12
Thursday, March 31, 1977
University Daily Kansan
12.
Change in government goes before voters Tuesday
By STEVE STINGLEY
Staff Reporter
Next Tuesday Lawrence will decide whether they want to change the law.
If a majority of voters in Tuesday's election want the change the entire format of the present city government will be changed, following general election (spring 1979).
The question on the ballot asks whether the city should abandon the commissionity manager form of government and adopt the major-council form.
A PETITION SIGNED by more than 3,000 registered voters in Lawrence put the question on Tuesday's ballot. There have been other attempts by Lawrence citizens in the past to change the form of government, but none of those attestives have succeeded.
The issue has caused heated controversy. There have been several public debates
since the petition officially forced the question on the ballot and it has become a major issue for candidates running for city commission.
At least one commission candidate has said that the question shouldn't be an issue in the campaign because the voters will decide whether to make the change and not
The commissioner candidates' views on the proposed change in city government are on page 10.
the commissioners. But most of the candidates have made public stand on the question. There has been general approval of the presidents by five of the six commissioners.
If the voters do vote for the change, the only effect on the commissioners elected Tuesday would be a shortening of their time in office. They would serve until the next
The present commission-city manager form of government comprises five commissioners elected at large. One of the commissioners acts as mayor and the office of mayor is to ensure that has little real power under the present power and acts mainly as a figurehead.
general election, when the official changeover would be made.
A full-time and professionally trained city manager is appointed by the commission to carry out city policy and to handle the everyday administration of the city. He is accountable only to the commissioners and to commissioners' time at the commissioners' discretion.
THERE IS ALSO AN assistant city manager, and both he and the city manager are paid full-time salaries. The com-mmer receives $100 a year for their services.
Under the present system the commission
Lawrence first adopted the commissionity manager system in 1951, when there was a lack of staff to create a more professional, less political kind of government. Many cities adopted the commissionity manager system to help cope with the problems of a changing government and to help wield political power.
acts as the policy body and the city manager and his staff make the role of city
After World War II, there was a reform movement in the United States aimed at the corruption of city bossism. The movement advocated that local government should be administered by trained, nonpartisan professionals, with an elected policy body. This created branches of the citizens and acting as a check on the professional administrators.
THE PROPOSED mayor-council form would have a mayor elected at large and at
least eight council members elected from at least four geographical districts. The mayor and the council members would be elected every two years.
The mayor would act as chief administrator and political leader for the city. Whether the mayor's office would be full or part-time and the mayor's salary would be determined by the newly elected city commission.
State law gives the mayor power to veto council legislation, to preside over the city government, and to dismiss factions of the city. The mayor could hire an assistant city manager to help handle the everyday business of the city, but the power could be eliminated under the new system.
COUNCIL MEMBERS would be elected by wards, or cohesive physical units. Each ward would elect two commissioners who would represent and be responsible to
it. State law requires that council members be residents of the area that elects them.
Although the mayor has the power to appoint city department heads and an assistant city manager, the council can veto those appointments.
The newly elected city commission would determine the council members' salaries and whether they would be full- or part-time.
It is characteristic of the mayor-council form to have full-time council members and mayor, although state law doesn't make it mandatory.
THE MAYOR-COUNCIL structure is the most widely used form of city government in Kansas. A large majority of smaller communities use the form with only a small number of larger cities using the mayor-council system.
See GOVERNMENT page 10
Paul pushes 'people programs'
A strong commitment to "people services" has been a major theme of Muriel Paul's campaign for city commissioner. She has called for neighborhood restoration, transportation, better care for the elderly and increased city government efficiency.
In addition to her work with the planning association, Paul, 438 Elm St., is active in providing services to students' experiences include being a psychiatric social worker, a probation officer and a chief counselor in the Franklin County area, which is a third generation Lawrence resident.
One of her priorities is turning older, blighted neighborhoods into "model subcommunities," each with its own planning director. Paul is currently serving as president of the North Lawrence Planning Association.
