19731 NEWS IN REVIEW 47

Citizen Action .. b . Kim Taylor, Editor

I Regional Citizenship I NML to Link Area Grouns

I

Will Be Clearinghouse for New Developments

T H E National Municipal League has been asked to take the lead in stimu-

lating, nationally, the development of general-purpose citizen organizations con- cerned with regional issues, on a new metropolitan basis. The request w a s made during the League’s annual National Con- ference on Government in Minneapolis in November.

In part the request came from the major speakers in a conference workshop on “Regional Civic Organizations” by John P. Keith, president of the Regional Plan Association in New York, and by Richard J. FitzGerald, president of the Citizens League in the Twin Cities area.

“The National Municipal League for more than three quarters of a century has been the National Council of Citizens,” Keith said. “In the 1930s it was the spon- sor of pioneering work on metropolitan areas. I t would be a logical extension of these long-time League interests for it now to serve as a clearinghouse for regional citizen organizations.” Such a change, and new activity, is

essential if the League is to keep up with the changes taking place in government itself, FitzGerald warned:

It is time now . . . if, indeed, not already past time . . . for the general- purpose citizen organizations concerned with government to move to the regional or metropolitan level.

Traditionally this movement established itself and haa developed around the

“city” as it existed in the early years of this century. I t is, after all, the National Municipal League.

Yet, in looking over the program for this 78th Conference I do not see the word “municipal” . . . nor indeed the word “city” . . . in the title of any address or workshop on the entire program. We’re talking about fiscal systems, reve- nue-sharing, legislative organization, rural-urban balance, sub-state regions, metropolitan and neighborhood organiza- tions, mass transit systems.

The message seems to me to be clear: it is time for the citizen movement to refucus its efforts to the regional scale.

Essentially, the same conclusion came out of a separate, informal discussion among representatives from about 12 major metropolitan areas. They met to compare notes about their own efforts to develop areawide citizen organizations and to consider how best these could be strengthened.

The meeting resulted from contacts by a number of them directly with the Citi- zens League, a citizen organization in the Twin Cities area formed on a munici- pal basis for Minneapolis in 1952 which had expanded with the growth of gov- ernmental problems to the county level about 1960, and almost fully to the metropolitan level by the end of the decade.

The meeting included representatives from the League of Women Voters of the (San Francisco) Bay Area; the Re- gional Plan Association of Southern California ; the Institute for Community Studies, Kansas City, Missouri; the De- velopment Committee for Greater Colum- bus (Ohio) ; interested civic leaders in Baltimore; the University of Georgia and the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta; and the Metropolitan Fund, Detroit.

Interest was also expressed, although representatives were unable to attend,

NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW

from Milwaukee, Denver, St. Louis, Washington, D. C., Portland, Oregon, and Miami. There was little support for the formation of a “new organization.” But there was a strong interest expressed in a kind of network or clearinghouse which could provide the essential service to these organizations as they develop.

Specifically, the National Municipal League was asked to consider:

-Linking these emerging regional citizen organizations together so they can “talk” to one another in an orderly way, apart from national meetings;

-Stimulating the appearance of sim- ilar groups in other major metropolitan areas ;

-Providing technical help and advice in the founding of such organizations- including such unglamorous but essential matters as the by-laws, method of opera- tion, promotion of membership and struc- ture of representation on the governing board ;

-Bringing together these regional citizen organizations with academic insti- tutions and other research groups doing analysis and making proposals for the solution of major urban problems; and

-Conducting a meeting of such re- gional citizen organizations regularly as a part of its annual National Conference on Government.

The request for help was put before the officers and staff of the National Municipal League at a breakfast on Tues- day, November 28, and was further dis- cussed after adjournment of the Con- ference.

The League’s response to this request was entirely positive. League President William W. Scranton specifically en- dorsed efforts to expand activities involv- ing participation of regional citizen or- ganizations, including special programs for these groups at the annual National Conference on Government. It was agreed that a first step in strengthening a com- munication system between the League and regional citizen organizations would

be increased attention to their activities in the NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW.

While in Minneapolis, representatives of the National Municipal League partici- pated in the observances, November 27, marking the 20th anniversary of the Citizens League. All the individuals who had served on the board on any time dur- ing its 20-year history were invited for the program, which consisted of an inter- view of these active regional citizens by two persons from other cities, interested now in the formation of comparable or- ganizations where they live. One was Kent Mathewson, president of the Metro- politan Fund, which has made an ex- tensive study of regional citizen organi- zations around the country. The other was Francis Lucier, president of Black & Decker Manufacturing Company, who has taken the leadership in conducting a comparable study for the benefit of the Baltimore region.

TED KOLDERIE Executive Director

Citizens League

Citizens Are Active in Rock Hill, S. C.

Citizens in Rock Hill, South Carolina, an industrial college town of 30,000, have organized several projects since the late 1960s to combat juvenile delinquency, coordinate community services and con- vince the state legislature to admit men to the women’s college there.

