The Record from Hackensack, New Jersey • 3

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1996 THE RECORD MEW JEG3 a Senate ds 'city' anei opposes Meaaowian the commission too much regulatory power. "The business community feels it's good because it creates jobs, Scott said. "They are going to be impacted with something new: environmental police." Scott and other elected officials say that before allowing the Meadowlands to be developed, the fetate should encourage development in Jersey City, Kearny, Newark and other nearby urban areas. In opposing the plan, Scott is aligned with some of the environmental organizations he often opposes on other issues. But the environmentalists don't go as far as Scott in opposing the commission.

Andrew Willner, head of New York-New Jersey Harbor Baykeeper, said that while his group generally supports the commission's wetland preservation goals, it believes the agency should have done a better job on its plan. Willner expressed hope that with prod Carlstadt' population would triple to 17,000. "Generally spoaklng, the people of Carlstadt are very upset," said Mayor William Roseman, who was elected in November on an anti-development platform. Roseman and other local officials at the committee meeting complained that the commission keeps towns from pursuing their own development policies. Peter Russo, a former Assemblyman, said the commission is run "like a dictatorship." Karen Siletti, coordinator of the Coalition of Meadowlands Communities, said the plan would lead to "destructive sprawl." "We do not need more urban sprawl we do not need more traffic, more air pollution, more huge developments that detract from our quality of life," Siletti said.

Scott, a Lyndhurst Republican, said the proposal would wind up hurting businesses that favor the plan, because it will give BRINGING THE Anthony Scardino the commission's executive director, countered that Sen. John P. Scott, the resolution's sponsor, is responding to "parochial issues," while the commission is working as a "regional agency." The commission's plan would allow construction of 14,000 housing units, 18 million square feet of office space, 16 million square feet of warehouse space, and 2.7 million square feet of commercial space. Those allowed to build in the Meadowlands would be required to contribute toward the preservation of undeveloped areas. Commission officials say their proposal is a far-reaching, self-funded plan to conserve the Meadowlands' environment.

A lot of the new construction would occur in Carlstadt. Borough officials say that if the plan to build 5,800 housing units in the borough came to fruition, FDA chief renews war on tobacco By CAROL ANN CAMPBELL Staff Writer JERSEY CITY David Kessler, the Food and Drug Administration commissioner who has launched an aggressive attack on the tobacco industry, on Monday renewed his claim that cigarette companies know that nicotine is highly addictive and that the industry specifically targets children. Speaking to health educators at Liberty Science Center, Kessler said smokers almost always become addicted during their teenage years. "Each young person is sure that he or she is the one who will not become addicted," Kessler said. Kessler, leading the FDA's first action against the tobacco industry, is pushing for regulations to ban cigarette vending machines and to limit cigarette advertising aimed at children.

He was enthusiastically applauded by the school nurses, doctors, and health educators gathered for the seminar on cardiovascular disease. High school students from Has-brouck Heights, Morris Hills High School, and Perth Amboy spoke about preventing teenagers from smoking. State, Health Commissioner Len Fishman, noting the Goliath-size job of going against the powerful tobacco lobby, said Kessler "may well be the David we're waiting for." "nV if 1 -i-nrrr MESSAGE TO N.J. azines aimed at teenagers would carry only black-and-white texts instead of color ads. The industry also would pay for $150 million worth of FDA approved anti-smoking advertisements each year.

Kessler's efforts have already prompted a lawsuit by The Tobacco Institute, which also submitted 12,000 pages of rebuttal to the FDA. A spokesman for the Washington- based institute, Tom Lauria, called the FDA's actions unconstitutional and illegal. He called the proposed regulations an "illegal power grab" intended to eventually ban cigarettes. He said companies blend tobacco for taste, not to manipulate nicotine levels. Kessler said the agency's research into the tobacco industry shows that the industry adds nicotine because it BETH BALBIERZSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER FDA Commissioner David Kessler, center, talking to students Jackie Rosa, left, and Robert Morales at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City on Monday.

ding from local officials, the commission would come up with a better plan to preserve wetlands. He said the development plan "does not do the job in terms of regional planning." The committee's resolution gets its teeth from a three-year-old provision in the state constitution that allows the Legislature to overrule the actions of state agencies like the commission. Commission officials were unbowed by the committee's vote. They say the state constitution doesn't matter: They believe they are acting under federal law, and that the Legislature lacks the power to alter their proposal. Even if the resolution passes the As-: sembly and Senate, commission officials say they'll fight on for their plan.

They say the plan will save the Meadowlands' fragile environment by making developers pay to preserve tracts where no building will be allowed. Each young person is sure that he or she is the one who will not become addicted. David Kessler is addictive, not because smokers like the taste. He cited a patent for the drug, levulinic acid, added to mask the harsh flavor of nicotine. "Here was research being conducted on how to increase nicotine despite its taste," Kessler said.

He said research by Dr. Victor DeNoble of Philip Morris, the makers of Marlboro, found that rats would self-administer nicotine, a hallmark of addictive substances. Kessler said the focus of the research was to find a substitute that could duplicate nicotine's psychoactive effects if nicotine was ever banned. Philip Morris, however, disputes Kessler's interpretation of DeNoble's research. "It's an act of desperation," said Michael York, a Philip Morris attorney.

