Newsday (Suffolk Edition) from Melville, New York • 22

Creditors Weigh Fate of Channel 67 Censral Islip Channel 67, Lang Island's only commercial television station, has filed far bankruptcy. Its creditors must now decide if the UHF station, of; tlv. air since June 20, will be liquidated or allowed to mrianizc and broadcast again. A creditors committee is expected to be formed next month with the power to review the companys books nr1 decide whether it is possible for the station to pay off outstanding debts gradually ir if liquidation is necessary, according to D. Logan Potts of Van g'nrd National Bank, one of the stations creditors.

In 1971 fiscal statement. Suburban Broadcast it.ji Ccnp. claimed Channel 67 has total assets of $3, 941,473 including $3 million for its license and good will and total liabilities of $4,726,967. The company officially filed bankruptcy Jan. 30.

"Weve heard rumors of bankruptcy but no bodys said anything to us, one of the studio workers at the station said Although it is off the air, the studios production facilities have been used to make commercials and some pilot shows for television. Several of the firms major creditors met in Feb. 11. They were told by company officials that Channel 67 had been on the verge of becoming a profitable operation when two of its three major advertisers went out of business Station President David Polinger, reportedly in California on a business trip, could not be reached for comment yesterday. The stations creditors have set up an informal committee and are seeking power of attorney that a formal committee essential in a bankruptcy acceding can be formed.

Jcrge N. Carvailo, vies president of the United Americas Bank in Manhaitan, hands the informal committee. Potts said that when the formal creditors' committee is set up. Suburban Broadcasting hooks could be independently audited and a decision on the stations future would be made. Mitchell Freedman Money Problems for Coliseum Contractor man Joseph Margiotias golf tournament.

Under the contract system established by the ccun-ty, Heelan is reimbursed by the county only for the wages he pays out as specified in his bid application plus commissions of 3.85 per cent for the maintenance and trades jobs and 3 per cent for the security work. County officials and Heelans competitors say that based on Heelans actual payroll and overhead costs, it would appear that he is losing money on the coliseum contracts. They estimated that he lost 100,000 last year on the security contract, but may have broken even on the maintenance contract "I dont know that he is losing money, said Heelans lawyer, Cunningham. But I am pretty sure he is certainly not getting rich over there. He said Heelan has used the coliseum account as a good selling factor in attracting more profitable contracts in private industry.

Cunningham said Heelan has accounts throughout Long Island and New York City. Asked to identify some of Heelans clients, Cunningham said: I cant tell you that. A Nassau County grand jury has been investigating coliseum affairs since last fall. John N. Hansen, Hempstead Towns deputy parks commissioner, was charged Feo.

10 in an lS-countv indictment with sending park workers to decorate the coliseum for the 1974 State Republican Convention while keeping them on the town payroll. The coliseums music director, Gregory Y. Raffa. was indicted in December on charges of extortion, grand larceny and official misconduct. He was accused of threatening the National Bank of North America with labor problems at an auto show it was sponsoring unless the bank hired a band from a firm owned by Raffas son, Gregory F.

Raffa. Continued from Page 3 Robert Arum and Mike Malitz of Top Rank two of the countrys leading promoters, to bring boxing matches to the coliseum. The two have promoted some of Muhammad Alis fights and Evel Knievels unsuccessful attempt to jump across the Snake River Canyon on a motorcycle. Malitz said three resulting bouts at the ccliseum lose money. He said that Heelans share of the less amounted to about $3,000 more than the 35.000 Heelan had deposited with the county as a guarantee toward its share of the profits.

"We asked him once for it, but we havent pressed the matter, Malitz said. Cunningham, who was counsel to the Nassau boxing venture, said he was unaware of Hee-1 ins debt to Top Rank. Heelan, a 1962 graduate of Manhattan Colleges engineering school who listed his previous experience as five years of security work at building projects and one year as a maintenance supervisor, became a middleman employer for the county on April 4, 1973, when his recently formed Olympic was awarded a contract for the hiring of electricians, carpenters, ushers, parking lot attendants, painters, box office personnel, stagehands and other workers at the coliseum. The next year, also through competitive bidding, his Sentinel company won the contract for all security work at tin- coliseum. His fortunes began to soar after he became a coliseum contractor.

