msey Criticizes Martin For Sending Questionaires
BY *m.\ DKKSniKK JH.
House Speaker Lis ton B Ramsey
Friday criticized the Republican ad
ministration of Gov James G. Martin
for requiring intended pork barrel
recipients to fill out questionnaires
describing their organizations and
their other sources of money
But a Martin spokesman said that
the administration would continue to
send out questionnaires in an attempt
to determine the constitutionality of
the 1,400 local appropriations approv
ed by the General Assembly last
month.
The legislature provided that the
pork barrel appropriations be
distributed by the governor's budget
office by Sept 1. Martin's require
ment that the questionnaires be com
of the checks until after S? pt 1.
The state Constitution requires that
public funds be spent only for public
purposes Legislative Republicans
have questioned whether some of the
appropriations were constitutional
This week, Martin had asked state
Attorney General Lacy H Thornburg
to review each of the 1,400 appropria
tions for their constitujionality.
Thornburg, a Democrat, said Thurs
day that he would review only those
appropriations in which Martin fur
nished evidence that the payments
may be improper. A Martin official
said Friday that Martin would comp
ly with Thomburg's request
In a letter dated Friday and mailed
to legislators who were allotted pork
barrel funds for projects in their
districts. Ramsey wrote, "I am not
challenging the governor's authority
to require all of these people to fill out
a form in order to obtain the ap
propriation. but I do think thai it Is
totally unnecessary and borders on
harassment."
In an interview. Ramsey also said
some of the questions were inap
propriate and irrelevant, including a
question asking about other sources
of funds for the organization and
another seeking the names of
members of boards of directors
In his lettet- to legislators. Ramsey
included comments from Gerry F.
Cohen, director of legislative draf
ting. Of the request to name other
possible funding sources. Cohen
wrote: "I do not see any possible
relevance for this question What
SWS iSLSr1
Of the request far a list of the board
of directors, Cohen said: "! do not see
what possible relevance this could
have in determining public purpose
This is not public information... This
question could have a chilling effect
on some organizations."
Martin officals defended the ques
tionnaire
"Nobody is trying to harass
anyone," said Tim R. Pittman, Mar
tin's press secretary. "Tt* primary
concern is just to make sure this
money is spent for the public good."
Marvin K. Dorman Jr.. deputy
state budget officer, said the question
inquiring about other' sources of
money was needed to protect against
a group hoarding state money from
one year, then using it the next year
to meet a legislative requirement
that it have matching funds to rec?ive
The question asking for a list of the
board of directors also was needed
Dorman said. "We feel it's important
to know the makeup of an organiza
tion," he said. "All of us felt it was
important to have on the question
naire."
The head of one group that received
an appropriation said the question
naire was unneeded and would waste
time in his office and Martin's. "We
contract with at least two depart
ments in the state, and are certified
and licensed by the state." said J.
Stephen Ramsey, executive director
of the Tammy Lynn Memorial Foun
dation. a private, non-profit center in
Raleigh for mentally handicapped
people that received $38,000 in pork
barrel funds.
The state already has information
requested on the questionnaire,
Ramsey said. He said he now had to
research the center'* statutory
authority, send in promotional
materials and provide a letter of tax
exempt status from the state Depart
ment of Revenue, ail of which the
questionnaire requires.
"I'm going to end up spending pro
bably two days., putting together the
information," he said.
Pittman said Martin would comply
with Thorn burg's request that Martin
provide evidence that an appropria
tion was unconstitutional before he
asked Thorfiburg to review it. "We
don't look at that as a rejection," Pitt
man said. "I think there has been a
mininterpretation of what the (Mar
tin) letter meant."
Martin's letter to Thornburg said:
"I will appreciate it if you will advise
me the name of each entity to whom a
( check ) should be sent .. and whether,
in your opinion, the entity is lawfully
entitled to the apropriation."
MADISON COUNTY TEACHERS MELANIE BLANKEN
SHIP, left. AND BETTY JANE RAMSEY were among 25
WNC teachers who completed the four-week Summer Institute
of the Mountain Area Writing Project at Western Carolina
University recently. Shown with the two local teachers is
James Nicholl, chairman of the WCU English department.
Blankenship is a teacher at Marshall Elementary School and
Ramsey teaches at Laurel Elementary.
Mars Hill College
Receives $8,000 Grant
Mars Hill College has received
$8,000 from the Mary Duke Biddle
Foundation of Durham to fund a
library and resource center for the
college's musical theatre degree pro
gram
The school s Division of Fine Arts is
only one of a dozen in the nation that
awards a Bachelor of Arts Degree in
Musical Theatre. Mars Hill's pro
gram was begun in the late I970's and
awarded its first diplomas in 1963
The grant will be used to establish a
center for containing electronic
equipment such as record players,
tape decks, a video cassette
recorder. and a television monitor as
well as source material such as
records, tapes, musical scores, and
cast recordings. A portion of the
grant will be used to renovate space
in the Theatre Arts office to house the
center. v
The foundation was begun in 1966
by Mrs. Biddle to aid worthwhile pro
jects in N. C., New York City, and
Duke University in the areas of
higher and secondary education,
cultural programs, projects in the
arts, and health and rehabilitation
proposals
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