Box 15, Folder 3, Document 47

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Box 15, Folder 3, Document 47

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NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
1612 K STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006

UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF MAYORS
1707 H STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006



April 25, 1969

TO: Mayors and Managers of Model Cities
Directors of Model Cities' City Demonstration Agencies

SUBJECT: Proposal for State Administration of Model Cities Program

The State of Connecticut has submitted the attached proposal to Secretary George
Romney of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It proposes that
Connecticut be designated to conduct an experiment in administering the Model Cities
Program within the state.

This proposal, if approved by HUD, has very significant implications for the entire
Model Cities Program, even though the experiment might not prove to be entirely
successful or permanently accepted as an operating procedure by HUD. It will
obviously result in stimulating a host of applications from other states for similar
experiments or for expanded state authority over Model Cities Programs.

The second enclosure, an excerpt from a report of the Advisory Task Force on
Community Development and Urban Relations of the National Governors’ Conference,
dated April 9, 1969, indicates the desire and strategy of states to secure control of
the Model Cities Program. This clearly indicates that the Connecticut proposal is
not a localized consideration of state control of Model Cities. Note that in both
documents the emphasis is on state control and supervision as contrasted with state
support of Model Cities efforts.

Neither Secretary Romney nor Assistant Secretary for Model Cities, Floyd Hyde,
has at this point indicated support for this proposal. HUD has requested further
information from the State of Connecticut concerning the way in which the State would
administer the program. The state has also been requested to work out the relation-
ship of its operating procedure with the HUD regional office. This work is currently
in process.

We urge that you read these reports carefully. Your views should then be conveyed

to Secretary Romney and Assistant Secretary Hyde. Such communications should be
prompt. They should also be the subject of any future personal discussions with key
personnel of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Particular emphasis
should be placed upon full consultation with Model Cities' mayors and CDA's prior to

a federal decision on such a major restructuring of federal-city relations in this program.

Ctinetk Hraky _ if i

Patrick Healy, Executive Wirector John Gunther, Executive Director
National League of Cities United States Conference of Mayors

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