A need for juvenile services became ap- parent during 1969. The proportion of young people in the population was de- clining while problems in education and employment were mounting. The local Jaycees, the Junior Women’s Club and a nonprofit corporation all established homes for young people. Since then the agencies have agreed on a new organiza- tional structure that would integrate them with the city government’s new yauth service agency and family court.

19731 NEWS IN REVIEW 49

Other activities have been started. A chamber of commerce board was ap- pointed after a police detective lectured on drug abuse. As a result of the board’s report the chamber-initiated a Bust the Pusher program. The youth service agency has organized a drug abuse pre- vention program devised by 50 young peo- ple and established a 24-hour telephone service. The police department, which has always operated a summer camp for boys, began the community service officer project to improve relations with young people. I t has been so successful that a Junior Police Club was requested for boys between the ages of 8 and 15.

Funds were sought from federal agen- cies to modernize and coordinate service delivery. Though there had been experi- ence with Model Cities planning, there was skepticism as to the ability of private citizens to plan neighborhood centers as delivery centers for social, educational, recreational and community services. To coordinate the private planning, the city organized a community council ; to better respond to those plans, the city under- took an administrative reorganization. Three centers have opened and another is under construction. Each center has a citizen advisory board which meets regu- larly with staff.

Though Rock Hill has ghetto areas it had completed a program of school in- tegration by 1971. Local dissatisfaction was then directed toward the selection of school board members; 32 percent of the community is black but the board is all white. After a series of meetings a bi-racial committee was formed and is currently studying the problems for legis- lative delegation.

Other activities have centered around education in Rock Hill. The curriculum is being studied with an eye to full-year sessions and a vocational high school is being constructed. Since lack of schools was a crucial problem in attracting new families and young people to the com- munity, citizens felt that a coeducational

institution rather than a women’s college was essential. Alumnae, businessmen and others organized “Friends of Winthrop,” a statewide lobby to change the admission policies. After four years the state legis- lature agreed.

Land-Use Group Expands Operationa

Citizens for Land Use Research in Southeast Michigan began in 1971 by hosting a symposium on land use. Since then they have expanded their operations by shifting from a single to a seven- county region and are moving to increase membership (apply Janet Lynn, 7007 Middle Belt Road, West Bloomfield, Michigan 48033).

They see land as a regional resource, not an economic commodity to be con- sumed, as a t present, with little thought to citizen knowledge or decision. They see the expanded organization examining land use issues and processes to encourage people to intervene in the important de- cisions. Hopefully it will expand into a national organization with local agencies to publish a list of land use organizations and a newsletter, institute a land use resource library and act as a clearing- house for the exchange of information and experiences.

Dayton Study Center Defends Student Rights

The Center for the Study of Student Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities has been set up in Dayton, Ohio, to provide parents and students with in- formation about their rights within the school system and to defend those rights through community participation, whether the student is guilty or in- nocent. The center operates as a feder- ally funded program to explore and defend student rights. Ombudsmen on the staff work out of local community centers to help parents referred to the center. While the center’s defense of violent

50 NATIONAL C M C REVIEW

students has aroused some community concern, most of the center’s activities center on defense for non-violent charges like truancy, acting up on the bus or poor counseling, reports TRIAL maga- zine.

The center hopes that through its counseling and defense of the violent students, however, it will show them al- ternatives for attacking the causes of their anger. The ombudsmen work with students to rechannel their energy to work effectively for changes within the schools rather than react against what exists.

Trial Lawyers Sponsor Environment Essay Contest

The Environmental Law Section of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America has announced its third annual environ- mental law essay contest (apply James Schaeffer, 253 Adams House, Memphis 38103). Any law student may enter by submitting a legal essay on water, air or noise pollution; land use control or popu- lation distribution to influence patterns of growth and behavior; national forest ad- ministration ; international cooperation or visual aesthetics and litigation techniques.

Students entering in the last two con- tests have had their essays printed in law reviews and their research has been applied to correct potential environmental abuses. One of last year’s winning essays was used to promote passage of the bill (Proposition 20) designed to protect the California coastline from overdevelop- ment. The proposition was approved by the electorate in the November election.

I ts proponents used the essay to educate the public to dangers if the initiative was defeated.

CITY, STATE AND NATION (Continued from page 31)

the arrival of election board members at a typical polling place in the early morn- ing. Procedures in opening the polls, receiving voters, casting and counting of votes both on paper ballots and machines, are illustrated. Also shown and explained are the various processes and forms used to record challenges and results. All phases of election-day procedures are shown in considerable detail. Throughout the film a narrator explains each process. The film closes showing the weary elec- tion officials leaving the polling place after a long day.

The training film, entitled, “Protecting the Ballot,” not only is of significant value to new election officials but show- ings on both public and commercial tele- vision also can serve to inform voters. The film also should serve to establish or to reinforce in the public mind the great care which is taken to provide secrecy in voting and to safeguard the vote,

Cost of producing the film was ap- proximately $25,000. In addition to dis- tribution of the film to each of the 55 counties, several copies were placed on file in the office of the secretary of state and are available on a loan basis for pri- vate showings. Public officials in other states are encouraged to view the film.

WILLIAM R. Ross West Virginia University