New Jersey Nightly News; New Jersey Nightly News Episode from 10/12/1982

To been. Good evening I'm can't man a hand I'm Rolonda Watts New Jersey rail line bus commuters face a 25 percent fare hike unless the legislature comes up with more money. The public advocates office was the topic of a stormy public hearing in Trenton today. And in sports the Devils try to keep their undefeated streak alive. Bill Perry will have details. Their Jersey Transit has approved an average 25 percent fare increase on all bus and rail service. The rate hike will go into effect December 1st on rail lines and December 4th on bus lines. But NJ board of directors says if the legislature comes up with additional funding by mid-November the fare increase won't be necessary. Diane Doktor reports.

Just last July New Jersey Transit bus and rail fares increased 17 percent. And that to the 25 percent increase the agency has approved for December. And you have an average 42 percent fare hike. New Jersey Transit says the new fare hike is needed to offset in one thousand point five million dollar shortfall because the agency delayed a decision on fares hoping the legislature would approve the supplemental appropriation. The lawmakers didn't come through. So today NJT board voted four to two to raise fares an additional 25 percent. But if the legislature comes through before November 15 the fare hike will not be implemented. We're saying to the legislature it's up to you. Do you want a transit system. If you do then you better give us care. Nineteen point five million here. The agency projects 60000 bus and rail commuters will find other modes of transportation if fares go up again. Commuter organizations have argued all along that higher fares and the resulting decrease in ridership could destroy New

Jersey Transit completely. In effect a 25 percent fare increase closes the system down to most commuters because they simply cannot afford to continue to ride at those prices. Some NJT board members including John Goldring Mike just voted against the fare hike. We point this gun at our head now. We've got to be ready to pull the trigger on the summer one and I for one don't want to pull that trigger. But in the end the majority voted for the fare increase albeit reluctantly. So New Jersey Transit has once again in effect given the ball to the legislators. The question is will they pass or will they punt. State Senator Lawrence Weiss who chairs the legislature's powerful joint Appropriations Committee does not think the past is likely if you can show me where the money is going to come from or where the money is coming from. Or is it already on hand. I would have no problem with that personally. But under the circumstances I would indicate to you that would be better

for people in New Jersey Transportation everyone else go back to their shops reorganize their priorities and just do a lot of praying. New Jersey Transit officials say the long term solution to their financial problems is some type of tax dedicated to transportation. Unless that happens they say there will always be the potential for more fare increases in new work. I'm dying doctor. Is the public Advocate's Office politicized and not acting in the public interest. Well that actually accusation was made today before the State Senate a legislative oversight committee. Larry Stewart Nagel reports. All of the niceties were stripped away is former Deputy Public Advocate Alfred Nardelli told a Senate committee the public Advocate's Office has made a costly mistake Ardelia's referring to an agreement signed in August by public advocate Joseph Rodriguez allowing public service electric and gas company to continue construction on the hope creek one nuclear power plant in December. Plans for a second plant too were cancelled because of cost overruns.

The agreement signed by Rodriguez limits the amount of money the utility can charge customers for overruns on hope Creek won. Now 40 to 50 percent complete. The original 1974 estimate cost for both plants was 500 million dollars. It's now expected the one facility will cost three point eight billion. Nardelli testified that as far back as February the department publicly opposed further construction on hope Creek 1. He said Rodriguez made a sudden shift when he signed the deal that permits CNG to pass on 70 to 80 percent of any cost overruns over three point eight billion dollars to consumers. One more major point about this agreement is that it does not contain costs. If hope Creek costs five or six billion dollars public service and Atlantic City Electric are allowed to collect the entire amount from rate payers through depreciation charges. The utilities are only giving up part of their return on a small portion of this investment.

