Box 15, Folder 2, Document 7

Box 15, Folder 2, Document 7

Allen Reassured

On Medel Program

By ALEX COFFIN
Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. and key aides were reassured late feet
week about what the Nixon administration intends to do about the

Model Cities program.

A telegram from the office of
George Romney, secretary of
Housing and Urban Develop-
ygment, and a call

to Allen from a
top White House
_aide calmed
*Y fears that the
city might have
: start from








Shorhoods south
and onal “of ilanta Stadium.

‘The effect,” said Dan Sweat,
uly chief administrator to
et “3s fat Atlania’s plan-
ning and organizing has not
been in vain. We have not
wasted any time or eff

The telegram from Romney’s
office does indicate, however,
that some slight changes will be
coming. Perhaps the most im-
portant is that the mayor’s of-
fice will keep a more watchful
eye on the program and will
need to exercise closer super-
vision, with the Model Cities
Executive Board becoming
sowewhat more advisery in na-
ture,

City officials also had clear



Young
GOPs Pick
Atlantan

Constitution State News Service

CALLAWAY GARDENS, Ga.,
Knott Rice of Atlanta, a 22-year-
old Emory graduate student,
was elected chairman of the
Georgia Federation of Young
Republican Clubs at their an-
nual convention at Callaway
Gardens Saturday.

He defeated H. Royce Hobbs
of Macon, 374 to 323.

Rice was the incumbent young
Republican national committee-
man and a former president of
the Emory YR club. Hobbs, 34,
was a candidate for mayor of
Macon in 1967 and the Georgia
General Assembly in 1968.

The convention opened Satur-
day morning with the defeat of
then-chairman Terry Moshier
for temporary chairman by Hor-
ace Taylor of the Fulton Coun-
ty delegation, 395-316. Moshier
had backed Hobbs while Taylor
supported Rice.

Fulton County and College
clubs throughout the state pro-
vided Rice with his heavy sup-
port. Hobbs got most of his
votes from metropolitan areas
outside Atlanta. The same pat-
terns held for the lower offices.

Dick Jones, 32, of the Fulton
County club was chosen national
committeeman over Fred Neal
of Augusta. Betty Baker of the
Fulton County club won the post
of national committeewoman
over Sandra Ford of the metro-
politan Atlanta club.

Jenny Bailey, Georgia College
in Milledgeville, defeated Nancy
Grider of Atlanta for vice chair-
woman.

Incumbant secretary Caroline
Meadows of the Cobb County
club was re-elected by acelama-
tion.





indication last week that the
$7.2 million in supplemental im-
plementation funds, approved
last January, finally are close
at hand.

Probably the best news to city
officials in Romney’s telegram
was clarification of the role of
state government. Allen and his
Staff had been concerned that
Nixon might seek to interpose
the state between the federal
government and the city in run-
ning the Model Cities program.
Not so, said the telegram, al-
though greater involvement by
the state is sought.

Another important change,
and this pleased city officials,
is the erasing of the boundaries
of the area to be covered. The
city earlier itself had estab-
lished the 3,000 acres and gen-
erally is expected to stick to
that area—however, in certain
eases, the boundary need not be
a barrier.

The Romney telegram also
called for the establishment of
priorities, rather than trying to
“attack every conceivable prob-
lem within these neighborhoods.
This obviously would be un-
workable” and result in cities
“dissipating their resources in
a vain effort to solve all’’ prob-
lems.

Allen already is engaged in
close scrutiny of the proposals.
Model Cities Director J. C. John-
son, sources say, is working
hard, with some success, in
making a good case for the proj-
ects, most of which are inter-
related.

Minor adjustments will have
to be made in the program, city
officials are saying, but they
will be minor ones — such as
getting more private involve-
ment.

But, generally it can be re-
ported that city officials aren’t
glum at all about the Nixon ad-
ministration’s attitude toward
Model Cities.

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tory
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