Press of Atlantic City from Atlantic City, New Jersey • 24

C6 The Press, Atlantic City, N.J.-Tuesday, July 25, 2000 www.pressplus.com Cal NEW JERSEY Lautenberg forges his legacy Associated Press photo Rutgers University President Francis L. Lawrence, left, shakes hands with U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, on Monday, after the senator donated his official papers to the university. Senator donates papers to Rutgers Associated Press President Francis L.

Lawrence said. NEW BRUNSWICK U.S. Sen. Frank The official papers spanning Frank Lautenberg spoke next to a photograph Lautenberg donated his collection of offi- of himself at the podium announcing the cial papers from his 18-year Senate ca- Lautenberg's 18-year U.S. Senate signing of the Balanced Budget Act with reer to Rutgers University on Monday.

career include legislation he authored President Clinton and Vice President Al Lautenberg, has begun to take that banned smoking on airplanes and Gore in the background. The photograph steps to forge his legacy in New Jersey as is framed with a thank-you note from Clinhis third Senate term comes to an end this raised the drinking age to 21. ton and the pen he used to sign the bill. year. He decided to retire last year after Rutgers officials say it will take nearly determining he did not have the time or surface," he said, but said the impact of a two years to go through the material, the heart to raise the funds required to smoking ban on airplanes and the higher which still is in Washington.

When it is wage a strong re election campaign. drinking age has saved thousands of lives. ready, it will become part of Rutgers' not happy about it," Lautenberg said Lautenberg also authored legislation cial Collections and University archives, Monday of his retirement. Referring to the that banned convicted domestic abusers which also houses the papers of the concampaign spending of the Democratic nom- from owning a gun and helped write the gressional careers of Millicent Fenwick inee for his seat, Jon Corzine, he said, "Per- Superfund Clean Air and Safe Drinking and former Gov. Jim Florio.

haps if I had known then what I know now, I Water acts, as well as the Balanced Bud- Lautenberg, a self-made millionaire can think of several million reasons why get Act of 1997 that helped produce the and owner of a payroll services company, this decision may have been different." first balanced budget since 1969. defeated Fenwick in 1982 to win an open Lautenberg summed up his career to a "That's not bad stuff," he said. Senate seat after serving for four years on room of Rutgers administrators Monday, The papers 2,000 cubic feet of them the board of the Port Authority of New citing the 1990 legislation that banned will include drafts of those bills, as well as York and New Jersey. He is the senior smoking on airplanes and 1984 legislation correspondence, speeches and photo- Democrat on the Senate Budget Comthat raised the drinking age to 21 as key graphs documenting his career, that "form mittee and also serves on the Apaccomplishments. a window in the process of American poli- propriations, Environment and Public His legislation "may look narrow on the tics during two full decades," Rutgers Works and Intelligence committees.

Atlantic City mayor backs Sen. Torricelli porting Bob Torricelli's gubernatorial bid because of a longstanding relationship he's had with the Democratic U.S. senator. Whelan was one of several southern New Jersey Democrats to endorse Torricelli's gubernatorial run this past weekend. Whelan said Monday both Torricelli and McGreevey would make "good candidates, good governors." "On the governmental end, we've worked more directly with Sen.

Torricelli," Whelan said. "We've worked very closely with him on a number of issues, like shore protection, going back to when he was a congressman." Whelan said Torricelli would also consult with him on how federal initiatives would impact the gaming industry. Whelan said he understands how it would anger McGreevey to have Torricelli upsetting his gubernatorial plans. "That's what happens in politics," Whelan said. "It's not really about who is the front-runner.

"On all the issues that matter to the working people of Atlantic City, (Torricelli's) been there. entrance into the race has caused a rift between southern New Jersey Democrats who support Woodbridge Mayor Jim McGreevey, the perceived front-runner who nearly upset Gov. Christie Whitman in 1997, and those who are backing Torricelli. It has created two camps of southern New Jersey Democrats the Democratic Leadership Group of the 2nd Congressional District, whose members personally support McGreevey, and the Southern New Jersey Leadership Coalition, whose members support Torricelli. The Southern New Jersey Leadership Coalition includes: Cumberland County Freeholder Director Douglas H.

Fisher. Atlantic County Sheriff Jim McGettigan. Atlantic County Freeholder the Rev. Lawton Nelson. Bridgeton Mayor Mike Pirolli.

Wildwood Mayor Duane Sloan. Fairfield Township Mayor Craig Thomas. 1 Atlantic City Councilman Ernest Coursey. Millville City Commissioner Whelan is one of several That's not to say southern state Democrats to Jim McGreevey wouldn't be endorse Bob Torricelli's there. As the bid.

mayor of Woodgubernatorial bridge, we haven't had that kind of relationBy THOMAS BARLAS ship as we've Staff Writer, (609) 272-7201 had with Sen. Atlantic City Mayor James Torricelli." Whelan said Monday he's sup- WHELAN Torricelli's Juries need to Associated Press TRENTON A jury needs to know that an insurance company is not always liable, especially if an owner could have taken steps to prevent property damage, the state Supreme Court said Monday. In a 6-1 decision, the court ordered a new trial after a jury said The Princeton Insurance Co. had to pay $150,000 to the owners of a failed nightclub damaged by arson. Ex-Newark mayor accused of cheating Essex County school Associated Press A message left for Gibson NEWARK Former Newark at his office was Mayor Kenneth A.

