European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 24, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday january 24, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 7chief of Hud suspends top . Officials Washington apr housing Secretary Jack Kemp is cracking Down on federally funded housing authorities in new Jersey suspending top housing officials in Passaic because they accepted a grossly excessive Quot salaries. Kemp is also serving notice to housing authorities nationwide that he will not tolerate the misuse of Public housing funds in the paying of salaries or in other areas. A the actions of these individuals arc a Clear violation of the Public Trust and a betrayal of the Low in come families in Passaic who need housing  Kemp said in a statement monday. The department of housing and Urban development also set up a new Jersey strike Force to examine the financial management of local housing authorities throughout the state. Hud directed the remaining members of the Passaic authority to prepare to sue for the recovery of excessive compensation paid out Over several years. The Tough Steps arc part of Kemp s attempt to demonstrate he is serious in vowing to end the financial scandals that have plagued the Agency. Hud s inspector general s office said in a report that investigators found si.68 m Sion in ineligible and unsupported costs at the Passaic housing authority which administers 891 rented or leased Low income units. The authority is under the control of a local Board of commissioners but annually receives millions in Federal Low income housing subsidies from Hud. The report said Paul Marguglio. Executive director of the Passaic authority was paid $245,956 in 1988, More than double Kemp s salary As housing Secretary. The Deputy director Donald v. Pic i was paid si06.868 in 1988. The authority s attorney August Michallis. Was paid $486,327 Over three years. All three were suspended along with Peter Marroc co. Chairman of the Board of commissioners and William p. Scruggs Board vice chairman. The Hud inspector general also found alleged abuse of government funded travel abuse of credit cards abuse of vacation policy and failure to follow Federal property management standards. The report said the authorized salary for Marguglio was $84,185 and Pic i was authorized $57,970. But the Passaic housing authority allowed employees to be compensated or multiple Job Tiller gave salary increases paid bonuses paid for compensatory Lime paid into the executive director s retirement annuity and authorized travel allowances the Hud inspector general considered compensation. A this occurred because the Board of commissioners approved resolutions authorizing these payments Quot the inspector general s report said. A by approving the resolutions and allowing compensation to exceed the Hud approved budget the Board did not exercise proper  the Rug Bush prefers newly installed in the Oval office along with new draperies Coffee table and  individualist Bush gets new carpet for office Washington apr an expensive Rug that Nancy Reagan helped design for the Oval office As Quot an attractive asset Quot is now relegated to a government storeroom reportedly because president Bush did t like it. Quot it was not terribly attractive. The president did not like it a said Larry Hokanson president of a Houston company that made a $28,550 Rug As a replacement. The new Rug was installed Friday As part of a $62,470 refurbishing of the Oval office which also included new draperies a chinese Stylc mahogany Coffee table  High Back armchairs and a pair of new three Cushion sofas. The Reagan Rug. Two years in the design and making had been purchased at a Cost of $49,625 by an Anonymous donor at the former first lady s request. She had worked with the White House curator and White House historical association to design the Rug and get a donor. That Rug decorated with 40 custom dyed colors with a predominant theme of peach or Coral was installed in june 1988 while the reagans were in Moscow. It replaced a 12-Ycar-old Rug. White House press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater. The press Secretary for both Reagan and Bush had said 18 months ago that the reagans Quot wanted to leave an asset to the White House and they Felt this would be an attractive  Mark Weinberg a spokesman for the reagans declined comment about the replacement. As for Bush Fitzwater said the president Quot is pleased with his new  the new Rug designed w Ith the assistance of new York Interior decorator Mark Hampton is 30 feet 10 inches Long and 23 feet 5 inches wide. Like the old one it is Oval. Hokanson said every stitch of the All Wool Rug was done with a hand guided electric powered Needle and that 20 to 30 people were involved in the design and production. The new Rug has a Gray Blue Field and in the Center the coat of arms from the presidential Seal done in shades of Gold on an Ivory background. There is a Border of Gold rods tied with Blue ribbons. Also on an Ivory ground. Replacement of Black player cited for bitter race relations in . Town Conway. . Apr five months after a High school football coach replaced a Black quarterback with a less experienced White player a Chain of recriminations has made for embittered race relations in this Small town. But a Boycott of the team picketing of the school and weekly i Arches mostly by Blacks Are not just caused by the coach s Choice but by Long standing grievances protesters say. They say racial problems in this Rural town of 14.000 residents. 41 percent of whom arc Black had simply been hidden until  incident. Quot Conway very definitely has a problem with racism. America has a problem with  said the Rev . Singleton a former science teacher who was fired by the All White school Board after becoming a spokesman for boycotting Black players. A while these kinds of incidents have been happening All along the White Community thinks it s nothing to get excited about a said or. William Gibson a Grcen Ville dentist and chairman of the a act National Board of directors. But mayor Ike Long who is White disagreed. Quot i Don t think that Conway had a racial problem As such until this thing came up Quot he said. A i Don t know that we have so much of a racial problem  the demonstrations began after Conway highs White football coach Chuck Jordan moved quarterback Carlos Hunt who is Black to defensive Back. Jordan replaced Hunt with Mickey Wilson or. A less experienced player and the son of an assistant coach. Jordan later said he made the change because Hunt refused to follow his instructions on the Field. Hunt was t Happy with the switch and neither were Many of his teammates. On aug. 22, Singleton announced that 31 of the 37 Black players were boycotting the team to protest the change. All but 10 of the striking players stayed out the entire season. The team had a i-11 record. Less than a week after the walkout began the parents of 61 while students enrolled in Singleton s science class at Conway Middle school requested their children be assigned another teacher. The following Day. Horry county school superintendent John Dawsy suspended Singleton on the grounds he was disrupting school. Tie school Board fired Singleton who also is pastor of Cherry Hill Baptist Church three months later. What followed were protest marches through town that Drew hundreds of marchers on several saturdays regular picketing outside the High school a two Day Boycott of classes by Black students and a Promise by the a act to stage a political and economic Boycott in Horty s4s Susan Harris county. An investigation by state human affairs commissioner James c Lylbum determined the Hunt incident was not racially motivated. In general Clybur s findings were supported by the White Community and decried by Blacks. Leaders of the National association for the advancement of coloured people say they will continue their protest until Singleton is reinstated in his teaching Job and will press for other changes. For one thing they want a change in hiring practices for schools in the town which is 15 Miles nor thu pm of mar tic Beach