480 NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW [October

Citizen Action . 0 0 . . . Kim Taylor, Ediior

Kent Reformers Score Committee

Petition State Party to Protest Procedures

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is re- printed from the July 1972 issue of Ohio Voter, bulletin of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. The article, of which this is an excerpt, was written by Laura Haferd.

G I V I N G his reasons for never voting in either primary or general elections,

Jack Parr states, “It only encourages them.” Mrs. Arthur Motycka, LWV Kent, found this attitude very prevalent in her area where she recently ran for Demo- cratic precinct committeeman. After her experience she thinks she may know why people feel this way. The point was dra- matically illustrated on May 11 when the newly elected official attended her first meeting of the central committee.

Mrs. Motycka and other members of a “rump group” of reform-oriented com- mitteemen found this meeting, which was held in the local county courthouse, barred to press and public by deputy sheriffs. The meeting lacked an agenda, secretary’s report, treasurer’s report and descriptions of qualifications for internal offices to be elected. Rules of order were abandoned for half the meeting. Voice and standing votes sufficed to elect central committee officers who conducted the meet- ing. Waiting in the hall were nonelected members of the dissenting group, unable to enter.

During the course of the meeting, the central committee, with 84 present out of a possible 103, voted to dissolve itself and gave all its powers to the executive com- mittee totaling 30 members. By this action the reform group, with its small voting power, was effectively cut out from par-

ticipation in further meetings and there- fore lost its voice in decision making about patronage, use of funds and other party business. . . .

Unsure that they will even receive minutes of further meetings, the disap- pointed group has filed a petition with the state Democratic office as a protest gesture against procedures at the meeting which they say are contrary to the state party constitution. “We object to closing a meeting of the central committee, even if they do want to call it ‘organizational,’ the use of deputy sheriffs, the lack of parliamentary order, and the failure of this county organization to have written a new constitution as required by the state this year,” Mrs. Motycka explained. “However, we have learned from the experience that to avoid such an occur- rence, the party will need a larger group of committeemen in the body who are interested in the issues and reform, not patronage.”

San Diego Co. Creates Citizen Advisory Boards

Seven advisory boards, serving seven of the eight agencies overseeing daily opera- tions, have become integral parts of San Diego county government. The boards were established when the county govern- ment was recently restructured and re- organized into eight departments with one coordinator.

After the initial reorganization a com- mittee was appointed to find citizens to fill positions on the agency boards, People were needed who would serve without pay, representing the county’s different socio- economic, ethnic and age groups, and had to be divided proportionally between rural and urban populations. More than 700 people volunteered for 57 openings.

After each board was formed and agency

19721 NEWS IN

coordinators were appointed, the boards were thoroughly briefed on every aspect of their agencies and interrelationships within the county government. I t is ex- pected that the input from the advisory boards will keep the momentum generated by the departmental reorganization moving in each agency, reports Sun Diego County Today. In the meantime it is hoped that the boards’ understanding the overall functions of each agency without being involved in the ordinary day-to-day opera- tions will be able to offer constructive advice and criticism.

Fairfax Citizen Group Studies Center City

The city council of Fairfax, Virginia, has named an 11-member commission to examine alternatives for the development of the center city area. The question of the development of the area, encompassing some 350 acres, was a major issue during the city elections last May.

Members of the commission were se- lected from almost 50 residents who vol- unteered their services. According to the commission chairman, the other citizens who volunteered will be asked to serve on a special center city advisory committee to work on specific tasks “in both advisory and research capacities to insure best use of talents and special interests.”

The commission is to prepare a land use and traffic patterns report by the end of January 1973, including a detailed map, and recommendations and rationale for proposed changes in the city’s zoning ordinance.

The city council will review the com- mission’s recommendations and make modifications where appropriate. The com- mission will then prepare a development report consisting of recommended stages of development, comprehensive planning and long-term budgeting for public ser- vices, and “recommended specific develop- ment potentials, both public and private.”