He also accused Rodriguez of caving into pressure from the governor's office. He said the governor has his cabinet to carry out his energy policies and the public advocate should represent the people. He said Rodriguez abdicated his responsibility in this issue. I Dele spoke out publicly against the plan in September and was fired. But Regus listen to the testimony and while he wasn't questioned by the committee he did respond to the accusations. He said Nardelli had in December signed an agreement with PFC Energy agreeing to further work on hope Creek won. He said the cost containment plan he signed sends a message to the utility industry that no time would they stop this plane the way it was going downstream. So we had to contain what were we concerned about in the containment agreement. Look for that figure of completion. Range of completion that was good in December and try to reach that as a range of terminations and then say to the utilities for the first time exceed that and your shareholders will pay a

penalty. Rodriguez will appear again before the committee on October the twenty six. Senator Stockman says that beyond the personal differences between Nardelli and the public advocate or delis testimony raises serious questions about the cost containment agreement basically did the state get a good deal. Or is it participating in a billion dollar boondoggle in Trenton. I'm Larry stupid. And later in the broadcast correspondent Michael Aaron will have an interview with public advocate Rodriguez and Alfred Nardelli can't. A New Jersey based chemical company which once required some of its women employees to be sterilized or be fired from their jobs has lost a U.S. Supreme Court bid to avoid further court action over a job safety complaint. In 1977 the American cyan a med company based in Wayne adopted a fetus protection policy at its will Island West Virginia plant. The purpose to keep female employees of childbearing age out of plant areas where they might be exposed to lead consider toxic for fetuses. The policy

required those women to either be sterilized or transferred. Five women chose sterilization but there were only seven job openings for the other 30 women affected. Eventually the company was fined $10000 for not keeping the workplace free from recognized hazards. But later on appeal the citation was dismissed. Today's high court decision says the women should be given a chance to appeal their case. A spokesman for American cyan M-ID company says that company has never required any of its employees to be sterilized. And the U.S. Supreme Court also turned down Appeals today from Resorts International Hotel and a former state senator who are suing New Jersey monthly magazine for liable. The court ruled that the state's journalist privilege law gives news persons complete protection against disclosure of their confidential sources and editorial processes leading to the publication of an alleged libel. The casino is suing New Jersey monthly magazine over a 1979 article about its licensing hearings and former state senator

Joseph is upset about another article printed that same year labeling him one of the 10 worst legislators in the state. Both claimed they needed information from the magazine to prove their libel cases. New York's Congressman Peter Rodino made an appearance today at the trial of Mayor Kenneth Gibson Rodino testified to Gibson's good character and reputation as the mayor's attorneys tried to prove he is innocent of official misconduct Sandra King has more. They're pretty you know spent less than five minutes on the stand just long enough to say this reputation which his people speak. Very well of Mayor gives him. A second star character witness had also been expected. But Republican Senate candidate Millicent Fenwick didn't show up for a Democrat Gibson. Her office said she was busy in a staff meeting. Meanwhile in court the government near the close of its case against Gibson and Earle Harris. New York's former council president and the mayor's codefendant. The state still insisting that the two

conspired to misuse city funds by giving Michael Bontempo a no show job brought to the stand for a second time today. Daniel Barden deli manager of the New York watershed where Bontempo was supposed to work. And one of the six unindicted coconspirators in this case. But in an argument over the admissibility of his testimony most sides got the chance to restate the positions they've held throughout. First Albert Besser were Gibson We are not any closer than we were. We're going to hear from the girls. Sorry but if you seriously think it's always the fact that our friends might care. Then John Matthews for the government. I would submit that there is evidence establishing a conspiracy and there is evidence both in 1978 and in 1981 of the defendant's connection to that conspiracy. But the judge's response to both sides may hold the key to what comes next in this trial.

