PIIae 17
. . When the Benton Harbor
City Commis ion filed suit
February 21 against former
Community Service Develop
ment Director William Lilly and
� Rampp, Proplan Inc. and
William �pp, to some city ALRECO PAY BACK FUNDS
�� It was a question of U'!der the .UDAG program,
right suit, wrong defendants. the aty received S1.3 million
The lawsuit ':1_-1 m· »--.:_ &
WQI �:n1:#11 om HUD in 1981, loaned it to
Co� Circuit Court alleges Alreco, who paid it back with in
that Lilly's decision 'to invest terest by 1984.
SSOO,OOO of �� funds in in- According to Greg Sevelis,
�aJlcef was a viola- public relations person for the
� 0 st¥e and city or- , Detroi HUD office, ODe of the
• prerequisites for the city getting
. . According to .the iawsui!- the UDAG that the funds
,Lilly, on the advice of Lows would go to developing the
Rammp and Preplan Inc, ex- North of Main Industrial Park.
ecut�� coatracts to purchase Th� city filed the suit against
anmunes &om William Rampp Lilly after unsuccessfully trying
and �oplan Inc. to get the oounty prosecutor to
Lilly be.gan as. a CET A file charges against former staff
employee W1� the aty of Ben- persons in the same matter.
ton Harbor In 1975. Ovec the
year� he rose to head com- FAMILIAR PROBLEM
muruty development, economic The city's experience with
developmen� assistant city . mismanaged money is 'a long
manager and aty manager. one,
I Louis Rammp was a HUD cut off all funds to the
Progr� M �r for HUD, city in the early �'s because of
supel'VlStng � aty of Benton missing and mismanaged funds.
Harbor up until 1984, according One of the things the city bad to
to Greg Sevelis, a Detroit HUD do to get HUD funds restored
�ff!ce spokesperson, when he was to hire a CPA to supervise
, retired. the moneys in Lilly's depart-
ment
HUD thought a CPA could
keep' account of community ,
developmeot funds.
City attorney John Postelli
told The Michigan Citizen that
he knew nothing about Vern
Bruckner, the certified public
accoll?tant hired by the, city in .
the DUd-1980's to supervise aU
fun� going through the Com
mumty Development Depart
ment.
When asked what respon
sibility Buckner had for the
charges in the lawsuit, Postelli
told this paper, "I've never Coatinued rr
heard of Buckner. Our laves- sidered on Riverview Drive.
tigation revolved around - Create a Building Main·
Rampp..· tenancd Department which will
The question of the Alreco be headed by a Director report
payback funds is one this paper directly to the City Manager.
. has persued over the years since' - Fill the vacant position of
198� when the city began to Laborer for the Public Works
recerve payments from Alreco. Department ,
Now Mayor William Wolf, - Combine the Main-
then Commissioner Wolf was tenance Department with the
questioned by this paper in 1986 Department of Public and
about the use of the Alreco Recreation Services.
payback funds. At the time he - Authorize the Community
took the position there was Development Department to
"nothing I can do about it," set up its own Purchase Order
Co mmiss ioner George Systen, to appropriately protect
Wysinger was asked the same all checks disbursed by them.
question at the same time. He Currentl the City Clerk's Of-
too, said there was "nothing I fice issues purchase order num-
can find out. " rs for Community Develop-
Wolf and Wysinger are no ent, therefore it's the City
suing their former employee Bill erk's responsibility to track all
LOST BUSI ESS Lilly for misuse of funds they �ders issued: Since the City
DEVELO u&JIII""'�'" were elected to protect and be Clerk's Office does not issue nor
The city also' claiming that responsible for. release. Community
because the half million dollars Aka on the commiuion thtn Development's checb . . im-
invested in the annuities, it and now were Michael Govatos, possible for them to oo'a proper
as not availab for helping Charles Yarbrough, Ralph reconciliation_ The city's
develop business in the city. The Crensha . auditors, Plante &. has
city wants to be paid for the loss already appr<Wed impIe ta-
�f tax !evenuc and employment IS IT RACIAL? tion of this system by Com-
says it have if the money One of the first questions on munity Deve opmeat, ecord-
had gone to business develop- the lips of many citiTe6s upon iDg to the Resolution.,
dan
TaTJ
eom""""y/Analpil
meat. .
