Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 30, 1973)
OQIIU monday, april 30, 1973 lincoln, nebraska vol. 96, no. 107 Amendment's effects confuse Radial issue Two weeks ago the City Council impounded for the rest of the fiscal year all funds ($500,000) designated for the Northeast Radial highway and trained its political guns on City Charter Amendment 2, commonly called the "Stop the Radial" amendment. Its goal was to defeat the amendment. (Amendment 2 is one of three City Charter amendments that will be decided on in Tuesday's city general election.) The Council's action, in effect, redirected election year controversy from the highway to the amendment. If passed, the amendment basically would do this: -It requires either a unanimous City Council vote or a favorable majority vote of the electorate to proceed with any street construction costing more than $15 million (the radial would cost about $30 million). -It redefines criteria for city street planning, making them similar to current federal criteria. The Council's unanimous decision to impound radial funds and its unanimous stand against Amendment 2 has elicited many verbal tussles between Mayor Sam Schwartzkopf and leaders of the Coalition Against the Raidal (CAR). Most of the disagreement concerns the effect Amendment 2 would have on current and future street construction in Lincoln, excluding the Radial's. The mayor contends that: The amendment has been represented as a "Stop the Radial" amendment even though it makes no mention of the Radial per se. The amendment delineates planning requirements for all expressways, freeways, parkways, controlled access facilities and highways and therefore would affect most of Lincoln's arterial street construction, because they are part of either state or federal highway systems. If the amendment passes, the city will not be able to carry through on several street improvement projects scheduled for summer. If passed, the amendment might render the city ineligible for some future federal highway and mass transit funds. Many other officials have entrenched themselves with Schwartzkopf. City Atty. Dick Wood, who is appointed by Schwartzkopf, said several problems "appear to exist" with the proposed amendment. State and federal officials also have urged Amendment 2 be rejected. A prepared statement from a committee of State Roads Department officials, the Federal Highway Administration, Lancaster County and the city argued that even though the amendment follows current state and federal highway planning policies, when federal and state standards change, the charter amendment won't. "Consequently, the statement continued, "Lincoln would lose transportation funds if any alteration of the amendment were defeated." And finally, the major's position is upported by all former Lincoln mayors and city councilmen, who, regardless of their feelings about the radial, oppose Amendment 2 because they say it's bad legislation. The amendment's supporters are vehement as it's opponents. The amendment's sponsoring group, CAR, has solicited suoport from the Citizens for Improved Planning, Citizens for Environmental Improvement, the Lancaster County Young Democrats, City-Wide Tennants Association, the Fremont (Street) Area Citizens Grour and the Clinton Area Neighborhood Organization. Chief standardbearer for CAR, attorney John Steven Berry, has Tiie Northeast Radial Poins Say: "irdver Peoples Houses and Lawns :r TrucKin Over admitted from the start that Amendment 2 was directed both at the Radial and at future major street construction. Although the huff about Amendment 2 has shoved arguement about the radial somewhat into the background, CAR's original justifications for the amendment and against the radial are: Lincoln cannot afford a four-lane roadway without federal assistance (currently no federal funds have been used for land aquisition for the Radial, but city officials have been making overtures that they may ask for some in the future. CAR questions whether the Radial is even eligible for federal funds.) -The radial would cost between $700 and $1,100 per Lincoln household. CAR says that't too much. The radial would contribute to urban sprawl, contrary to the balanced growth sought by those who complied the City-County Goals and Policies statement. -People should have the right to decide what kind of city they want and the right to help in the decision making. Berry categorically denies that Amendment 2, if passed, would unduly delay any currently planned street construction projects. Concerning future construction, Berry says: "The proposed amendment clearly states that all state and federal laws shall supercede any requirements contained within the amendment." To date, $3.5 million has been spent on right-of-way land acquisition for the Radial. No more money will be spent on tnat until at least the start of the city's next fical year in September. When the council impounded Radial funds, Councilman Merle Hale said the action was, in part, to show the city's sincerity that it would not continue to buy land for the radial "without further study." City officials have said repeatedly that they will be bound by the results of updating study on the Radial scheduled to be completed early next year. Currently the council is split on the Radial question: some in favor, some not sure. If the amendment passes, although they hope it won't, the Radial moneky will be off their backs, but on the voter s. Private investigators have eyes on Lincoln Sure, it happens in the movies, hut how could the life of a private eye in Lincoln be that exciting? Elementary, my dear Mr, Watson, it's all in the type of work they're doing. In today's Close Up, staff writer Adella Wacker dusts off her deer-stalker's cap, polishes her monocle and takes a look at Lincoln's private detectives, by Adella Wacker Throughout a Mickey Spillane detective paperback, the movie "Shaft" or "Mannix" on Sunday night television, the sharp-sexy private eye image glitters. With drink and woman in tow, private detectives solve murders, recover bodies and crack dope rings in glamorous ways. Too bad, you say, that it's not real. But there might be a bit of glamour to being a private detective in Lincoln. Lincoln has two such men who investigate on their own and who don't work for a detective agency. Private detectives also operate and work for five agencies in the city. "I've had a couple of deals which might fall in the TV variety," said Robert J. Sawdon, private detective. He was formerly chief of detectives for the Lincoln Police Department. Sawdon "officially and formally" became a licensed private detective after his March 16 retirement. He'd been with Lincoln police for 25 years. Another Lincoln detective who prefers to remain anonymous seems to be an exception rather than a rule-he never was a policeman. He takes as many cases as he can handle part time, because full time he's Nebraska area manager and broker for a national land development corporation. The 25-year-old Lincoln detective graduated from the UNL College of Business Administration in 1969. His interest in detective work came from his father who was a postal inspector and had friends in the FBI. He said he usually is hired by an attorney to "follow somebody or find out something." "I don't want to say it's boring but..." his job involves much time sitting and observing, he said. He's mainly involved in child custody cases, and some divorce cases. The glamour may come from the money and the travel in the detective business. "Number one, I'm in it for monetary reasons," the pipe-smoking land executive said. He said that he turns down cases if "they're not lucrative enough" or if he doesn't think he has the time to investigate the case correctly. Both he and Sawdon said a detective's time by the hour is worth $25 in fees, plus expenses. However, while doing o lonq-teim investigation, a detective may bo paid $100 a day plus expenses. Sawdon said that his third out-of-state assignment since becoming a piivate detective took him to the West Coast for two days, and earned him $300 plus expenses. "If you can save a person a lot of money, they're more than happy to pay a high fee," Sawdon said. Sawdon said he's been hired by attorneys, insurance companies, doctors and businesses. Most of his work is with business firms anr security studies. "Just sitting in a car and watching in noi my bag," Sawdon said. He said his work involves interviewing, making complete reports and occasionally escorting people o property. The land executive said that most detective techniques are just common sense. From his father, he said he learned how to Continued on p. 2
