Courier-Post from Camden, New Jersey • Page 8

COURIER-POST, Monday, Jan. 26, 1998 PoliticsAndrews to seek re-election on his terms 8a Andrews outlines top legislative goals .1 '11 -Y A By Ron Karafin, Courier-Post In the race: Rep. Rob Andrews, discusses his political struggles during an interview at his Haddon Heights office. Continued from Page 1A mind what the right path is." After losing a razor-close primary to McGreevey in June, Andrews sent out early signals of solidarity with the Democratic victor. But as the McGreevey campaign entered its crucial stretch drive, Andrews was a no-show at key events, for example a major labor rally at the State House in Trenton and a fund-raising visit by Vice President Al Gore to Pennsauken.

In the aftermath, Andrews was the target of sometimes blistering criticism from key state Demo-i crats who said he'd acted vindictively and appeared to have burned his political bridges. Andrews never responded. And in large measure, the Haddon Heights resident has steered shy of the political limelight ever since. Last week, Andrews only con-. sented to an interview if the subject of the race for governor was off limits, along with the topic of Andrews' supposed failure to help McGreevey.

Lost campaign But in conversation, Andrews, whose early political successes were fueled by the war chest of the wealthy Camden County Democratic organization, warmed to the topic of his first-ever campaign loss in June. While it was a "setback" and a "disappointment," said Andrews, he came away believing you can I win the race for governor or a higher office without "all the spin doctors and consultants and fund raisers and back-room dealers." i "Those people are part of the problem with our system, not the solution," said Andrews, who stressed that he still believes in "total public financing" for election campaigns. Andrews also fired a broadside at a pair of influential Democrats state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, and state Sen. John A.

Lynch, D-Middlesex, who stepped down as Senate president but Both Lesniak and Lynch are Democratic chairmen in their home counties and are said to have carried the back-room clout that lifted McGreevey's campaign. Naming names "If people don't try to win the right way, then eventually the only kind of people left to govern are going to be those who are in effect selling out to the highest bidder people who are there because they can get law firm work through the Joint Underwriting Association and through the Market Transition Facility (MTF) people like John Lynch and Ray Lesniak, to name names," said Andrews. Both Lesniak and Lynch have been at the center of ethical controversies in the Legislature. Lesniak came under fire last year when it became public his law firm had accepted $2.1 million in fees paid from two state-run car insurance pools the Joint Underwriting Association and the MTF. Lesniak was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing after hearings by the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards.

Lynch took some heat for accepting $28,000 in campaign funds from the optometrists' lobby then, as Senate president, swiftly posting a bill that allowed optometrists to write prescriptions. He was also cleared. No comment Lynch did not return a telephone call. Lesniak said through an aide he would not comment. Meanwhile, Camden County Democratic Chairman David Luthman expressed confidence in the relationship between local Democrats and Andrews.

An attorney from Pennsauken, Luthman said he does not believe Andrews was talking about Luthman or members of the Camden County Freeholder Board when he said "the majority" of county-level elected officials and state lawmakers in New Jersey seek office for financial gain or other, four years through "Welfare to Work" reform initiatives. The lawmaker said his basic goal is to have transportation services for example, the state-run NJ Transit provide mass transit routes that would take unemployed New Jerseyans to "where the jobs are." The plan, said Andrews, is to provide federal funding that would "fill the occasional rider-ship gap" if a new bus line to a prospective job market didn't generate enough riders each day. A similar idea involving Camden County government, a United Parcel Service shipping depot at the Philadelphia International Airport and NJ Transit has had success in the past, he noted. In the coming year, Andrews also said he'll be stumping on behalf of a budget amendment that would require a "prudent" approach to spending the current federal budget surplus. Andrews said he endorses the idea of requiring a two-thirds majority vote of Congress to approve spending measures that threaten the budget surplus.

"I believe today more than ever that it's essential to stop running the government by borrowing money," said the lawmaker. Andrews described his other top legislative priorities as relaxing the pressure on college graduates by tying student loan paybacks to actual income, finding a stable funding source for pollution control and other environmental projects. He also plans to pursue legislation, he said, concerning more frequent corporate audits that would ferret out "underpayment" of worker pensions and requiring foreign nations who borrow money or obtain grants from the United States to patronize American businesses. "If people don't try to win the right way, then eventually the only kind of people left to govern are going to be those who are in effect selling out to the highest bidder Rob Andrews ing to say what he means, voting across party lines when he sees fit as he did on welfare reform and stressing local constituent services. "I don't want to just vote the party line and always say what's expected of me.

I don't want to be politically correct, is what it boils down to," he said. "I've come to understand that the way you succeed politically is to do a good job governmentally. If people really believe you care about them and have tried to help them, they are your army." By LEE MOORE Courier-Post Staff Expect to be seeing more of U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, in the coming weeks.

