Amherst News-Times, 1999-05-05

              Nord principal to retire — Page 2    |    Mail carriers plan food drive — Pac
Amherst News-Tinn
Wednesday. May 5, 1999
Amherst, Ohio
Sanctions could cost cycle makers their job
KTM Sportsmotorcycle employees in Amherst may lose
their jobs if the federal government enacts trade sanctions
as pan of a looming trade
war with the European Union
(EU).
The government plans to
impose import trade sanctions
on the Austrian-made sports
motorcycle company in retaliation for the economic un
ion's refusal to allow the
U.S. to export hormone-
treated beef to Europe.
If this occurs in May as
scheduled, Congressman Sherrod Brown said it will result
in the loss of KTM jobs in
Amherst, where it has its
American corporate
headquarters.
The company employes 38
people full-time in Amherst in
addition to others in California and six other states, KTM
marketing and sales official
Jeff Salamon said.
Salamon said the layoffs
may not occur immediately,
but are "inevitable" and also
will affect the motorcycle
company's 260 dealerships nationwide, he added.
They would result from duties placed on KTM imported
vehicles and parts that will
double the price of the company's motorcycles in this
country. The average cost of
a KTM motorcycle would
jump from $5,600 to $11,200.
This is likely to put KTM
motorcycles "out of the realm
of competition with the Japanese, our biggest competitors,'' he added.
The government has given
the EU until May 13 to remove its ban on hormone-
treated beef. If it does not,
the high import duties will be
imposed.
The government action includes duties on a wide variety of European agricultural
products and is backed by the
World Trade Organization.
Regardless, Salamon said
KTM resents having its mo
torcycles singled out as the
only nonagricultural company
chosen by the government
"It's wrong. We are in no
way associated with any kind
of agriculture, so we fail to
understand why they have
specifically singled us out,"
he added.
The company has no
CONTINUED on page 2
Old mayor
questions
full-time
new mayor
by QLEN MLLER
Naws-Times reporter
Former mayor Anthony DePaola
is questioning the legality of upgrading the mayor job to a full-time
post and the use of money from the
sale of city land for the development
of the proposed West Side Park.
DePaola, mayor from 1972-83,
said he intends to file a taxpayers'
lawsuit challenging council's Nov.
9, 1998 decision to make the
mayor's post a full-time job beginning Jan. 1, 2000.
According to him, the decision is
contrary to state law for a statutory
city government.
"There is no authority for council
to dictate how many hours anybody
can work and auiything contrary to
that Is usurping the (Ohio Revised)
Code," he claimed.
He also claimed an April 24 legal
opinion by law director Alan Anderson supporting the decision is
wrong.
As read to council at its April 26
meeting, Anderson said council's
decision is constitutional.
Anderson based on his opinion on
research of the Ohio Constitution
and the Ohio Revised Code and said
it was requested by councilman
John Dietrich.
Dietrich said he never wrote Anderson seeking a formal opinion, but
was approached by DePaola about
the legality of council's decision.
"I told him I was happy with the
decision and that we had followed
his (Anderson's) recommendation."
Dietrich said.
In his opinion, Anderson said the
ordinance is "directly related to self-
government and not in direct conflict with the general laws of the
State of Ohio."
No one publicly opposed the decision at public meetings last tall.
Mayor John Higgins said he fails
to understand why DePaola or anyone would challenge the need for a
full-time mayor.
'•These people don't realize this
city can't afford not to have a full-
time administrator," he said.
The city has an estimated 14,000
people pending the results of the
2000 census. He noted several
smaller cities have a full-time mayor
or city manager, and even they have
not experienced tte land of growth
that Amherst has over the last six or
seven years.
Higgins said he also has requested a second opinion from tte
Cleveland law firm of Squire, Sanders and Dempsey with which tte
city frequently does business. Tte
opinion is due sometime this week.
"It doesn't hurt to have a second
opinion in a very important matter
lfte this," te explain.
A full-time mayor was recommended by a citizen's committee
appointed by council and was made
after it studied otter options, such as
Real tall tale
Rick Sowash, a children's author and master teller of entertaining tall tales, really stretches his tale during a storytelling session at
Harris Elementary School.
Frosh disciplined for 'hit list' scare
Fear caused by tte deadly
high school shootings in Littleton, Colo, hit home last
week when a Marion L.
Steele High School freshman
was arrested for developing a
"hit list" that included students and adults.
