeDy to gett job ireimswall 1 By TOM SCHROEDER Of The Morning Call said no board member ever objected to extending LaFrankie's term, but there was an issue over the timing.

A few Bethlehem board members saw no urgency in acting with two years left on his existing contract. Director Orlando "Fubs" Maura pointed out that an extension of the contract beyond 1983 would lock in the Monday night. But LaFrankie could not be given a new contract immediately. Technically, he could be without a job for a week. The board has been advised by Solicitor Frank Danyi Jr.

that it will have to call a special meeting to fill the vacancy and that five days' notice must be given for the meeting. who thrives on challenges. When the prospect of leaving Bethlehem was still a possibility, LaFrankie said he was very happy in the district and enjoyed a good relationship with the staff, board and community. He acknowledged that if he left he would be leaving a number of programs that have just been started. One of those is the planning for transition to the middle schools, which is still a year away.

Legally, the superintendent apparently will have to resign the five-year appointment he accepted on July 1, 1978. when he came to Bethlehem from Deer Park, N. Y. The resignation could come at a board meeting 3 need two years, in my judgment, for relocation if you are not going to stay where you are." LaFrankie reportedly "rated well" during a private evaluation of his performance last year by the Bethlehem board, but nothing was done officially to extend his term in the district. William Fenstermakerl board president, said in May, "We have a top-quality administrator in Dr.

LaFrankie. It wouldn't surprise trie to see other districts trying to steal him away from us. I'd consider it most unfortunate if we'd lose him." Fenstermaker said the interest in LaFrankie from a district the size of the District of Columbia was a compliment to Bethlehem and those who originally selected him. The matter of the superintendent's contract was left in limbo while Washington officials were pondering their choice. One Bethlehem official It appearlikely that the Beth-' lehem Area School Board soon will offer Supt.

Robert L. LaFrankie a new five-year contract. That in itself will be significant 1 news in a district that has seen revolving-door superintendencies since the mid-1960s. Dr. LaFrankie has had three permanent predeces-sors, and there have been three other interim or acting superintendents since Dr.

Charles E. Chaffee retired 15 years ago. LaFrankie, now starting the fourth year of a five-year contract, was a finalist two months ago for the su-perintendency of public schools in the JDistrict of Columbia, but that district eventually settled on a nominee with I experience in its own system. When the Washington opening be- came known, LaFrankie said, "You top administrative post for a school board that could by that time have six new members. However, another director noted that the board often is required to take actions that will bind future boards.

There is now an agreement on the timing and a new five-year term that will obviate the need to deal with an extension again in another year or two. Aside from the issue of job security in Bethlehem. LaFrankie was known to be interested in a position like the one in Washington because he describes himself as an administrator YOU'RE A CAPTIVE IN OUTER SPACE AND DRIFTING ASTEROID BOULDERS ARE HEADING STRAIGHT FOR YOUR SHIP he believes abortion should be allowed under certain circumstances. Of those who responded, 38 percent shared this view. Almost half said abortion should be allowed for those who want it and 13 percent said abortion should not be allowed in any case.

Ritter said, "I think abortion is a question of conscience, a moral decision." He said that, politically, "There is no way you win on abortion in any event I personally feel there has been certain abuse of the Supreme Court ruling (of 1973, legalizing abortions). I believe we have to resist somewhat the abortion-on-demand society we're becoming. Several weeks ago Ritter entered into the Con- gressional Record' some comments of his own regarding Turkey. Included with those comments was an article that implied Cyprus was abetting terrorists who attacked Turkish diplomats. The remarks have since been de- termined to be unfounded and the alleged source of the remarks, a John Rees, has claimed he never made them.

Asked howthis happened, Ritter said, "My statement was accurate. The article inserted with it was inaccurate and regrettable. That was iust one thing that slipped through it was a mistake. Ritter said it happened during a busy day at the office and his staffers apparently did not take the time to examine the article clipped to the back of his statement. "We're making sure articles that go into the Congressional Record receive intense scrutiny," he said.

The congressman said he expects the administration to pay more attention to foreign policy in the fall and feels his efforts to do something for the Afghanistan freedom fighters who are resisting Soviet domination of the country will begin to take effect. "It's a question of the mechanisms the administration uses to address the situation coming to bear," he said. "We recently had hearings on Afghanistan. Our role is to create a climate of public support." Ritter said work is being done to improve internal communications in the mountainous country by establishing radio stations, such as Voice of America programs. Ritter called the press conference as the first of what he said will be periodic interviews with the local media to discuss subjects of general concern.

HITTER Continued From Page B1 Of the passage of the administration's spending and tax cut packages, Ritter said, "This is a new beginning, literally. "What we have done is make some major shifts in the direction of the economy. What we have done is take some first steps in bringing under control the federal budget. We have taken a first step in shifting the resources of the country from the government back to the private sector. "The basic war to revise the American economy is about to be fought," he said.

Ritter cautioned, "It took a couple of decades to bring the American economy to a near standstill" and it will take "more than a few months" to turn it back. He said the first three years of the program is just the start and, if things go well, further tax reductions will be in order after those years. Asked if a reduced federal budget would not simply transfer the work and tax burden to state and local governments, the congressman said, "They're going to be encouraged to do some belt-tightening as well. It's not going to be an easy row to hoe." Ritter noted "the political game" works against long-term economic programs that span congressional and presidential terms of office, but said he is optimistic. "The people of the Lehigh Valley know we're not miracle workers and it's gong to take some time to pull out of it.

Asked about his position on the Three Mile Island nuclear plants, Ritter said he supports the restart of the undamaged Unit 1. "It will be the key source of revenue for the cleanup of TMI-2," the reactor damaged more than two years ago, he said. He said that, as time goes on and metal components begin to corrode, cleanup becomes an increasingly dangerous proposition. He said he stays in close contact with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the issue.

Preliminary results of a recent informal poll of his constituents show 80 percent agree with him in favoring firing up the power plant, Ritter said. Another question on the poll dealt with abortion. Asked how he would have answered the question, he said Slatington woman named 'Berg registrar the staff of Muhlenberg in 1968 as assistant registrar. She succeeds Jim Morgan, acting registrar since ASTEROIDS Mrs. Eileen M.

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