The purposeful creation of a. Consulting contract where new services would be required and grew to have to be left to a jury. But that despite rumors that the judge would throw out the case for lack of evidence before it even reached the jury knows the prosecution is nearing the end of its case one of its final witnesses today. Alvin Zack director of engineering and another of the unindicted coconspirators from Tampa was one of 800 employees under Zack's authority and hours of direct examination. Zach was questioned about Bontempo is no show job. Yes he admitted in 1979 he had told Ken Gibson that Bontempo then 78 years old was not serving any purpose and he heard that a former councilman being dropped from the payroll. GIBSON He testified had said no but under cross-examination and he may have actually helped the mayor. You you didn't know. If it's true. There Bontempo was a no show. No I did not. So you certainly know the code then gets

hurt you. Know I did not and you never did. I certainly did not. SAC was not the first state's witness to support Gibson's claim that he didn't know of no show status. In fact no witness has accused the mayor of direct knowledge and that's fueled the rumors that the judge would end this trial. It still could happen when the prosecutor rests his case and that's expected sometime tomorrow. That's a period court in Newark came. By a vote of 3 to 2 the Casino Control Commission today reaffirmed its power to regulate labor unions which represent casino hotel workers. Last month the commission ordered that two top officers and a business agent must be removed from their positions at Local 54. However attorney Bernard Katz who represents the powerful Atlantic City Union obtained a stay of that decision from U.S. District Court Judge Stanly Brotman who said A federal appeals court must rule whether the commission actually has the power to sanction labor unions.

The Eagleton Institute says Thirty eight percent of New Jersey residents questioned in a recent poll gave President Reagan a favorable favorable performance rating 9 percent of the one thousand and five residents questioned gave the president an excellent rating while 29 percent said he was doing a good job. That 38 percent favorable rating is up just slightly from the 36 percent who rated Reagan favorably in a March poll. But down from 47 percent a year ago the president's handling of the economy continues to weigh negatively in many residents minds. One in three of the residents polled say Reagan is doing a fair job as president. One in four say he's doing a poor job. The new Eagleton poll also shows that New Jerseyans believe Reagan shares the blame with former President Jimmy Carter for current economic conditions and Reagan's evaluation along racial lines shows that 20 percent of the white residents feel Reagan is doing a poor job. Fifty percent of the nonwhite population expressed a similar feeling in that poll.

The city of Camden today launched a one year long media campaign aimed at sprucing up its image and attracting home buyers to the city. Brenda Flanagan has details. Would you be interested in going into. This. With photos. This. Man. Was. One of the campaign's TV promotions frankly admit the city's image problem. A long suffering victim of urban blight an economic depression. Camden bears the scars of closed businesses and 4000 empty houses. Mayor Melvin Primus hopes the campaign will attract buyers for those vacant properties. No city can survive looking only to the public sector. We need the private sector room and in the city of Camden we have to have a situation where we're beginning to attract individuals with higher incomes back to the city. We must have an economic mix of people in order for the city to survive to catch the

public's eye. The campaign will feature everything from a billboard to bumper stickers and T-shirts. That part will be financed by a community development block grant and private contributions to sweeten the invitation to potential buyers. The city will work with both private and federal agencies to make available low interest mortgages and home improvement loans. Mayor Primus admits this program won't create much needed jobs for the city. But he says by showing that Camden is a great place to live the city might convince investors it's also a great place to do business in Camden. I'm Brenda Flanagan. And now here's a look at the weather forecast I think Fall is here to stay. It will be partly cloudy this evening with lows in the upper 40s there's a 15 percent chance of rain tonight tomorrow cloudy skies cool temperatures with a 70 percent chance of rain highs tomorrow will be in the low 60s and the outlook for Thursday cloudy and cool with the possibility of more showers. Earlier in the broadcast Larry Stewart Nagel reported on the sharp disagreement between public

advocate Joseph Rodriguez and his former deputy Alfred Nardelli. At issue is the hope creek one cost containment agreement the public advocate signed with PFC Energy last month. Well late this afternoon Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Nardelli brought their dispute to our Trenton studios where they talked with Michael Aaron. The ground rules for this discussion of that out question Mr. Nardelli for two and a half minutes Mr. Rodriguez for two and a half minutes and then allow each 30 seconds for a rebuttal. Mr. Nardelli you put your job on the line in order to criticize the cost containment agreement. Is it so bad that it was worse losing your job over. Oh yes definitely Michel. What's so terrible about it. Well the public advocate turned its back on all of its efforts throughout 1982 to attain a meaningful review of the whole creek one nuclear project. We also had supported Senate bill 9 7 5 which by a vote of thirty five to two in the state Senate on June 28 and the rest.

