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Wildgen controls city manager slot
Watson's ex-assistant has city backing
By Dave Wakefield Kanean staff writer
Business at city hall is running smoothly under acting city manager Mike Wildgen, city leaders said yesterday.
Wildgen was appointed acting city manager last week after the unexpected death of former city manager Buford Watson.
"It has been such a busy time that you really don't have time to think," said city management analyst Kelly Arnold. "It has pretty much been business as usual."
Wildgen, who was assistant city manager under Watson for 15 years, said he and Watson shared similar philosophies.
"Buford never acted autonomously," he said. "We would always bounce ideas off each other."
Wildgen, 41, graduated from the University of Kansas in 1969 and in 1972 received a master's degree in public administration, also from KU. Before returning to Lawrence in 1974, he worked for two years as an assistant to the city manager of Olathe
As acting city manager, Wilden is doing more than just taking care of daily business, he said. Work is continuing on City Commission projects started by Watson.
"It is not a caretaker type of situation," he said. "This is what Buford would have wanted."
Wilden said he had delegated many of his former responsibilities to department heads
to make time for the requirements of the acting city manager position. Some projects, such as the traffic safety study, will take a little longer to complete.
City commissioner Shirley Martin-Smith said she had complete confidence in the city staff.
“D
Buford never acted autonomously. We would always bounce ideas off each other.'
— Mike Wildgen acting city manager
"Buford gave the department heads lots of flexibility and as a result, they now can make decisions when needed," she said. "Wilders had to be made no plan about
máke técnico when heado, "she says
Wilden said he had made no plans about
whether to seek the city manager pastich.
"I am looking at what is best for me at this
time."
Patrick G. Brungardt/Special to the Kansan
City commissioners said they might begin discussions about hiring a new city manager at next Tuesday's regular meeting, but that they felt no pressure to hurry the process.
Mayor Bob Schumm said last week that Wilden was very knowledgeable and that the commission was comfortable with his leadership.
Mike Wildgen hasn't decided whether he will apply for the city manager position.
Local Salvation Army loses $8,000 grant
B Bryan Swan
Kansan staff writer
The Local Salvation Army has been denied an $8,000 federal grant, dealing a setback to its fight against homelessness.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development last week forced Lawrence's community development department to refuse the grant because the Salvation Army is a religious organization, said John Churchill, officer in charge of the local Salvation Army. The contract with HUD does not allow federal funds to be distributed to such organizations.
The Salvation Army's 1988 Lawrence annual report stated that the organization received $3,567 from
the community development block grant to help the poor and homeless.
"my unit? they raise the restrictions last year?" Churchman has been going on at HUD, I think they're getting a little paranoid."
He said that the loss of the grant would hurt but that an increase in money given from the United Way specifically to assist the homeless had helped. Churchill said the advent of the Christmas season would bring in extra money.
"I think it's going to be close," he said. "It might be adequate, but it's not what we'd like to it be."
Churchill said that the Salvation Army was encouraging the community development department to find a creative way around the legalities
of the HUD restrictions but that he had not heard from the department vet.
"They could purchase services from us, like buying the beds, or they couldLEASE the shelter from us and then let us use it." Churchill said.
Lynn Goodell, director of community development, said he had not been able to think of any way around the restriction and was afraid that Army would be involved. Army would be referred back to the disputed section of the agreement.
He said that recently the federal government had been focusing on church and state issues, and that the problems with HUD were an example of this.
"There are some new regulations, a change in the language of the sub-
recipient agreement, concerning separation of church and state," Goodell said. "The Salvation Army wanted to amend the agreement, and HUD would not accept it. As of now we cannot give them the money unless they sign the agreement."
Goodell said that there was a great demand for money set aside for the Salvation Army and that it was possible it would be distributed to other organizations. However, he said, he wanted to give the Salvation Army time to consider the situation.
Churchill said the number of homeless in Lawrence had increased slightly over the last six months. He said that it was important to realize that homelessness was a poverty issue and that the ranks of the homeless in Lawrence were constantly changing, much like the ranks of the unemployed.
Mike Rundle, city commissioner, said that traditionally the city was reluctant to become involved with direct monetary assistance to community organizations and that the burden was usually carried by the county and state.
He said the national homeless situation was much worse, with homelessness increasing 10 to 25 percent per year.
However, he was not in favor of the new HUD rules.
"I think it's completely inappropriate," Rundle said. "We have to look at the needs of all our citizens and help facilitate meeting those needs since many of the federal programs have ended or are ending."
Striker awaits commission's recognition
By Angela Baughman Kansan staff writer
Twenty-four hours after his hunger strike began, Fred Markham, a former KU student, had received no response from the Kansas Civil Rights Commission.