The moocy imested in the
annuities came from the Alreco .
Urban Development Action'
Grant (UDAG) pay back funds.
LILLY NEEDED MORE SIG
NATURES
Th7 suit �ays Lilly ignored
the CIty ordinance which re
quires all contracts to be signed
b� the Mayor, City Manager,
aty Clerk and City Attorney.
. Lilly was the only person to
sJgD on behalf of the city, the suit
alleges. '
According to City Attorney
John Postelli annuities are
�orms of investment that pay the
Investor a certain amount at
maturity. One annuity had a
maturity date of 1989, the other
policies were not to come to
maturity until after 2000, Postel
li said in an interview.
Though the city got back the
entire $500,000 it says Lilly in
vested in the annuities, it wants
more.
The suit charges that Rampp
received a consulting fee of
S26,OOO. In addition, Proplan
Inc., the company for which the
Rampps are agents, received a
eommissi n on the sale of the
annuities of approximately
�,OOO. That' the money the
CJty wants to recover from Lilly,
�e Rampps and Propian.
In addition, the city wants
$16,400 - the amount it lost by
, having to cash in the annuities
before the maturity date.
?
•
Who'
r pc Ibi for
guarding public
mon y
comml 0, or
Its emplo ?
Where
CPA hlr
cltYtow"�
overth
mo
hearing about the city's actiOn
against Lilly had to do with race.
While black City Manager
Steve Manning pro ecutes
former Blae city employees,
the public is distracted from the
real agenda _. the white busi-
ness community dividing up the
city for their takiDg.
The forces of law are always
�rought to bear against Blacks
in the city, making it ina-easing
Iy mor difficult for other Blacks
to do business, just as there
�asn't been a Black city attorney
smce groundless charges were
brought against the citys last
African Americaa attorney.
. Lilly had the guidelines
policies d � set up
by •.•• to
work. If the commission didn't
�ake r ponsibility for protect
mg the aty funds, y single out
Lilly in a sea of iDoompetanoe?
City
switches'
15
ercy Hospital cuts I
emergency room ervice
BENTON HARBOR _ As
of March 1, 1989, physiciani will
be OD duty 8:00 a.m. to 11:00
p.m. se� days a wee at the
emergency room of Mercy
Center, 960 J\8ard, Benton
Harbor.
Terrance A. Newmyer vice
president, corporate de�lop
�en!, . said emergency room
phystaans are also on duty 24-
hours- -day to handle medical
emergencies and other illnesses
at the Mercy-Memorial Medi
cal. Center, 1234 Napier
Avenue, St. Joseph.
The change � emergency
room hours is· response to a
reduced demand for nighttime
eaergency medical services at
the Mercy Center emergency
room, Newmyer said
. "For the year 1987-1988, the
Mer� Center emergency room
a�ed about seven patients
between 11:00 p.m. and 8:00
a.m.," ewmyer said. "In the
past three mo ths, we have
averaged fewer than ODe patient
• night at the Mercy Center
emergency rOOllL We feel it .
not the best utilization of our
staff to keep a pbysician and two
nurses on d� if we have only
oee patieu.t in a . -hour shift..
Newmyer said with the
change in eDleqp:DCy bours, the
physician and nurses' who
formerly staffed the Mercy
Ceater emergency will be avail
able to provide expanded
coverage at the Medical Center
e�cy room at peak times.
ewmyer emphasized the
Mer"7 Center emergency room
remams open for patients 15
hours a day, se� days a week.
'We welcome patients at the
Mercy Center emergency room
between 8:00 a.m, and 11:00
p.m. both for emergency medi
cal care and for other illnesses if
patients do not have doctor or
if their doctor is not available •
Newmyer said. -If a pati�t
needs care between 11;00 p.m,
and 8:00 a.m., the emergency
staff at the Medical Center will
be happy to provide services."
