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daily nebraskan
Wednesday, november 1, 1978
Supporters and opponents debate
council district election proposal
By Randy Essex
Monday evening's Lincoln City Council meeting
became a political showcase for supporters and opponents
of a proposed amendment to the City Charter that would
establish district election of four of the seven council
members.
Lively public debate was stimulated by councilman
Leo Scherer's resolution urging the council to go on
record opposing the Nov. 7 ballot issue. The resolution
was later withdrawn.
The proposed amendment was placed on the ballot by
a successful petition drive after the Charter Revision Com
mittee killed a similar proposal.
Legal and personal opinions and innuendo highlighted
the three-hour meeting.
Charles Brown, 1900 S. 34 St., attacked council chair
man Bob Sikyta for using city funds to mail what Brown
called "nothing more than the opinion of Bob Sikyta-a
piece of campaign literature against the district election
proposition."
True, complete facts
Sikyta said he wrote to citizen organizations that had
announced in the Lincoln Gazette they favored district
elections to see if the organizations had been fully
informed on the issue.
Sikyta's question was based on an opinion given Oct. 5
by City Attorney Charles Humble. Humble believes the
wording of the proposition would not require a person to
live in the district he is elected to serve.
Sikyta said it is not unusual for him-"as an active
councilman" to seek information if there is a question as
to whether "somebody has not had true and complete
facts."
Sikyta said he was elected to let people know the full
facts in an issue.
Brown said Sikyta should determine the costs of
mailing the letter on council stationery in city envelopes,
and should reimburse the city.
'It was his opinion alone (not the opinion of the coun
cil) " Brown charged.
' Hatchet job
Councilman Steve Cook charged Brown with at
tempting a "hatchet job ' on Sikyta, and Councilman
Joe Hampton called Brown a "master of innuendo."
Scherer said he introduced the resolution to "let the
entire public know how we feel." fcherer said the
proposal is 'ill-written" because it does i tate that dis
trict councilmen must live in the district iey intend to
represent.
Scherer said he wanted to combat a "closed-minded"
editorial writer (for the Lincoln Journal, which favors the
ballot proposal).
Scherer and Sikyta said they do not oppose the
measure because they are afraid they will lose their jobs,
as the editorial suggested.
Sikyta said he does not believe the proposal is "what
the signers of the peition wanted," because of the omis
sion of wording requiring district residency.
Words omitted
Former City Attorney Richard Wood seconded
Humble's legal opinion that candidates for council would
not have to live in the district they desire to serve.
Wood, who is a member of the Charter Revision Com
mittee, said he could not understand why the wording was
omitted. He said the petition read almost verbatim from
the committee's defeated proposal.
Humble said organizers of the petition drive were given
the charter committee's proposal in full, and denied sug
gestions that the wording in question was left out inten
tionally by his office.
Humble also denied allegations made by supporters of
the measure that he acted in haste to agree with Sikyta on
the matter.
Frank Kuhn, 3545 N. 58 St., co-chairman of the Citi
zens for Fair Representation said the group was not aware
that key wording was not in the petition.
Keep on talking
Kuhn said he had been informed by State Sen. Steve
Fowler that the problem could be corrected by state sta
tute. Kuhn charged that his group was not given the infor
mation that would have led it to require district residency.
Humble said it would be better to correct the problem
in the city election next spring (if the proposition passes
next week) than to have the Legislature correct the error.
Scherer termed Fowler's "late appearance ' in the
matter "interesting."
Stan Talley, 310 A St., told council members they
were helping in efforts to pass the proposal.
"You've done more tonight for passing this than
anyone else has so far," Talley said. "So just keep
talking."
Mayor Helen Boosalis told the council legal problems
in the proposal did not kill her support for the measure.
'If people feel they are not being represented. . .they
should have that opportunity," she said. "This is the pro
posal we have before us."
The resolution was withdrawn without a vote after
Scherer said public debate had served to inform the
public all about the proposal.
Lincoln Sundays
will remain dry
Lincoln citizens can drive to Omaha or Emerald
for a drink on Sunday, but locals and convention
goers still will not be able to buy alcohol in Lincoln
on Sundays.
The city council Monday sustained Mayor Helen
Boosalis' veto of a measure that would have allowed
Sunday sales in business establishments doing more
than 60 percent of their business in food sales.
Boosalis vetoed the measure because she and
many other Lincolnites thought the plan was
discriminatory.