Paul said child care was a "cruse" with her, and she supports free, community-controlled child care centers to prevent abuse of women who want to work outside the home.
She said new approaches were needed for sections of the population, such as women, children and infants.
A flaw of the present city commission is that, it doesn't encourage community-credit projects.
"Let's give the local people a break," she said, criticizing the city commission's recent grants of industrial revenue bonds to new industries. "We are ignoring the plight of local people who want to provide decent livings for their families."
She said that a study should be made of the composition and skills of the local work force and that outside companies wanting to work in these places should be selected to suit local needs.
Carter stresses efficiency fairness in his campaign
He said the ultimate accountability for services lay with the commissioners and they were responsible for straightening out any problems.
The main purpose of city government, Ed Carrier, 1115 W. 27th St. T24, said recently, is to provide the best possible service to residents and to ensure equal and fair treatment of all employees.
"I want to stay involved." Carter said, explaining that many of his organizational contacts were with him.
Carter, 35, is the district manager for the Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. He is president of the Lawrence Rotary Club, a member of the Greater Chicago and the United Fund and chairman of the board of the Lawrence Junior Achievement organization. He has lived in Lawrence
He said a "good, steady growth" was necessary for Lawrence to remain healthy.
Carter said his organizational and management background would enable him to make a positive contribution to Lawrence, adding that $814 million budget would classify Lawrence as a large organization.
The culture, friendly climate and size of Lawrence made it attractive to many businesses, he said, adding that the city was becoming a model of what companies chose, "which industries to allow in town."
"There is room for diversity of growth," Carter said. A cushion will be needed if it becomes too large.
Carter called for more city commission involvement with neighborhood groups and citizens when community improvements were considered. He said the commission should go to the people early to get their input about particular issues.
He recommended using the Citizen's Advisory Council more often to help with legal advice.
Carter and his wife, Becky, have five children, ages 7 to 15.
"We should ask how many local people would be hired, and what the wage rate would be."
Paul said Lawrence should consider a moratorium on growth until future directions and values of the city are more fully explored.
Paul, a widow, has two daughters and seven grandchildren.
Independence the key to Mibeck's positions
Carl Mikel, 1208 Delaware St., said recently that his two years as a city commissioner were characterized by independent stands on issues.
"I can honestly say nobody in town tells me what to do," Mibek said, adding that independence was an important attribute of a commissioner.
He prided himself on the stand he took on the Binkel Loop roadway project. He was the one who first proposed the project when it was approved by the city commission in 1975. Later, the project was finished.
More recently, he has been the only commissioner to vote against approval of a site plan for a new McDonald's restaurant and the purchase of a $42,000 garbage truck.
Mibke, 46, is one of two incumbent commissioners in the race. He was first elected in 1975 for a two-year term. He is director of the social studies program at Lawrence High School, as well as the debate statewide on college state and national educational associations.
Mibeck said his service on the commission recently had been referred to as "nonsestablishment representation" and he found it a suitable description.
"I'm not a strong representative of the establishment," he said. His support went through many challenges.
Mibke called for a "reasonable and practical" use of community development funds and said neighborhoods should take precedence over commercial development
If re-elected, he said, he would work on a policy where low-interest loans could be
obtained for housing improvements in the older neighborhoods of Lawrence.
Advocating slow and selective growth for Lawrence, Mibke said the growth issue was at the heart of his campaign. He said deindustrialization made by representatives of the people
An important concern of his, he said, was that the downtown area be kent strong.
"If downward Lawrence declines, old neighbors adjacent to it will become
Mibeech he opposed the construction of a regional shopping center on the edge of Lawrence because it would take business away from the downtown area.
Mibeck and his wife, Jane, have a 13-year
son. they have lived in Lawrence eight
years.
Albertson promotes public voice
Jerry Albertson, 2010 Clifton Court, said he disagreed with the way present city commissioners have handled bond issues. He would take the questions back to the public.
Albertson, 36, said commissioners had "back-doored" the voters by going ahead with projects even when bond issues were not available. He also said the center and airport expansion as examples
Because elected officials are ignoring the voice of the people, Albertson continued, they are finding it impossible to solve problems confronting the city.
