Bethpage-Tribune_1986-08-14

              BETHBftGE
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Island Trees Plainedge
also serving
Seaford Old Bethpage Plainview
VOL. 21 NO. 18 Week of August 14 - August 20,1986 20 cents per copy
Athletes Against Drunk Driving
A Program That Works
By Governor Mario M. Cuomo
"You are the most important thing in this world... Believe
me." This was the message that New England Patriots' All-
Pro lineman Brian Holloway delivered to a packed assembly
of students at Brooklyn's Canarsie High School earlier this
year.
Holloway is one of several hundred well-known profes­sional,
Olympic and collegiate athletes participating in our
"Athletes Against Drunk Driving" program. As part of the
program, athletes such as Freeman McNeil of the Jets, Tom
Barrasso of the Buffalo Sabres and Dennis Rasmussen of
the Yankees travel from high school to high school through­out
New York State and education young people about the
dangers of drinking and driving. Holloway's emotionally
charged presentation at Canarsie was an important miles­tone
for our program, it marked the moment when "Ath­letes
Against Drunk Driving" reached more than 100,000
students.
"Athletes Against Drunk Driving" works. The athletes'
presentations have a profound effect upon the students who
listen to them. "Athletes are used in the program because
students listen attentively to what they have to say— more
attentively than they Ji&ten to their teachers, their parents,
law eriibrcement officials or even their coaches," says Jacob
J. Ferro, Deputy Commissioner of the New York State
Traffic Safety Committee.
"Kids will give two minutes to listen to a teacher who is
trained for twenty years," says New York Jets' linebacker
John Woodring, one of our "Athletes Against Drunk Driv­ing",
"But if you are John Woodring of the New York Jets,
they will give you five or ten minutes to hear what you have
to say."
The role model is indeed the best teacher. We all
remember the line "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?"
from the song "Mrs. Robinson." We are still looking for
heroes. When we send a Brian Holloway or a Ron Darling
into the schools to say, "Look, I'm and athlete. 1 don't drive
when ! drink...And you shouldn't either," the message sinks
in.
Thesuccessof our "Athletes Against Drunk Driving pro­gram
has contributed significantly to the decline of drunk
driving deaths among young New Yorkers in the past two
years. More than 65 young lives have been saved each year
since the program's inception in the summer of 1984.
1 am proud of our recent successes and am looking for­ward
for us to help save even more young lives over the next
several years. That is why we are in the process of expanding
your athletes program beyond the schools so that it can
reach other age groups. Over the next few months, our
athletes will begin speaking before professional service
organizations, including the Elks, the Rotary, the Knights of
Pythias and the Kiwanis Club. We will also be expanding
our media efforts, sending a greater number of taped ath­letes'
messages statewide over radio and television, so that
the entire State gets the crucial message that "Friends Don't
Let Friends Drive Drunk."
"Athletes Against Drunk Driving" is one of our iinest
programs. Anyone who has had the privilege of hearing one
of our athletes' presentations will come away with the same
impression. "Athletes Against Drunk Driving is a conscien­tious,
coordinated effort to save lives headed by a group of
sincere, dedicated and committed athletes. Most impor­tantly,
it works.
Red Cross Run For Life
Catholic Charities is
offering sign language
classes in the fall and spring
in Amityville and Rockville
Centre, Relatives of the
deal, Special Education stu­dents,
all persons interested
in learning sign language
communication may sign up
for one or two semesters.
For more information
and/or to register contact
Nancy Skolnick, Deaf Pro­gram,
Catholic Charities,
Parish Outreach Ministry
Center, 143 Schleigel Boule­vard,
Amityville, NY, tele­phone
842-1400. Fee: $40
per semester.
TOBA Y Political Dollars Investigated
Assemblyman Lewis
J. Yevoli has called
upon the State Board
of Elections to investi­gate
what he termed,
"Town of Oyster Bay
Supervisor Joseph
Colby's apparent ille­gal
use of thousands of
dollars in political con­tributions
for personal
purposes." Yevoli pro­duced
Nassau County
Board of Elections
record covering a five
year period that show
Supervisor Colby tak­ing
almost $32,000
from his campaign
committee for undoc­umented
expenses
(copies attached). The
Assemblyman added,
*'In virtually every
instance, there is no
explanation or back-up
material describing
what Mr. Colby is
being reimbursed for.
There are a few isolated
instances which show
the Supervisor billing
his campaign for so
called 'miscellaneous
expenses' such as
$2,020 for an unidenti­fied
trip and $1,490 for
two trips abroad. There
is another one that has
him being reimbursed
$65 for attending an
alleged campaign
school on an overnight
stay at Harrah's Casino
in Atlantic City.
Clearly these reimbur­sements
do not meet
the requirements speci­fied
in the Election
Law. They raise serious
questions regarding the
improper use of cam­paign
funds and other
questions as to whether
or not these monies
were treated as addi­tional
income by Mr.
Colby."
The Assemblyman
continued, "Supervisor
Colby's personal use of
large sums of campaign
funds appears to be a
blatant violation of the
Election Law that war­rants
an in-depth inves-t
i g a t i o n . " Yevoli's
charges into the misap­propriation
of cam­paign
funds comes in
the wake of Nassau
County District Attor­ney
Denis Dillon's
recent 66 count indict­ment
of town employees
and carting companies
chacged with a criminal
conspiracy that de­frauded
the Town
treasury of at least $1
million over a six
month period when
carters dumped 50-100
truckloads of garbage
daily at the Town's
Landfill. The D.A.'s
indictment also cited
political contributions
as part of the criminal
conspiracy.
Assemblyman Yevoli
concluded, "It seems
that Joe Colby has
added a new and per­haps
unique twist to
political campaigning.
Almost any campaign
that I have ever heard
of, winds up either
deeply in debt or at
least slightly in debt.
For Joe Colby, how­ever,
campaigning for
public office brings in
thousands of dollars to
be spent 'miscellane­ously'
for his own use."
Cast Call
TOWNSHIP THEATRE
GROUP is holding audi­tions
for the October pro­duction
of TRUE WEST on
August 25 and 26th at 8:00
p.m. at Beverly Hill School,
Beverly Road, South Hun­tington.
For information
call 261-1442.
Stringing Along
Oyster Bay Town Councilman John Venditto chats with
Jack Hultman, captain and co-founder of the Long Island
Mummers String Band, prior to the group's performance at
Bethpage Community Park. The program was the lourth in
a series of five evenings of "Music Under the Stars" spon­sored
by the Town's Department of Community Services
and co-sponsored by the Town of Oyster Bay Arts Council,
Inc.