The need for a review of hope creek one and yet newspaper editorials around the state have hailed this agreement. Is it really a case of cutting costs before things get out of hand this 40 percent of this thing has been built already. Mike if that were the case I would not be speaking out against it. The fact is though that it does not cut costs. If hope Creek cost 5 billion or 6 billion or 7 billion the rate payers of public service and Atlantic City Electric will be responsible for 100 percent of those costs. The only thing the cost containment agreement may do is it may reduce the amount of return that public service is allowed on its investment but the rate payers will pay all of the depreciation charges no matter how much that plant course be at 9 or 10 billion dollars is it also part of your accusation that this public advocate unlike his predecessor. It is doing the bidding of the administration Michael. I worked for Stanley Van Ness for eight years he never once said to me. Out let's do it this way because it's what the administration wanted. In the seven months I worked for

Joe Rodriguez he said that to me twice on the whole containment agreement and on the 400 plan Joe Rodriguez endorsed the Thornburgh plan which called for the customers of Jersey central to pay for the cleanup of Three Mile Island he did it because Governor Kaine had also endorsed it. Would you have stood up at that board of public utilities meeting and criticized this agreement if Mr. Rodriguez hadn't demoted you six days earlier if first of all he had not devoted the six days later he had given notice that he was going to demote me at some future time. I maintain he was demoted me because of my opposition to hope Creek my opposition to the Three Mile Island cleanup course being passed to consumers and some perhaps in others it's time to turn to Mr. Rodriguez. Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Nardelli caused this very very minimal cost containment He says that because of the depreciation charges in it the rate payers are going to end up paying any cost overrun. What do you say to that. I say that that's not true because you have to understand we're hearing from an advocate again so quick one. And I have in my hand a stipulation to Mr. Nardelli signed on December the

14th 1982 with the Board of Public Utilities where he threw in the towel on hope creek one. He says that was just a bargaining tactic he was going to come back and attack called Quick one later after he got them to agree to give up on hope creek. Well I don't think an advocate should ever bargain with credibility I think when you're representing the public you let them know where you stand and you fight hard. After all if you brought any was credibility. The people out there they're paying the rates look at the whole system and think we're all crazy. I think we have to let him know exactly where we stand and take a stand from the beginning. That's why when the Tau and then suggest that it's because he was in opposition I suggest to you that there are two other record transcripts that would indicate when he finally shifted position back to hope Creek 1 on February 23rd he blamed me for the shift. Are you saying that you are the more serious fighter against hope Hope Week one than he has been. I think I'm the more realistic fighter an idealist and you're the pragmatist who has put a lid on costs is that we should see it.

Idealists I have no problem with idealism but I don't know how to say that there's idealism when you throw in the towel on December the 14th 1902 and now tell me that that was strategy and then blame me for the shift of position before the board on February 23rd 1982 when already the record was in such a position that you could not stop the plan. Now I think I owe more to the taxpayer than to throw money at a losing project rather than sitting back and trying to contain the rates which are high enough to really fire him because he broke ranks and left the reservation as they used to say no absolutely not. Why did you fire him. Well I think I'm on record today as to why I fired him. I fired him because I refused to play poker with my ethics. All right Mr. Nardelli Let's give you 30 seconds to make a final statement. Let's talk credibility. As late as July twenty ninth Joe Rodriguez wrote to Assemblyman pang cock that hope Creek 1 was a bad project it needed to be reviewed desperately and that Senate bill 975 was in the best interests of that that the people of

New Jersey July 29 12 days later he did a complete reversal and signed an agreement that undercut s 9 7 5 and did away with any right of the advocate to challenge the need for hope creek one. What happened in those 12 days. I maintain I've got to turn to Mr. Rodriguez could you answer his charge you fool. Did you flip flop on this in the space of 10 days 12. No we did not flip flop but we were saying is the we agree was 175 for the certificate of need. We were convinced at that point that no one no one including the legislature was willing to come for more tourism without a moratorium. This was money floating down the river that we could never stop we tried to put some pegs in it and I think anyone who takes the time to read containment agreement and the joint statement that accompanies it knows that this is a very dramatic display that has no connection with fact at all. OK gentlemen thanks very much for consenting to appear on the same set this afternoon and we'll see you.