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volunteer service Help8 Job Corps Trainees

Joint Action in Community Service (JAC) is an organization formed from Catholic, Jewish and Protestant organiza- tions to help disadvantaged youths make the transition from job training to a new community life. There are 69 Job Corps residential training centers set up by the federal government for more than 50,OOO 16-21 year olds. Despite the comprehensive training received there, too many were still unemployed after leaving the centers. The JACs provide follow-up volunteer service to the new trainee to help him with his job and problems surrounding his new social position,

JACs have been instrumental in bring- ing together many people of different social-economic backgrounds to solve a common problem. Often the volunteer just helps the youth needing medical or legal aid to find local agencies providing those services. According to Huntan Need, the volunteers, who represent social service, religious, business, industry, labor and other community-related organizations, are filling the gap between the youth and the paid professional staff.

Colorado LWV Members Hold Appointive Posts

At the 1971 Colorado League of Women Voters convention a motion was passed establishing a committee to suggest names of L W V members for possible appoint- ments to state regulatory agencies and public commissions. The cothairwomen discussing their successes in the Colorado Voter said in their initial surveys they found that very few women held state elective positions. While more held ap- pointive positions, this is still the attrac- tion, and the most successful area of participation, for most women.

The LWV joined with the Women in Government Committee of the Governor’s

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authoi- ivarns, ho\vever, that the vote is liniitetl-it cannot possibly achieve every- thing we may Lvant. For example, “The vote is far more iniportant as an instru- ment i n attaining ‘legal justice’ than as a means of achieving ‘social justice.’ ” The important point is that we should become familiar ivith what our vote can acconi- ~ ~ l i s h , \vhen. how and at what costs. “One does not,” he suggests, “have to he coni- pletely successful in every endeavor in order to have some impact on life.” But \ \ i l l his pungent arguments be heard and accepted? November \rill give a partial ans\ver.

CITIZEN ACTION

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Comiiiission on the Status of Women. Their nominees, qualified league members, liavc assuiiied responsihilities on planning boards, advisory committees, school boards, housing committees and regional planning hoards throughout the state.

Business-Civic Group to Revitalize Street

A coalition of businesses and civic associations in New York City has under- taken a project to improve the environ- ment on one of the city’s major streets. Volunteers to Improve Third Avenue ( V I T A ) has establishcd ties with the environmental protection agency, the midtown planning office and the com- inunity planning board to clean up the area between 38th and 53rd streets. VITA has under\vrittcn frequent vacuum- ing of sidenalks, purchased litter baskets, inspected streets, sidewalks and gutters, and donated an experimental golfcart. type unit to replace the traditional push- cart used by sanitation workers. They have cncouragcd greenery planting and anti-litter campaigns, and painted some neivss tands.

The Parks Council, a nonprofit orga-

nization with experience in encouraging and facilitating tax deductible participa- tion in programs designed to improve Kew York, will run the VITA programs. Through the council, approval on all projects can be secured from the appro- priate city agencies and inspections will be coordinated.

COG Plans Publicity The board of directors of the Metro-

politan Washington Council of Govern- ments has approved a tMo-part program to increase citizen participation in its decision-making process. Convenient puhlic hearings will be held by policy committees. Prior notice will he given and major policy recommendations before the board \ d l he on the agenda. The other innovation is an expanded puhlic information program, in- creased newsletter circulation, mailings and media anno~nce~i ie~i t s to in‘nrni resi- dents of COG policies and programs before they are adopted.

With the LWVs The League of Women Voters of the

United States has published Choosing flir Presidetit (1730 M Street, N. W., Wash- ington, D. C. 20036, 95 pages), which analyzes the primary actors in the presi- dential election--parties and voters-in each stage of the electoral process. The monograph is designed to help everyone, especially newly enfranchised 18 to 21 year olds, understand how his vote can he felt most effectively and how to evalu- ate the issues surrounding every presiden- tial election. Since the voter is called on to make decisions at every stage in the process, the LWV has tried to discuss each element abstractly and then apply statistics to show iniplications of voter decisions and participation.

Choosiirg thr Pvrsidrizt deals specifically with the conventions, nominating pri- maries, electoral behavior and procedure, campaign advertising, the voting rights act amendnients of 1970, party platforms and the electoral college.

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