Heeland and his wife, who had been living in a small Wantagh apartment building, bought a home at 7 Shadow Lane in Wcodbury in November. 1973. He began attending major GOP dinners and fund-rasing affairs, including county GOP chair NkaIkv by Karen Wile Included in James Heelen's coliseum hiring monopoly ere security guards, l.ke this one checking IDs at the boat show. 5 Judges Spend Less Time on the Bench we try. State statistics show that Suffolk County Court judges dispose of an average of 6.25 cases a week by plea and that their counterparts in Nassau dispose of an average of 6.75.

However, Gates also admitted that part of the problem is that some judges refuse, during plea bargaining, to promise what sentences they will impose if a bargain is reached. He refuses to pressure them. All I can do- is suggest, he said. For me to tell them they must make promises is to take away their rights as judges." He also said that because of the heavy caseload, his judges have problems enough just calling their calen-dars, ruling on adjournments and Continued from Fage 3 tic-! for the judges last year: Gates, one trial and 179 pleas; Jones, 10 trials and pleas; Oscar Murov, 10 trials and 1S) pleas; Tanenbaum, eight trials and 190 pleas: and former judge and current Surrogate Ernest Signorelli, 10 trials and 263 pleas. Four other cases were tried by judges on special Records show that the judges averaged 76 days on the bench, presiding over trials and hearings.

In Nassau each judge spent 146 days on the bench. "A lot of people are under the impression that the only place a judge should do work is on the bench, Gates said. "What Judge Bartlett is interested in is what we dispose of not what scheduling pretrial conferences. It is physically impossible for a judge to go through his cases and try them, he said. Gates blamed the backlog on the fact that the number of indictments has increased, with 1,341 defendants in 1974 and 1,819 in 1975, and on the calendar system that was in effect until September.

Under the old system, the district attorney, and not the court controlled the court calendar and, in effect, decided cases would be tried, when, and before what judge. Under the new system, the court controls the calendar. After arraignment. Gates assigns a case to a particular judge, who keeps it until it is conclud ed. But one lawyer said, I really dont think things have gotten any better.

Because of the backlog, two special Court of Claims judges Paul DAmaro and Joseph Jaspan, sit-been assigned to Suffolk. Jaspan, sitting in Brooklyn last year, reportedly tried about 50 cases himself. Commenting on the Suffolk situation. Bartlett said it was serious, but added. Its awfully difficult to charac-terize the quality of justice in one county as compared to another.

I have no information that indicates that Suffolk County judges are not doing a good job. He said it was too early to make a judgment on Suffolks request for more judges. Hoeys Probe Is Given a $400,000 Boost feud between Suffolk County District Attorney Henry F. OBrien, a Democrat, and Police Commissioner Eugene R. Kelley, a Republican.

The feud erupted last July when OBrien announced that Kelley was under investigation for official misconduct. Shortly after that Kelley removed veteran detectives under his control, but assigned to OBriens office, and placed them back in the police department. Then Kelley filed charges of sexual duct against OBrien, charging that the member of the state council, said yesterday that if the Hoey investigation extends beyond June 30, he will ask for additional LEAA funds. In the 1976 budget, Klein had included $750,000 for the Hoey investigation. Hie additional state money is to pay the salaries of Hoey, his nine-member staff and state police investigators working for Hoey.

In September Hoey was appointed by, Gov. Carey to investigate, a Hauppauge The state Crime Control Planning Board approved a $400,000 grant for the continuing investigation of Suffolk Countys top two law enforcement agencies by special prosecutor Joseph Hoey. The grant, from funds allocated to the state by the federal Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, is to cover the costs of the investigation, which began in Sepember, through June. County Executive John Klein, a i district attorney had had a homosexual relationship with a former client Both investigations ceased when Hoey was appointed, and Hoey has been presenting evidence to a special grand jury hearing the cases in Riverhead. The application was made by Attorney (9 General Louis Lefkowitz at Kleins request and represents, some unused federal LEAA fund allocated to the state in 1974.

Klein welcomed the allocation, saying it takes $400,000 worth of county taxpayers. wyr it..