Tte list was discovered
when tte freshman told
another student that eight
names spotted on his notebook paper were a "hit list"
Soon afterwards, rumors be
gan circulating among tte student body "based on everything that has happened,"
superintendent Robert Boynton
said.
Amherst police also reported several parents called
tte police station to report rumors their children had heard
about possible shootings at
tte school.'
Tte youth in question was
called into tte high school
administrative offices and
questioned by administrators
and police.
The youth confirmed tte
hit list, but claimed it was a
list of individuals whose cars
or bank accounts te would
"mess up," Boynton said.
He was arrested after
school officials asked him if
te planned to harm people on
tte list. At this point, tte
freshman said it was "possible'' te might hurt some of
tte five adults and three stu
dents on tte list, he
explained.
But there never was any
actual threat to shoot
anybody.
."He never mentioned that
but, given what's happened
nationally lately, rumors
spread quickly," Boynton said.
"So, we felt he had to be
disciplined and police should
be given all tte information."
He did not disclose tte
type of discipline.
Party Shop patrons offered top wines
by QLEN MLLER
Newe-Timet reporter
Since late last fall. Amhent Fairy
Shop owner Dick Currier has been
studying wines and the wineries at
which they are made.
It's not that te wasn't acquainted
with some already, but te needed to
know more — a lot more — after
deciding to open Dick's Wine Cellar
in tte basement of the shop about a
a city
The decision to make the post a
rather than part-time jab
t by council after Anderson
law requires city tegisU-
ot velars, to approve tte
in stataMory cities.
aayoaewUbaa
C
He's owned tte shop at Tenney
Avenue and South Main Street since
1972 and rebuilt it after a fire nearly
destroyed it several yean ago. Bat
never did te think tte basement be-
neeth it would be used for anything
more than storage let alone become
a profitable venture.
Currier's dtcisfcaa, lo tmrmff a
wine connoisseur started when te
discovered te didn't have enough
room in his store for all tte wines te
wanted to stock over tte
and New Year's holidays. It
then when te came up with tte idea
of turning a section of his basement
into a "really cooT wine cellar.
It is tampanta* controlled aad
I
Mortgage
company
president
says he'll
move now
by QLEN MLLER
News-Times reporter
Attorneys for Crystal Mortgage
Co. and the city will meet this week
in an attempt to reach an out of
court settlement over a lawsuit challenging tte company president's failure to pey 1997 city income taxes.
Charles Pawlikiewicz, one of tte
attorneys representing David
Moore, said he hopes tte charges
filed against his client can be resolved prior to a May 27 pre-trial
hearing.
In the meantime, Moore said te is
preparing to move part of tte company out of AmhersL
Because of tte city's legal action,
he said te has decided to move tte
company sales offices to Elyria but
will keep tte corporate headquarters
in AmhersL
Moore declined to say if tte entire company eventually may te
moved.
"We'll take things one step at a
time,'' te said.
The sales office employs 17 to 18
mortgage originators and occupies
most of tte first floor of tte Moore
Financial Center at South Main
Street and Park Avenue.
Tte city alleges Moore, tte company founder, failed to pay more
than $2,000 in municipal income
taxes on income earned from company offices in Amherst and five
stales.
He initially paid about $2,100 in
taxes but was later informed by city
treasurer Kathleen Litkovitz tte
amount had been adjusted to $4397.
Moore has declined to pay tte additional tax because te claims te
only is liable for taxes on income
earned from his Amhent office. His
suit against tte city and treasurer
Kathleen Litkovitz seeks at least
$25,000 damages, tte exact amount
of which is lo be determined by a
jury trial.
Pawlikiewicz said tte meeting
was agreed upon following an initial
meeting with Amherst law director
Alan Anderson about two weeks
ago. ffnoseoJememcantereaached,
Pawlikiewicz said te may seek temporary and permanent injunctions
against criminal prosecution of
Moore until the suit is resolved.
Even though tte injunctions wens
included in the suiL separate motions mmm%m\_\ item from the Lorain
County Common Pleas Court have
not been filed m tte hope a settle-
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Pawlikiewicz alleged the cay
"imraroperly- accused Crystal Morv
gage ef committing a crime by not
paying tte adoWoaal taxes.
"TWa needs to be discussed and
there ia a way to teaolve k," he
added "Right now tte parties am
trying to find a way to do .Ml"
Moore aaid te aaaamaai to par*
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