According to Albertson, problems last summer with the police and fire departments and current trash collection have resulted in a disatisfaction with the city commissioners.
Albertson, an employee at Hallmark Cards, is a 22 year resident of Lawrence. He is active in St. John's Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus.
A main community concern of Albertson's is that Lawrence has continued and controlled industrial growth. He said revenue industrial bonds were a good factor in getting top industries to locate in Lawrence.
Though he said he sympathetic with the neighborhoods that depend on the downtown shopping and business district, he said he is very crowded and growing business there.
Terming the seven-year stay of Watson as "too long," Albertson said, "new blood to the system."
"It relates back to the city manager".
"Albertson said, calling for a replacement of the office."
Therefore, he said he might favor construction of a regional shopping center on the west side of his campus.
Albertson said it was important that a commissioner be representative of the
people, an area in which he said he felt the present city commission is lacking
He and his wife, Judy, have five children
Record of openness is important to Rose
Jack Rose, 3430 Camelback Place, said recently that his previous term on the city commission was one in which commissioners established open communication with the public. He said it was a challenge he would continue if it is elected April 5th.
Rose, 45, served on the commission from 1971-1975 and was mayor during his last year. He didn't run for re-election when his term expired. He is the business manager of the chemistry department at the University of Kansas.
The key to democracy, Rose said, is for people to know what is going on in their government. He said the "sunshine policy" initiated during his term was an example of his willingness to communicate with the public about "the policy" ended closed commission meetings.
Other open door policies started during his term, he continued, included articles by commissioners and the publication of books in the Lawrence Daily Journal World.
"They informed people as to what their city government was doing." he said.
Hose said a small community concern of his was the revitalization of the older sections of town. He said the downtown section was not in need of transformation, the term was one step, toward revitalization.
"People have a right in decent housing," he said, adding that he would support a program of mandatory inspection housing to control the "shum landlords."
"We'll require that housing be brought up to minimum standards," he added.
Rose said the city should develop better loan programs to help residents buy and repair cheaper houses in older neighborhoods.
As far as growth is concerned, Rose said commissioners "must recognize that prosperity is a desirable thing." He said rapid growth would hurt Lawrence but it also was important to keep younger people in town with good jobs.
He predicted that future growth would develop Lawrence into a compact, "energy efficient" building.
Rose and his wife, Martha, have two college-age daughters.
Neighborhood restoration transit are Clark's goals
Barkley Clark has said that continuing the present trend of restoring older neighborhoods and establishing public transportation services is critical priorities if he is re-elected commissioner.
Basing his priorities on a need to "maintain a strong downtown," Clark, 37, said commissioners in recent years had increased the carefully controlled growth for Lawrence.
"Times have really changed," Clark said. He called the attitude of the present commission one of "trying to do the best we can for the older areas of town."
Clark said he has supported policies of the present commission that have improved the job security of workers.
commission race, he has served as commissioner for four years and was mayor for the 1975-1979 term. He is also a former leader of the city-county planning commission.
The fact that commissioners have put money into housing rehabilitation, development of the river front area, sidewalks, street lights, and restoration of houses in areas where the present commission is responsive to neighborhood concerns, Clark said.
Clark said he would like to renovate the old tramway tracks running from Mississippi to Eighth to Massachusetts streets as part of a transit system
The emphasis of the city should be downtown, but it's also important wouldn't support a large regional shopping district which he said would hurt downtown businesses and further expand the city.
Clark said Lawrence needed to diversify industrially in the future to counterbalance a possible drop in KU enrollment. He added that new industries must meet tough criteria to be part of the industrial revenue bond program.
He said the companies should be job-producing, nonpolluting, have strong affirmative action programs and pay high wages.
Clark and his wife, Faria, have a three-year-old son.
