A Trade There were hundreds of attractions for every member of the family, and the number, the variety and the presentation of the exhibits all con tributed to the undeniable success of the 1980 McHenry Trade fair. An unofficial estimate of between 6,000 and 7,000 has been given as the num ber of persons who walked through the doors of Parkland Junior high school Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a showcase of what McHenry business and industry has to offer. They were not disappointed, and their enthusiasm was shared by the exhibitors. The photo at left shows youngsters being entertained by a strolling lion and an Easter bunny. Above is a general view of one portion of the exhibit area. STAFF PHOTOS/WAYNE GAYLORD THE MCHENRY PLAINDEALER fltoarb Winning iletospaper Illinois Press Association Newspaper Contest SERVING THE CHAIN-O-LAKES REGION SINCE 1875 VOLUME 104 NUMBER 69 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1980 2 SECTIONS 26 PAGES 25 City employees were cut in for a larger share of the revenue pie as total salaries increased an average of 14.6 percent after City Council budget voting Monday night. F i n a n c e c o m m i t t e e chairman, Alderman Jack Pepping, told the Council that this could be ac complished without an in crease in City taxes. A part of the reason for the sizeable pay increases was the 18 percent rise in the cost of living in the first quarter of 1980, and the 12.5 percent rise in the cost of living in 1979. Pepping also said that the figure 14.6 was a little high because of a new longevity benefit which was included in the approved budget, and some "inequities" in the pay scale which were corrected. The average pay increases for most of the City* em ployees was between 10 and 13 percent. "A top sergeant in the police department now makes as much as the lieutenant," Pepping said, pointing out one of the inequities. Prefacing his remarks, Pepping explained that the City of McHenry operates with fewer people in its various departments than other municipalities of about similar size. 1980-81 budget is longevity. A much debated benefit at previous Council meetings, a part of the longevity proposal was incorporated into the upcoming budget and is expected to cost the City a little more than $11,400. At the end of six years service, an employee would receive a 2 percent pay in crease under this program. At the end of 10 years ser vice, he would receive a 4 percent raise. "The City of Woodstock has 30 sworn police officers, Crystal Lake has,, 21, and McHenry has 16," Pepping said. He referred to the number of patrolmen in each municipality, which does not i n c l u d e s e r g e a n t s , lieutenants and chiefs. A similar discrepancy exists in the public works departments of the three cities, Pepping said. "Woodstock has 17 public works employees, Crystal Lake has 12, and Fred has nine." Pepping went on to say that the City of McHenry is also operating without the aid of city administrative officers and city managers - appointed, not elected, people who take care of the business end of City operations. In the police department, salaries for a starting patrolman increased 7.1 percent, while the top patrolman's wage went up 12.1 percent, Tlie average increase for a patrolman, regardless of length of service was 11.8 percent. The sergeants received an average increase of 12.8 percent and the parking enforcement personnel were given 12.5 percent increases. The positions of police chief,, lieutenant, park director and city collector - the pay scale inequities referred to by Pepping - showed the most marked increases. The budget salary proposals netted 19.1 percent and 18.2 percent pay in creases for the chief of police and the lieutenant, respectively. Employees in the Department of Public Works, in all classes, were accorded pay increases of 12.3 percent; in the sewer department, increases of 13.6 percent. The city park director received a salary increase of 25.5 percent, because "a worker at the maximum pay level in the public works department should not be making more than the park director," Pepping said. Pepping also pointed out that with the development of Knox park, the park director has taken on a number of responsibilities which should be reflected in his salary. The city clerk received $2.65 an hour raise in her (his) capacity as city collector. The clerk received no raise at this time for the position of city clerk because, as Pepping ex- As recommended in previous proposals, the longevity increases at the end of 15 and 20 years ser vice were left out of the budget. Mayor Stanek said, "I disagree with longevity. I vetoed it once and I'll probably do it again." Akderman Pepping said the City has to recognize that the employees of the City are working efficiently; doing the same jobs with fewer people. plained, that is an elected office and an elected official cannot receive a raise while in office. Alderman Ron Meurer urged restraint in giving such substantial raises, feeling that $2.65 an hour was perhaps too much. A new position on the pay structure was created to give skilled craftsmen in the Department of Public Works a higher base pay than an "unskilled" employee. Another new facet of the Pepping said a "merit plan" was in the hopper for the 1981-82 fiscal year "The department heads all want to go to merit raises," Pepping said, "but we can't do it this year." Mayor Stanek was con cerned about the evaluation process and wanted to make sure the some control or review was left in the hands of the elected officials. Pepping projected the total general fund revenue at (Continued on page 16) The Easter season is at hand, an appropriate time to note once again that fashion designers and promoters have long altered styles, seasonally, to spur sales. The custom may be un derstandable from the standpoint of adding to the coffer, but seldom does the maneuvering fail to gather ire, especially among those who have invested heavily in apparel the previous year. When it went from long to short in ladies' dresses some years ago there was a cry from the owners of bowed legs, heavy legs and scrawny legs. But at least it