Gibson, the not immediatefirst black elected to lead a major ly returned. Northeastern city, was indicted His lawyer, Monday on charges he and two Cathy Fleming, business associates cheated the issued a stateIrvington Board of Education. ment calling Gibson is accused of trying to the indictment bribe two school board members "unfortunate and making at least one payoff to and unGIBSON one of them. Neither person was warranted. Mr.

identified by prosecutors, who Gibson looks forward to clearing said both are no longer on the his name and is confident when board. all the facts are elicited, he will The indictment also charged be vindicated." that Gibson's firm routinely The statement said, "Both he billed for work it did not do and and his office have cooperated overcharged for other work. with all requests for information." Gibson, 68, of Newark, was Savoca intends to plead innoelected in cent and be 1970. He was "completely acquitted of Kenneth A. Gibson faces 16 vindicated," acstate conspira- to cording to her charges in charges, including trying lawyer, Lawcy 1982, and bribe two Irvington Board of rence S.

Lustserved until Education members. The berg. defeated for a A message fifth term in indictment also says his left for Berno1986 by the consulting firm billed the board wich's lawyer current mayor, for work not done and was not immeSharpe James. diately reThe 18-count overcharged for other work. turned Monday.

federal indict- U.S. Attorney ment follows a four-year probe Robert J. Cleary declined to say by the FBI and IRS into an abort- whether the former board memed school-construction project. bers would be charged, but said It charges conspiracy, fraud the investigation is continuing. and tax schemes dating to 1991, Gibson Associates was hired as when his engineering and con- construction manager in 1991 and sulting firm, Gibson Associates billed the Irvington school board was hired by the Irvington $4 million before work was halted school board for $5 million to in 1995 "due, in part, to cost overmanage the project.

runs," the indictment said. Irvington sold about $50 million During that period, Gibson recin bonds to build the Thurgood ommended that the school board Marshall Elementary School and approve "millions of dollars in to renovate two middle schools. change orders," it said. The money ran out before the Work resumed after about a work was finished. The elementary two-year hiatus, Marra said.

school was completed and opened Prosecutors and school board in 1994, but the middle schools are officials on Monday could not say unfinished, even though they are how much money Gibson and his being used, Assistant U.S. Attorney firm improperly got, but several Ralph J. Marra said. items mentioned in the indictment Also charged was Camille Sav- put the amount over six figures. oca, 53, of Newark, a vice presi- School board President Andent and 25 percent owner of drea McElroy said all members Gibson Associates, and William from the early 1990s are no Bernowich, 53, of longer on the board.

Superintentonville, N.Y., a firm employee." dent of Schools Ernest H. Smith Arraignment is to be within the said he has just completed his next two weeks. The date has not first year with the district, which yet been scheduled. has 8,000 students. Generation ed Victory Associated Press photo Waiting in the wings One of four angel statues sculpted in the 1920s was unveiled Monday after more than 50 years in hiding.

The statues, called 'Winged were removed from the lightpoles on the Ben Franklin Bridge more than a half-century ago. They will be restored and placed at the gateways of the soon-to-be-built Delaware River tram, which will span the river from Philadelphia to Camden. insurers are not always liable, court says During the trial, no one disputed that the June 1994 fire was intentionally set. But witnesses disagreed over whether the managers of Hollywood Nights in Bloomfield turned off the automatic sprinkler system before the fire. The trial-court judge was clearly wrong when he failed to tell jurors the insurance company could not be held liable if something changed on the property that would increase the risk of a fire.

very A section on teen life and school news written by and about area reviews of movies, music and computer games to A's on topics of special interest to young readers. You'll find campus news, opinions and spirited fun, a joy Standard fire-insurance con- ic" that a property owner who tracts allow for the policy to be may have disabled a sprinkler suspended if that fire risk is system could be found to have somehow increased. The policy "increased the hazard," Verniero is only in effect once that fire risk wrote. is gone. State law requires that "We cannot fathom that the hazard clause in all fire-insur- Legislature would have intended ance policies, according to the a contrary conclusion in mandatcourt.

ing the increase-of-hazard clause "Our holding today is dictated in policies," Verniero said. as much by common sense as by a This decision reinforces what straightforward reading of the is a common clause in fire-insurstatute," Associate Justice Peter ance policies across the country, G. Verniero wrote in the opinion. said Allan Maitlin, the insurance The court found "by plain log- company's lawyer. to read and Generation Next will inspire you with confidence in the future.

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