Residents speak out about the reasons to insure Lucy the Elephant

By SUZANNE MARINO
Staff Writer
MARGATE – You have to give Lucy the Elephant credit. For the most senior woman in the city of Margate, she certainly is able to attract a crowd.
The location of the crowd was City Hall for the Thursday meeting of the Margate City Commission. Nearly 100 people jammed commission chambers demanding answers from the commissioners about the fate of the nearly 125-year-old pachyderm.
By the end of the meeting not only had they not gotten the stipend they were requesting, the possibility of Lucy leaving Margate was tossed into the fray by Richard Helfant, executive director of the Save Lucy Foundation.
At issue is the cost of operating Lucy. When the city of Margate moved from self-insurance to the joint insurance fund (JIF) they were informed that the city could no longer carry Lucy on its insurance policy simply because the JIF does not cover any quasi-public or non-profit entity.
Helfant’s compensation package earns him nearly $70,000 annually, he receives $46,000 in the form of a grant from the National Historic Foundation (a division of the department of state). He receives one third of his compensation from the revenue generated from the tickets and the gift shop, a monthly car allowance and a health benefits package.
During Helfant’s nearly six year tenure with Lucy, the number of visitors has skyrocketed and between admission cost for the tour, sales in the gift shop, and concession sales at the I Love Lucy snack bar bring in roughly $350,000 annually.
The grand dame of the beach is expensive to keep. Aside from insurance which the Save Lucy Foundation said is going to cost them $12,000 this year, utilities for Lucy are high. Helfant said that due to her age, the hard wood floors, keeping the temperature warm enough in the winter and cool enough in the summer is imperative. In 2005, according to budget information given to the City Commissioners on Oct. 11, 2005 the collective cost of electric and gas was $19,928.02. That combined with phone, yellow pages listing, water and sewer and $3,000 for insurance totaled $25,674.
Helfant, members of the foundations board, and supporters of Lucy jammed city hall to learn from the commissioners the fate of a stipend that they may or may not get to help cover the costs of Lucy.
Mayor Vaughn Reale said at the meeting something he has recanted over the last few months, that he was in favor of providing a $25,000 stipend for Lucy because the national historic landmark is “part of the fiber of this community.”
Commissioner Sigmund Rimm asked for the third consecutive meeting to see the annual budget for Lucy. Rimm said he needed more information on the operating expenses before he would vote on a dollar amount that he would feel comfortable with. Rimm said he was thinking along the lines of $15,000.
He chose that amount because he felt it reflected the cost of operating Lucy minus the bonus that Helfant receives annually from the foundation.
“If the $12,000 is a bonus, that should traditionally be given at the end of the year after seeing if they have met their goals. I never heard of giving a bonus at the start of the year,” said Rimm.
He was not alone in his skepticism, fellow commissioner John Swift was clearly agitated with the tone the meeting had taken and said, “I feel the city of Margate should take over Lucy. We should at least have veto power over her budget,” said Swift.
There was no shortage of opinions from the residents in attendance as well.
Rema Navone, a lifelong Downbeach resident said, “My first kiss was behind Lucy’s left leg and I want her to be there for other people forever.”
Navone was not shy about commenting on Lucy.
“This is horrible. This is Lucy the Elephant, man. She is beautiful. This is a no-brainer man (speaking to the commissioners), please help Lucy,” she said.
Susan Simon cut to the chase and said that Margate residents need to stop fighting amongst themselves in the schools and with Lucy. “Whether it is a school or Lucy the Elephant, what is so sad is the fighting instead of working together.”
Rosalyn Kincaid of the Atlantic County Convention and Visitors Authority asked the commissioners to reconsider the stipend. “The Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority want Lucy. She is such an important part of tourism here in this area. Please fund Lucy,” said Kincaid. Also entering a suggestion that could save face for everyone involved was Jean Mushain, the executive director of the Absecon Lighthouse. She suggested that since the city of Margate utilizes the image of Lucy on stationary, water tanks, letterhead etc that the city pay for the use of that image. That funding could be used in the same fashion as the stipend.
The group that gathered in chambers then flowed onto Washington Avenue where terse words were bandied about. Helfant suggested that if the city of Margate does not want help with the expenses then maybe Lucy would leave the city to find a better home. Swift countered that Lucy is part of Margate and that she will be keeping watch over the beach for generations to come.
The next city commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 4 at 3 p.m.
At deadline for this paper on Wednesday, May 3, there was no word on who might be attending the meeting this week and if the requested financial documents would be made available to the governing body.
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