Thank you. Ah. The Devils are looking good. Even Bill can't believe it. Incredible can't the incredible New Jersey Devils I can say incredible because they are 1 0 1 2. Well they host Boston tonight and this morning Pat Scanlon attended the Devils skate around that's hockey talk skate around and not Pat found out for the first time this season. New Jersey will start a game without Chico rush in goal.

If the Devils are to keep their undefeated streak alive against Boston tonight. They'll do it with a new face between the pipes. Twenty seven year old Lindsey Middlebrook skates in for number one tender Chico Resch Middlebrook a six year pro with 27 games NHL experience really sharp in preseason. He knows the devils due to strong goalies to be competitive and he minimizes tonight's goaltending change. Well you know I guess is a lot of fracture. I think it's made more to be way than what it really is to go on to play a game of the. Team plays Rome will play well when they gather it is the as a team. But if you for the New Jersey fans who've never seen you play the nets what kind of goal would you characterize yourself as what's your style. In a small room. You know what. You've got to stand up. Thank you guys stand up at any size. Play a game that you got to be on your angles and not flashy I mean. I was sometimes a little more colorful but. It's a style you just try to start the back. Part of the reason behind a surprising start has to be the new atmosphere the new fans says he isn't sure just how good his devils could be.

The external pressure seems to be bringing out the best in the boys and I think this is the environment that we're in here and we want to do well for the fans. The boys feel wanted and that's a fresh start for everyone. So tonight it's the devils and the Bruins and Thursday night the Montreal Canadiens come to ten at the Meadowlands. I'm Pat Skinner remember last Friday I said for Rutgers to have a winning college football season they must be Army Well they did 2:36 to go to 3 and 2 on the season but with six games left Rutgers will be an underdog and four of them later on the night's face toughies like West Virginia and Pitt this Saturday it's tough Boston College so I asked Coach Frank Burns if his team will have that winning season. I just want to you know that's and we won a couple more than We'll have a one season as the Rutgers program kept up. With. The much more difficult schedule. That's difficult to answer in a respect. So I'd be very blunt about it I think our

I think our schedule is just a little bit above our status right at the present time. All right last year Boston College beat Rutgers 27 21 3 1 1 this year. Five of the seven teams in the New Jersey State Athletic Conference are still in the title hunt. William Paterson will face a difficult challenge this Saturday when they meet Montclair State William Patterson's coaches John Craig in his first season and he feels this is as fine a group of division three schools as you'll find anywhere. Well I think this is one of the better division three conferences in the country. Most of the teams have excellent size. The coaching is very good and there are quite a few quality skill position people around. Mark Sauer at my course state the quarterback Bob even like our own quarterback Craig Pascal who is number one in the country in punt returns right now. Foot floury down the Trenton State you know the list goes on and on. I think this conference New Jersey State College conference can stack up against anyone in the country.

All right William Patterson is one and one of the conference there chasing the co-leaders Trent and Michael are both two and all RAM oppose that too and one did I say two and one trend in my career both to Iran opposed to one glass borrows one and one jersey city state go into Canaan 3. But what it's worth my World Series pick it's not worth much more walk ins. Thanks Bill. That's the news for this Tuesday for Bill Perry I'm Rolanda Watts and I'm can't Monahan from all of us here in New Jersey Nightly News have a good evening. Tonight sports coverage of New Jersey Nightly News was brought to you in part by a grant from New Jersey Bill.