"The plain truth is that Dr. DeNoble reported to his supe-, riors that nicotine is not addictive in laboratory animals." Kessler also cited industry memos quoting officials who say the companies must target children 14 to 18 years old. He quoted one executive who said a successful brand in the youth market must be obtained in order to maintain market position. York said Philip Morris does not target young people: "I can tell you absolutely without a doubt that Philip Morris advertisements are aimed at one audience: adult smokers." think that we are getting closer because people realize that time is of the essence." Collins said he hopes lawmakers will begin committee hearings Feb. 15.

He planned Monday to talk with Senate President Donald T. DiFrancesco, R-Union County, regarding the timetable. No proposal could be enacted without Senate approval. DiFrancesco could not be reached for comment late Monday. Hospitals have been waiting apprehensively as lawmakers struggled to find a way to finance hospital charity care and a state-subsidized health insurance plan that benefits mostly working poor families.

Lawmakers in December rejected a plan offered by Whitman to finance the programs in part with an' increased cigarette tax, with both Republicans and Democrats fearing that voters would be angry over any increased tax. Since then, lawmakers have proposed and rejected several options, including generating revenues by establishing a video lottery or imposing more strict income limits on the Homestead Rebate program. ASSOCIATED PRESS Jackie R. Mattison, chief of staff for Newark Mayor Sharpe James, leaving federal court in Newark on Monday. 7.

-i By BILL SANDERSON Trenton Bureau TRENTON Opponents of a plan to develop 2,200 acres of the Hackensack Meadowlands found sympathetic ears in the Legislature on Monday, when a Senate committee backed a resolution meant to thwart the project. The measure passed by the Senate State Government Committee said that the development plan by the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission is "not consistent with legislative intent." That is lawmakers' way of saying they don't like what the commission is up to. And neither do a lot of people who live in the Meadowlands region. "We do not want the new city in our Meadowlands," said Alfred A. Porro the borough attorney for Carlstadt and East Rutherford.

He called the commission's power "unbridled" and "unresponsive" to local voters. ITS) 3f 2 killed, 2 injured in blaze at Monmouth County home ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS Two people were killed and two others injured Monday when an early-morning fire swept through a home where 16 people were staying, authorities said. The fire in the three-story frame house started in a second-floor bedroom in the back of the house, possibly from a cigarette or a space heater, said Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye. Connie Lane, 33, and Robert Andrews, 18, of Atlantic Highlands died in the fire. Autopsies were scheduled to determine the causes of death.

Hospitalized in critical condition at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston was Alma Howard, 67, of Atlantic Highlands, who suffered burns. Debbie Lane, 37, was taken to Monmouth Medical Center for treatment of a broken arm and cuts, said police Capt. Timothy Duncan. Her relationship to Connie Lane was not immediately known. 27-month term for lawyer in money-laundering case CAMDEN A lawyer from Camden County who admitted laundering money he believed was from illegal drug sales was sentenced Monday to 27 months in prison.

The two improper transactions, each utilizing $50,000 in cash, were actually put forward by a drug-dealer client who was cooperating with federal prosecutors, and the client's "cousin," who was actually an undercover Internal Revenue Service agent. Their conversations were recorded, and lawyer Aaron Denker pleaded guilty in October. As a result, Denker has been suspended from practicing law in New Jersey pending a final resolution of ethics proceedings. Denker, 44, of Cherry Hill, had offices in Mount Laurel. In addition to the prison term, which is to be served without parole, he was fined $20,000 by U.S.

District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez. Police: Man kills himself after shooting landlord DENVILLE A man who apparently believed he was dying shot his landlord during an argument over a $4,000 debt and then killed himself after he was stopped by police here, authorities said Monday. William Moseman, 38, of Mattituck, N.Y., shot himself with a pistol about 8:45 p.m. Sunday as police approached the car he had stolen from Paul Matthews, said state police spokesman Al Delia Fave.

Moseman had shot and critically wounded Matthews at the home they shared about 1:30 p.m. But Denville po lice knew nothing about that when an officer began following Moseman after he left a service station without paying for gas, Delia Fave said. Moseman pulled over to the berm on Route 80. The officer started to approach the car when Moseman held the gun up to his head, Delia Fave said. Moseman apparently shot himself as the officer retreated to the cruiser to call for help, he said.

An autopsy concluded Monday that Moseman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. "William supposedly believed he was very sick and that he was going to die, so he decided yesterday that he would sell a bunch of tools that he had," Delia Fave said. But Matthews wanted to sell the tools himself, he said. Mavthews, 46, was shot in the face, hand, and arm and then was beaten with a shovel as he attempted to call police for help, Delia Fave said. He was in critical condition Sunday at Stony Brook Hospital, but a nursing supervisor would not disclose his condition Monday.