was a trend we could do something about as long as the sissors were handy. But when the longer lengths entered the picture, every household had closets filled with unwearable dresses for those who would consider themselves the height of fashion. Even worse for those of us who prize comfort above all else is the trend away from pants suits to dresses. Feminine? Yes. f Comfortable? Not always. We remember when the trend had its start. Even when there were few slack sets to be found, clerks' ' assurances were that "they will be coming the first part of September". We waited, and every September there are fewer in the stores. And so Easter 1980 finds milady feminine and fashionable, but not always pretty. E l a s t i c i z e d a n d drawstring waists, dropped shoulder yokes and blouson effects are right in style, but they don't always do much for some figures - or maybe they do too much. Shoes have gone elegant with their spike heels, but it isn't easy to go from block heels to 4-inchers over a period of a couple of seasons. And when you view the Easter parade, don't expect to see the elegant hat's of old. We checked a catalog and found only sailors and straw fedoras, both with very casual clothing. We have concluded that if we keep things long enough - and that doesn't always mean very long - we'll one day be in style again. Maybe the women who have risen up in favor of ERA should divert their attention to that one small band of people - mostly men - who as a minority are telling us what we must wear. We are an ERC advocate - Equal Rights for Con sumers. KAF Contests For School Boards The money crisis in local schools has failed to deter members of the community from seeking board posts in the McHenry area school systems. However, two seats will be filled by people new to the local school scene because members of the elementary district in the city have selected not to be candidates for reelection. With the decisions of Tim Althoff, president, and Dorothy Vick, secretary, of the District 15 elementary board not to be candidates, two new members are assured. Mrs. Vick is a veteran member of the board and Althoff is com pleting his first term. Seeking to fill the two vacancies are Gerald K. Bunting of 4813 W. Bonner; Arthur T. Newbrough, 4910 Pyndale drive; Kathleen Cichonski, 1809 S. Fern- wood; and Jon Carl Gealow, 2903 N. Bayview lane. There is also a vacancy to fill the unexpired term of Willis Martin, whose work took him from the area a short time after being elected a year ago. Candidates for the two- year term are Carol Dom- browski, 1608 Morgan trail; Nancy Glosson, 47-3 W. Home; and Eileen B. Zur- blis, 203 Augusta In High School District 156, only the two incumbents seek office. They are Paul Nitz, 3220 W. Skyway; and James Tonyan, 2026 W. Lincoln. A contest exists in the Johnsburg school district. where two incumbents seek another term and will be challenged for a seat by a third candidate. Charles Boak of 4013 N. Hillcrest and Barbara Stanell of 1318 W. Bay road h a v e f i l e d p e t i t i o n s f o r reelection. The new can didate is Stephen Webel, 5303 Wilmot road. At Harrison District 36, only the three incumbents have filed. They are Dr. Santo L. Ruggero, Joy Dass and Jay Cristy. For Gypsy Moths Propose City Spray Program Effective In June and pesticide specialist supervisor with the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA). Also in attendance at the meeting were representatives of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Illinois Department of Conservation (IDOC). Seaborg explained that a significant population has been found in this area and that if treated soon enough, the moths can be wiped out. The insect was likened to the shark; it exists only to eat, in the caterpillar stage, and to mate, in the moth stage. The caterpillar was described as "ravenous", particularly in the last molting stage, and it has been known to leave trees devoid of leaves Seaborg said the cater pillars' favorite trees are oaks, birches and beeches. If the insect strips these trees of their leaves, the tree will be left in a weakened state (Continued on dwk 16) 90-Day Moratorium On City Parking Meters lAKEL/ f r iO SHORES LAKELAMP SPRUCE LH and employers as they arise. Part of the parking problem, according to Police Chief George Pasenelli, lies with the employees and employers taking parking places in front of the store. The June target date will give the Chamber time to talk to employers and point out the available off-street parking places, particularly in the Green street area. "If an employee or an employer gets tagged once or twice for $5 a crack, they'll either find somewhere else to park or come to the Chamber for an answer." Williams said. Alderman Patz asked whether there was a feeling among the business people that The meters were a Beginning in June, the City will have a 90-day moratorium on metered parking in the City. The request was made by members of the McHenry Chamber of Commerce. At the end of the 90 days, a representative of„ the Clumber will return to the City Council and report on how the experiment affected sales in the business com munity. The metered parking in the, City will be replaced by two-hour parking. R e p r e s e n t i n g H i e Chamber, Tom Williams said the Chamber intends to take care of parking problems with employees deterrent to parking and shopping in the downtown area. Williams said there was. "The business district wants to give this a try," Williams added. "We are asking for two-hour parking without the meters." Williams commented that he expected the reaction from customers and the business community to be favorable - even with the $5 fine. There was some discussion concerning how many people would be necessary to enforce the new parking system, but an impasse was reacted. The matter of enforcement was tabled until the next meeting. GYPSY MOTH About 25 McHenry residents were appraised of a proposed plan Thursday n i g h t t o s p r a y a p proximately 270 acres of W h i s p e r i n g O a k s a n d Lakeland Shores with an insecticide to kill gypsy moths The plan was presented by Norman G. Seaborg. a plant