Evening star., 1940-08-08
Kennedy Seeks
Action on D. E..
Reorganization
To Ask Randolph to
Call Up Bill in View
OF Budget Decision
BY JAMES E. CHINN..

crat, of Maryland said today he
would ask Chairman Randolph of
the House District Committee to call
up for consideration Monday in the
House his bill to reorganize and
nodernize the municipal government
here.
The Kennedy measure is now on
1.-The House calendar and is among
the eight Chairman Randolph has
refused to call up in the past be-
cause of their controversial nature.
Monday is the next regular Dis
trict day in the House and all local
bills on the calendar can be called
up for consideration:
Although Mr.. Kennedy has not
taken any steps in the past to force
consideration of the bill, he said that
in view of recent developments he
would ask Chairman Randolph to
call it up without further delay.
Budget Development Is Factor.
The development which Mr.. Ken
nedy particularly had in mind is
the action of the Federal Budget
Bureau yesterday in stating that the
Commissioners can have a partial
control over the District budget.
The Kennedy bill not only would
divorce the Budget Bureau from
control over District finances, but
it would at the same time change
the form of the local government
by providing for city manager to
serve as the administrative head of
the local government.
President Roosevelt several
months ago indicated he was op-
posed to Mr.. Kennedy's reorganiza-
tion plan chiefly because he believed
the Federal Government might lose
the control it now has over the Dis
trict budget In view of the
Budget Bureaus latest decision, I
cannot see any further reason for
the Presidents objection to my re-
organization plan" Mr.. Kennedy
said. II am going to ask Chairman
Randolph of the District Committee
to call up my bill on the next Dis
trict day despite its so-called con-
troversial nature
Three-Year Fight.
Mr. Kennedy is the ranking ma
to-ity member of the House District
Committee and has fought for more
than three years to reorganize the
municipal government in the. inter-
est of efficiency and economy. At
his suggestion $1,000 was appro-
priated by the House to finance a
survey of the District government,
which was made last year by the
Chicago firm of Griffenhagen and
Associates.
The principle recommendation of
this firm after completion of the ex-
pensive survey was that the present
set up of the municipal government
be changed so that city manager
would be the administrative head.
Mr.. Kennedy embodied that recon-
mendation as well as some of the
other proposals of this firm in the
reorganization bill he introduced.
Representative Kennedy will not
return to Congress at the next ses-
sion in January, as he was defeated
in the primary election in May by a
small margin of votes.
1t took 19 years for Auditor Daniel
j. Donovan to win his District bud
get victory, accorded yesterday when
the Budget Bureau announced it
would abandon its detailed consid-
Grafton of the District budget in
favor OF general review and protec-
ton of Federal interests.
Act Passed in 1921.
In June, 1921, the Budget and Ac-
counting Act was passed, creating
the Budget Bureau and placing the
District under its supervision.
In September of 1922, Maj. Dono-
van wrote to Gen. H. M. Lord out
lining objections to the treatment of
the District as a Federal depart
ment and urging him to consider
the matter carefully.
In 1888 he answered a request
from Representative Mary T. Nor
ton for his views by suggesting if
not divorce of the District budget
from the Federal. bureau, at least
separate consideration of the Dis
trict budget Independent of ma
tional policies and conditions.
The Commissioners, too, were en-
thusiastic about yesterdays action
of the Budget Bureau, along with
Maj. Donovan. Commissioner Hazen
called it fine idea" and said there
would appear to be no reason for
further effort to divorce the Budget
Bureau completely from control of
the District budget since it now
would make only a general review,
except in cases of capital outlay and
where the national interest is in
volved. He said it would remove all
opportunity for friction between the
two agencies and now centralized
authority in the Commissioners for
building up the District budget.
"An excellent plan," commented
Engineer Commissioner McCoach.