Andrews, who some insiders believe may face a primary challenge from a Democratic party angered by his absence in the 1997 gubernatorial race, has announced his plan to seek re-election in November. Already, the lawmaker has lined up a series of appearances aimed at increasing his public profile and detailing what he terms his seven top legislative goals. Andrews outlined those goals in an interview with the Courier-Post. Among the top ones, he said, is gaining support for a bill that would provide federal loan guarantees to public school districts planning new schools or the renovation of existing ones. If passed as he envisions it, said Andrews, the measure would lower the cost of qualifying school construction projects an average of 20 percent.

Andrews said public school districts whose projects are backed by federal guarantees will have a better credit rating and will be able to borrow money more cheaply. He noted that voters in the Sterling Regional school district in Somerdale recently defeated a construction referendum and that others for example the Lenape Regional district in Medford have seen their referendums pass after hard-fought and sometimes "controversial" campaigns. Elsewhere, Andrews said he'll be pushing a plan to create jobs for some 80,000 adults with children who are expected to lose their welfare benefits in the next cos. "We're Philadelphia Eagles fans. We're used to rooting for the underdogs," said Paul Dingwitz, 58, of Bellmawr.

No one moved late in the first quarter when Tremblay stepped in to announce that the food was ready. "We only get up during the commercials or at the half," said one guest. A good couch potato stays off his or her feet, veterans here said. It's something Vick has made an art of, according to Dingwitz, who attends American Legion Post 133 in Woodbury with Vick. "If we go to a social at the (American Legion) club, everybody caters to him," Dingwitz said.

"Everybody will get up and take a turn to get a pitcher of beer. Then he'll say, 'It looks like we have enough V- V- 1 self-serving reasons. Luthman conceded that he retains "a couple of solicitor-ships" in Pennsauken so as to remain "active in my hometown." Otherwise, said Luthman, he has made a point of avoiding public contract work from the county or state. Luthman also said he believes none of the county's seven freeholders profit professionally from their roles as elected officials. As for a rumored rift between the county Democrats and Andrews dating to last year, Luthman noted that Camden County delivered more Democratic votes for Andrews in the primary than any other county.

"I'm confident in saying there is no animosity between Rob and said Luthman, who added that he hopes to meet with Andrews in the coming weeks. "I certainly welcome whatever level of participation Rob wants to have with the county organization. The door is as wide open as it can be." Andrews, meanwhile, said his first priority is to press forward with his legislative agenda. He said he's intent on continu- Sofa Bowl for couch potatoes By MIKE FRANOLICH Courier-Post Staff GLOUCESTER TWP. When the Super Bowl kicked off Sunday, the couch potatoes were tucked in for the party at Virginia Tremblay's home.

Her boyfriend, Ken Vick, was king of the spuds, sitting in the overstuffed, corduroy reclin-er, smack in front of the big screen Sony. Vick's well-traveled, blue Playmate cooler was at his left ankle, packed with ice and a dozen Coors Lights. "I won't say I drink a lot," said Vick, 56, of Woodbury, "but I have my share." The beer can in his hand is clad in a coyer that reads, "Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most." Couch potatoes across South Jersey united on Super Bowl Sunday on other people's sofas, if not their own, to kick back and watch the big game. And what is it to be a couch potato? "We're all sports 24 hours a day," said Kelly Dilworth, 33, of Lindenwold. "We eat our dinner in front of the TV and sit there and stare at it.

Sometimes you start thinking about something else and then you say, 'What happened the last few If By Shawn Sullivan, Courier-Post Laid back: Ken Vick of Woodbury cheers while watching the Super Bowl with friends at a party on Sunday. remains a lawmaker. Cops still hunt for missing N.J. man By CLINT RILEY Courier-Post Staff AUDUBON Two Rhode Island State Police detectives traveled to Camden County last week in search of clues about why freshman Bryan Nisenfeld vanished from a Bristol, R.I., college campus nearly a year ago. Nisenfeld, a 19 Audubon High School graduate, disappeared without a trace from Roger Williams University, a private school of 2,200 students.

He was last seen Feb. 6, 1997. Ever since, his parents, Steven Nisenfeld and Marianne Brown, have led the push to find out what happened to their son. But the 18-year-old's disappearance remains unsolved almost a year later. Hope of finding the teen-ager alive dimmed greatly in late August when a family strolling a beach less than a mile from the university made a grisly discovery -ra hiking boot with a decomposing foot inside.