Markham, 40, of Lawrence, quit eating Wednesday to protest the commission's decision to refuse a retaliation complaint he wants to file against Independence Inc. in Lawrence. Markham contends the refusal is a violation of his civil rights.
"They won't help me," Markham said yesterday through Paula Clevenger, Markham's neighbor and friend who helps interpret his speech. "I'm so angry I'm not hungry."
Markham, who has cerebral palsy, first filed an employment discrimination complaint against Independence Inc., a social service agency for disabled people, after he was not hired as director of the center in December 1988.
He said he was discriminated against because of the disability, which impairs his speech and confines him to a wheelchair. The commission accepted that complaint and probably will take action on it in the next few weeks.
for the past two years, Markham has written articles for Independence Inc.'s newsletter. He said that after he filed the complaint the company quit publishing his articles in retaliation
Markham filed a retaliation complaint against Independence Inc. with the Lawrence Human Relations Commission, which also is investigating his first complaint. However, the civil rights commission would not answer the questions because Independence Inc. eventually did publish two of his articles.
Robert Lay, assistant director of KCRC, said Markham did not have grounds for complaint with his organization. He would not comment
Markham said he consulted his doctor and followed the doctor's advice that he drink liquids and juices. He said he went on a hunger strike in March 1988 as a protest when a friend was placed in a nursing home. That strike lasted six days.
"After six days it became difficult," he said.
Markham said he ate again after Gov. Mike Hayden wrote to him concerning his cause.
Faculty want greater input in Regents Center development
Bv Doug Fishback
Kansan staff writer
As plans develop for a new Regents Center in Overland Park, some University of Kansas faculty and staff wonder about their input in the planning.
A special Regents Center building committee has been meeting with architects to discuss plans for the proposed $6 million building to be situated near 127th Street and Quivira Road.
The 12-member committee, composed of deans, administrators and one faculty member, meets with architects every two weeks, said chairman W. Max Lucas, dean of architecture.
"I think there has been a lot of input from the people who are currently using the Regents Center," he said.
Lucas said he thought the committee had gathered a good deal of information to consider while reviewing plans.
Nancy Burich, Regents Center librarian,
said that she knew of the building committee
"The building isn't far enough along that we can get into any details at this point," he
but that she had not spoken with its members.
"I have no idea who's on it, or what the make up is or anything of that sort," she said. "At this point, there's very little that we know for sure about the planning that is going on."
Judith Ramaley, executive vice chancellor, said communication was difficult in a project that affected a large number of people.
"It's difficult to keep them appraised of where the project is at. any given moment," she said.
Allen Wiechert, director of facilities planning, said plans for the new center were still in an early stage.
Ramaley said that faculty members and others would be consulted at the proper times during the planning process. Including faculty from every department on the building committee would make it of "an unwieldy size."
said.
Burich said that she had heard talk, however, of a planned reduction in library space for the new center. She now has 8,012 square feet of library space but has heard that the new center could offer her about 7,000 square feet.
"I have not had any formal confirmation," Burich said. "I have heard people talk of a reduction in space, but I have seen nothing official."
The architectural program for the new center, which was put together by the office of facilities planning, shows that a base figure of 7,200 square feet is planned for a library and media center.
In addition, 11,450 square feet are budgeted for 21 rooms, including classrooms, audiovisual support rooms and a lecture hall, the report shows. Total space at the new center will be about 53,000 square feet.
Lucas said that the design of the new building would take into account programs now offered at the center and that the new space would emphasize telecommunications.
He said a main concern was that the space be made as flexible as possible to accommodate future plans.
"There's no way that the University can anticipate who all future users will be," Lucas said.
Elizabeth Banks, associate professor of classics, said she was concerned that the center was being planned without concrete curricular goals in mind.
"It it seems to me that the planning is going backward," she said. "One plans a curriculum," and then one plans a building."
Banks, who has taught liberal arts courses at the center, said she was concerned that faculty in the college of liberal arts and sciences could be called upon to teach at the new center without having been consulted about the design.
She said she was especially concerned that the new center could sap resources from the Lawrence campus because it would serve the more business-oriented Kansas City community.
"Do you think the business community is
know ridge.
"It seems to me that that is something that should be spelled out down through the schools." Banks said.
M. Evelyn Swartz, chairman of the University Senate committee on planning and academic resources, said that the University Senate Executive Committee recently had instructed her committee to make a study of faculty involvement in planning the new center its highest priority.
She said committee members had scheduled a meeting with Ramaley for Nov. 10.
those issues. She said that such issues had not been discussed with faculty in the college to her knowledge.
"We're going to do things in order and appropriately," Swartz said.
FOR Larry Shern, chairman of the University Council committee on academic procedures and policies, the question of the new center is a question of the role of faculty in University government.
going to be satisfied with GTAs?" Banks said. "Who's going to have to accommodate those needs?"
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