"The coroner said he found nothing to indicate that Mr. Moseman had any type of illness that would have caused him to lose his life any time soon," Delia Fave said. FROM NEWS SERVICE REPORTS Assembly sets deadline for charity care solution By MICHELLE RUESS Trenton Bureau TRENTON After weeks of inaction, Assembly leaders Monday set a March 1 deadline for resolving how to finance the state charity care program, which reimburses hospitals for treating uninsured patients. Assembly Speaker Jack Collins said he expects action by the end of the month and would like to make payments to hospitals retroactive to Jan. 1.

However, there were few details about the amount of funding or how the money would be raised. The previous funding mechanism, which diverted money from the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, expired Dec. 31. Legislators have failed to reach agreement on a replacement. Under state law, hospitals still are required to provide care for patients unable to pay.

Since Jan. 1, hospitals have spent about $60 million caring for uninsured patients without compensation from the state, said Peter Lillo, a lobbyist for the Kessler, a pediatrician and lawyer, frequently quoted tobacco industry internal memos that, he said, bolstered his contention that companies use nicotine for its pharmacological effects or, more simply, as a drug. In order to regulate nicotine, the FDA must demonstrate that the industry intends to produce nicotine's pharmacological effect. "We learned how the industry engaged in 30 years of sophisticated research on nicotine pharmacology. The sheer magnitude of these efforts helps to explain why one industry official concluded, 'We are in a nicotine, rather than tobacco Kessler said.

Under the proposed FDA regulations, vending machines, free cigarette samples, and promotional giveaways would be banned. Billboards and mag New Jersey Hospitals Association. Lillo said he welcomed an end to the legislative stalemate. "It would help if there were action now," he said. Any new funding proposal is likely to rely, at least temporarily, on continued diversions from the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, lawmakers said.

Other funding sources under consideration include fees paid by insurers and expanded use of high-technology equipment. Collins, R-Salem County, said a plan offered by Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk, R-Montvale, chairwoman of the Assembly Health Committee, "touches a lot of the bases we're interested in." Vandervalk originally hoped for only a one-year diversion from the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. But she said Monday that administration officials had urged her to reconsider because the state general fund could not afford to take on the entire expense so quickly. "I was told I really have to look at things a little differently," she said. Vandervalk plans to file legislation Thursday that would phase out use of the Although saying he was confident Mattison would be vindicated, James transferred Mattison the next day to the Health Department.

On Monday, administration spokeswoman Pam Goldstein could not say what Mattison's duties were. Continuing federal and state probes into the operations of the state's largest city have brought the convictions of three City Council members, along with managers of the Sanitation Department and several admitted mobsters. U.S. District Judge William G. Bassler set a Sept.

16 trial date, and elicited a statement from federal prosecutors that no tape recordings would be entered as evidence. Outside court, prosecutors would not say what evidence they would present, or whether Mattison's girlfriend, an unin-dicted co-conspirator, would testify. Mattison lawyer Thomas R. Ashley said his client would be "totally unemployment fund over three years, with a gradual increase in the share of general revenues. For this year, the funding would include $375 million from unemployment funds, $25 million from the state's general fund, and about $20 million in recoveries of old hospital debts, she said.

In later years, Vandervalk's plan would anticipate revenues through the increased use of high-technology electronic equipment for hospital billing and a transaction fee imposed on users. However, Vandervalk was uncertain whether her proposal could restore a special relief fund for hospitals treating high numbers of low birth weight babies and patients with AIDS and tuberculosis, as she had hoped. Governor Whitman did not include the relief fund in her proposed fiscal 1997 budget. Word that legislators are ready to take action won praise from the governor's staff. Resolving the issue "is in the best interest not only of the providers but also those who rely on the services," said Bob Friant, a spokesman for Whitman.

"I in bribery case Bradley is accused of. giving checks to Mattison directly or through Mattison's girlfriend, Janice Williams, who was not charged or named in the indictment. Mattison faces 19 counts, and Bradley faces 26. Mattison is married to a cousin of the mayor's wife, but authorities have said his main residence is with Williams in Newark. He has two children with his wife and one with Williams, a hairdresser, according to a published report.

A raid Nov. 9 at the home he owns with Williams uncovered more than $100,000 in cash, investigators have said. Agents that day also raided the home and office of Police Director William R. Celester, seizing boxes of records. James placed Celester, 52, on leave four days later, but took no action against Mattison until after the indictment.

Asked about the status of Mattison's relationship with Williams, Ashley said, "I have no reason to believe that it's not the same." Mayor's aide pleads not guilty By JEFFREY GOLD The Associated Press NEWARK Tight-lipped amid a crowd of reporters and cameras, the mayor's top aide on Monday made his first court appearance since being indicted on bribery charges. Jackie R. Mattison, who is also a state assemblyman, entered a plea of not guilty to charges he took nearly $17,000 to help an insurance broker get city contracts. The broker, William F. Bradley of North Bergen, who operates Bradley Financial Services of Millburn in Essex County, also pleaded not guilty.

The pleas were entered by their lawyers; neither suspect spoke during the 12-minute hearing. They remain free on $25,000 bond each. The Jan. 25 indictment was the first returned against a member of Mayor Sharpe James' inner circle. Mattison, 44, has been chief of staff since the mayor took office in 1986..