The Medical Center is lo
cated in St. Joseph, across the
river. There is no public
transportation available to Ben
ton Harbor residents at night.
All accident and trauma
patients should be taken to the
Medical Center emergency
room, day or night, ewmyer
said
I "Our To' pr nt an ning of a e Ballet,
BERRIEN SPRINGS _ Thornton jazz and modern dance work
" PUlitzer Priz n- created byemin nt chOf'egoraphers
nJng Broadway play, ·Our Town,· will Gu, Gio dano, Penny Frank, and
be performed by a cut of over 25 Petru, Bosman.
Andr.ws Univeraity students on TlCketsar. $2.50 for adu and $1
ch 2. 4, and 5. ' for children und r 12. They will be
Theflmperformance in University sold at the door, or can be re rved
Tow.rs Auditorium will b. on by calling 926-7301, ext. 47,
Thursday, March 2, at 8 p.m. Th
NCOnd Ihow will be Saturday, March
4, at 8 p.m., with a mattn at 2 p.m. Toughlo Parent SuppOrt
on Sunday, March 5. The play i not Group
recommended for children und rag The Toug love Parent Support
six. Gt wi
kt lis about growing up, Act II is cup. II m � Tu aday, F bruary
about love and marriag ,and kt lIIi 28, at 7.30 .p.m. In �e Nursery of the
about death, according to Lynn Stevensville. United Methodist
Saul, play director and professor of et:'ur�, 5506 Ridge Ad., St nsville,
communication and Engllih at Michigan.
Andr . . John elson, from the Berrien
,TIck are on sale through March County Health Department, will be
2 in the lobby of An e Campus th gu at peaker. .
Center. Prices are $5 fOf' adults, $3 for· I parents and guardians are wel-
d nts and nior citizens. TIckets come. Parents and. guardla,ns ex-
may be purchased with credit cards ch nge ideas and discu s different
and ch cks. For information call the ways th�t may be ,used to correct in-
Andt Student Activities office at approp late behavior.
471-3615 or 471-3215.
Home Buyers Seminar
The Michigan Department of Civil
Rights and Southwest Michigan
Board of Realtors are sponsoring a
-Home Buy r Seminar", Tuesday,
February 28, at Benton Harbor Public
Ub ary, 200 Wall Strteet, Benton Har-
bor, at 6:30 p.m. '
Int rested in buying a horne? Get
free consultation with area realtor .
Learn what you need to qualify. It's
easy. com and bring a friend.
orming Art. Fine
Annual S .
The 'Performing Arts Program of
Benton Harbor Iv.a School an·
nounces the final program in ita rat
annu Rne Annual Seti ,Sunday,
ch 5, at 8 p.m. In th Kutch I Per
fotming Ma CAn r.
Thi. II be an evening of d ce
featuring 10m of the nation's top
you� high achooJ dancers in the In
tettochen o.nce Enaembl . TheY-will
Old Record Sale
The Lakeshore Key Qub and the
Ea ter SeaJ Society of Berri,n Coun
ty, Inc., along th WSJMJWIRX. an
nounce the Old Record Sal V to b
held Saturday, March 4 at Lakeshore
High School cafeteria.
Awide (ang of music will be avail
able: Clas teat, rock, children's
songs, Big Band Era, 785 and C.D.sl
Albums and cassettes will be sold for
$1 e ch (6 for $5); 455 will be 25 cents
each (5 for $1) and 785 will be 2 ach
(3 for $VS). C.D.s will be $5 each.
All types ot records, albums and
cassette will be ccepted as dona
tions and may be droppped off at th
Uncoln Township Ubrary. St. Jo ph
Public Ubrary, Music glc at Mid
w.est Manufacturer's C nter,
WSJM/WIRX Radio Station, an th
Easter Sa Office. Donated records
will be collected until March 1.
All proceeds from will gbe
donatedbyth KeyOubtoth Easter
S. Society to support it various
programs and Nice. eNer $3,500
has been donated from Otd Record
Sal during the past four year .