The boot was the same size and brand as the pair Bryan Nisenfeld was believed to be wearing when he disappeared. The Rhode Island Medical Examiner has preliminarily identified the remains as Nisenfeld's pending a positive DNA match. During a visit to South Jersey last week, Rhode Island State Police Lt. Michael Iarossi and Del. Nicholas Telia interviewed Nisenfeld's family, friends, local school officials, a private counselor and others who knew him.

It was the first time Nisenfeld's parents were interviewed a fact that underscores their frustration with how the investigation has been handled. Bristol police Capt. Joseph DaSilva publicly maintained for months prior to the discovery of the severed foot that Nisenfeld, a struggling freshman, simply walked away from the school, where he had no strong ties. DaSiJva has since revised his theory to include possible suicide. Family members never bought DaSilva's original theory.

And they lost confidence ia the inves- BowlGame betters hype Continued from Page 1A As Super Bowl halftime shows go remember Up with. People? this was a pretty good one. But this was a bad year for the new television commercials, which on past Super Bowl Sundays have been more memorable than many of the games. Louie the Lizard came through with a diabolical, if unsuccessful, plan to eliminate the Budweiser frogs "Eventually, every frog has to croak" that was foiled by the foibles of a hired ferret. And it was hard not to laugh out loud when the Claymation George Steinbrenner not sweating, and I'm wearing a turtleneck.

You're gots hit in the head with Babe Ruth's bat. But for $1.3 million per 30 seconds which is what advertisers paid for TV time during the game we expected more than Augie Busch III talking in somber tones about the brewmaster being the "chef of his family's famous beverage." The great thing, though, was that this Super Bowl actually provided an athletic competition that was worth all the pre-game hype and the sur-; rounding spectacle that has turned this event into something of a national holiday. In a twist, though, it was the AFC team that was tougher along the line of scrimmage, more committed to the running game and better able to impose its will as the Broncos scored last to win a Super Bowl that finally, wonderfully, lived up to its name. know Darren well because she only moved into the apartment a few days after Christmas. And some regretted not getting to know her before her life was cut short.

Behind the yellow police tapes, resting against the apart- ment's front door was a bouquet of red carnations with a card saying, "Wisfy I had got to know-jJ you. Rest in peace." BRYAN NISENFELD in Rhode Island tigation conducted by local police and the university into their son's disappearance. So Steven Nisenfeld turned on the political heat. He's talked to any politician in New Jersey and Rhode Island who would listen. The Rhode Island Attorney General's Office late last year reviewed the Bristol police inves-.

tigation. Since then, the Attorney General's Office has ordered the state police to investigate Nisenfeld's disappearance whether local police want their help or not. Bristol police never conducted formal interviews with anyone in South Jersey, where Nisenfeld grew up. Nor did they interview his parents on any of their repeated trips to Bristol following their son's death. "Bristol police never asked me one question," Nisenfeld's mother said.

"I thought that very odd. Bryan lived with me for I6V2 years." But Rhode Island State Police are looking to South Jersey for answers. Nisenfeld said Iarossi and Telia interviewed her about her son for 2'2 hours this week. Steven Nisenfeld answered questions for three hours. Steven Nisenfeld and his ex-wife said the detectives asked them each a wide range of questions about their son.

They each said separately that the questions did not indicate the state police are sold on any of the four possible theories on their son's disappearance suicide, murder, an accident or a young man deciding to simply run away from a school he did not like. "If they come back and say suicide is likely, it would be a real tragedy," the elder Nisenfeld said. "I hope it was an accident. I pray it wasnf't a homicide." Though Tremblay, 56, has hosted more than a dozen consecutive Super Bowl parties at her Lexington Way home, she doesn't care for sports. She said she's learned to cope with Vick's insatiable desire for events ranging from hockey to marbles.

"I bring my puzzles, crosswords and cryptograms to Ken's when I visit," she said. "He's such a great guy. He has a great sense of humor. He gets along with my children real well. So you put up with some things for all that," Tremblay said.

With the first quarter under way, the crowd in the family room was quiet, except for the shouts when anything good happened for the Denver Bron us," said Marcy Johnson, 19, a member of another sorority. Several students mentioned getting frantic calls from their parents after the news broke. The murder hit Darren's neighbors hard. "It's frightening You don't know if it was a stranger or someone she knew," said Carl Descartino, a recent Rowan grad RowanStudents, parents are fearful after junior's slaying Continued from Page 1A of that, people filled in the holes." Keys, who works for the Office of Residence Life, said the slaying has produced a definite change in mind-set among her fellow students. "We always tell them to not walk home alone," she said.

"Now they're actually listening." "It could have been any one of uate who lives in the adjacent upstairs apartment Descartino said he heard the victim's mother crying outside around 10 a.m. Saturday after police went in to investigate. The officers did not let the mother inside, apparently to spare her from seeing the gruesome scene, he said. Neighbors said they rjidn't.