Budget, quality of education are issues of election
Staff Reporter
By DEENA KERBOW
Pine, 37. Route 4, followed no major campaign issues, but said he favored more public meetings on school topics. He also said he sympathized with the neighborhood school concept and hoped it could be adapted to the school school concept refers to students' attending schools within walking distance of their homes.
Six candidates will vie for three school board positions. Tuesday during general elections for four additional seats.
The original field of 13 candidates was cut three weeks ago in the primary elections, in which Wagner and Gaynor were declared winners.
have a child in high school, junior high and elementary school.
PINE IS A businessman and farmer with a bachelor's degree from Kansas State University. He has been co-community leader at Grant School. He is a member of the Douglas County Agriculture Experiment Station and is the Kansas Farm Bureau representative to the School-Community Relation Advisory Council.
He said he would like to look closely at the school district's budget and evaluate school programs. Specific courses need to be examined because of the graduate without mastering basic skills, he said.
Bain Hopkins, 41, 1299 W. 27th St., is concerned with basic skills. Through his campaign he has stressed the importance of reading and supported minimum standards for all students in the district.
He has twice been awarded the district's Certificate of Appreciation for his career education work. He has worked as a volunteer teacher's aide or in visited all but one school in the district.
Father of three, Pine said that next year he would
Hopkins, who received his doctorate in psychology, said he would like to make school budgets available to students.
HOPKINS SAID HE also would like to eliminate textbook fees. He said he didn't believe in the 'double-pay policies' of paying taxes for basic costs of education and then pay for textbooks, too.
He said studying the budget had revealed to him
that instruction had received the smallest increase in the past seven years, while the school board continued to pay more attention.
HOPKINS, A PROFESSOR of human development at KU, has said that parents have a responsibility in education, too. He has two children in secondary school.
Davis, a former policeman and probation worker in Lawrence, said his work with the police department and the local courts had given him a chance to learn of people's problem's and make decisions.
Robert "Bob" Davis Jr, 28, 1211 W. Fifth St, has two daughters attending Punnayne School.
Davis, who has lived in Lawrence since 1969, said he supported excellent education for all students, not just the poor.
Davis has served on the district's Title VII Advisory Committee and is on the high school's Minority Senate.
HE AND HIS WIFE will be teaching-parents at the Youth Ranch, which is being built south of LAWRENCE
He helped organize a citizens committee on child abuse, and started a special program to bring in trained teachers.
WOLFE, 46, 408 Homestead Drive, is coordinator of instructional research commuting at KU.
Davis and Paul Wolfe had been endorsed by the Lawrence Education schools.
He said he was running because the board was losing many years of experience this election. In cumbents Helen Gillies, Larry Hatfield, and Gary Condra aren't seeking re-election.
Wolfe, who holds a masters degree in mathematics from the University of Michigan, has 10 children. Six of them are male.
Wolfe said he favored neighborhood schools and nonbinding fact-finding. Nonbinding fact-finding refers to an arbitration system used in disputes between teachers and the school board. It allows a third party to research and present the facts involved in dispute, but leave the final decision up to the board.
HE AND HIS WIFE were "president couple" at Hillcrest School five years ago.
he also proposed that school board meetings be held at times and place convenient for working days.
Barbaria Crews,50, 2015 Camelback Drive, served as president of the Woodlawn PTA from 1961 to 1963.
Crests, formerly a physical therapist at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, received her bachelors degree from UMass Amherst.
as president of the Woodland PTA from 1961 to 1963. She was secretary-treasurer of the Lawrence Library.
HER CAMPAIG HAS centered on the taxpayer. She said the board must remember that the education budget affects all taxpayers, whether or not they have children in school.
Crews said that children were a city's greatest asset, and their education and development were
M. D. "Arkie" Vaugh, 49, 315 Homestead, said his experience as a teacher and as a businessman had helped him to understand the differing viewpoints on school issues.
Vaughn, who was second in the primary, trailing 929 votes behind Pine, said the Lawrence school system was a good one. The board's job was to keep it that way and to keep improving it, he said.
He said that teachers and curriculum were more important than school buildings.
Vaughan is president of Lawrence Savings Association.