An attempt to lift a long-standing ban on Sunday
sales began in mid-September. The council approved
limited sales on a 4-3 vote two weeks ago, and de
feated a plan to allow sales to the full extent of
state law.
ASUN agenda
The ASUN senate will
meet at 7 tonight in the Ne
braska Union. The agenda
is:
I. Call to orderroll call
II. Approval of minutes
III. Appointments
IV. Open forum
V. Executive reports
VI. Committee reports
Academic policy
Budget & fees
Campus life
Special topics
Community relations
VII.
VIII.
Internal affairs
Old business
Organic act No. 4 -(Committee
on minor
ity student enroll
ment) New business
Appropriations bill
no. 15
Resolution No. 21
(Proposition 302)
Senate Bill No.
(Union board)
IX. Announcements
X. Adjournment
29
UNION agenda
I. Approval of the
minutes
II. Open forum
III. Reports
A. President
B. Host & Hostess
program
C. Food Service
D. Operations
IV. Old business
VI.
A. CAP Office opera
tions New business
A. Touche-Ross
request
B. Fund B Stuay
Goup report
C. Board structure
changes
Open end
WOERIED
ABOUT YOUR
FUTURE ?
Representatives from the following companies will be available to discuss career
opportunities with you:
The companies and agencies are as follows:
A & L Midwest Agricultural Labs
Agricultural Stabilization & conservation Service
Conservation & Survey
Con Win Co.
Deere & Company
Elanco Products Co.
Dow Chemical Co.
Farmers National Co.
Federal Land Bank of Omaha
FMC Corporation
Land O Lakes
KRVN Radio
NC Hybrids
Nebraska - Bankers Association
Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
Production Credit Association
State Department of Vocational Education
Stauffer Chemical Co.
Wheelers Stores
.Nov. 1
10:30 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Nebraska East Union
Great Plains
Room
Allied Chemical Corp.
CIBA-GEIGY
Cooperative Extension Service
Chevron Chemical Co.
DEKALB Ag Research Inc.
E.I. PuPont De Nemours & Co., Inc.
Farmers Home Administration
Farmland Industries
First National Bank & Trust Co. of Lincoln
Hormel & Co.
Lincoln Parks & Recreation
Monsanto
National Agri-Marketing Association
Nebraska Farm Bureau
Nebraska Nursery Association
Servi-Tech Inc.
Soil Conservation Service
TUCO - Upjohn
Sponsored by Ag Advisory Board, Alpha Zeta. and College of Agriculture
Health fair offered by center
By Bob Lannin
The University Health Center will spon
sor a free health screening fair Nov. 7 from
10 ajn. to 4 pjn. in the Nebraska Centen
nial Room.
The health fair will offer screening for
blood pressure, diabetes and rubella im
munity, according to Karen Weed, Corrt
munity Health Department nurse.
This will be the first yer health fair is
offered. It will be open to alTUNL students
and staff members, Weed said.
In the past, separate screenings were
held for these diseases at the Health Cen
ter, she said, and the change to one health
screening day is to "try to reach as many
students as possible."
In addition to the disease screening, ex
hibits of various resources available at the
Health Center will be set up, she said, and
information from other health agencies
such as the Nebraska Cancer Society will
be presented.
Educate students
Kathy Gatcemeyer, coordinator of the
Community Health Department, said
another goal of the health fair is to help
educate students about the diseases.
Weed emphasized that little effort
would be required on the part of students.
The rubella screening requires drawing
a small amount of blood from the arm, the
diabetes screening a finger prick and the
blood pressure screening a blood pressure
test, Weed said.
The rubella test will determine the im
munity level of patients for rubella and a
vaccine is then available for those with a
low level of immunity.
Test important
Weed said the rubella test is important
for females of child-bearing age, because
women who get rubella during the early
months of pregnancy run a considerable
risk that the fetus will be born deformed.
"The common symptoms of diabetes,
according to Weed, are excessive thirst,
constant hunger, loss of weight, itching,
tiring easily, changes in vision, and slow
healing of cuts and scratches.
Those most likely to get diabetes are
relatives of diabetics and people who are
over 40 or overweight.
Weed said over 4 million Americans
have diabetes, and at least 1.5 million of
these cases are undetected.
Weed said that about 20 million people
in the U.S. have high blood pressure or, 10
percent of the adult population. She said
high blood pressure often runs in families
and is more likely to develop in individuals
whose parents have high blood pressure.
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