St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1947-10-03
Bv EZRA LAURY

Comptroller Joseph Mitchell, St.
Paul, complained that the Sept. 8
Spokesman Recorder story based
on the report Of the Rondo com
munity playground committee re-
garding his cutting Of the parks
and playground budget request by
one-third was wrong" He said
friends asked him what they were
trying to do to him"
He raised two points Of issue
with the report:
Q That no request for a meeting
during the budget period had been
made Of him, and that he could not
have refused" TO meet with COM
mittee members, as reported.
. That Howard Ramaley, chair
man Of the Baker playground com
mittee, had requested a meeting for
three days after Aug. ID, which
date, he said, was the last day set
by the city charter for submittal
Of the budget to the city council.
In fairness TO the COmptrOl-
Ier's complaint, which was well
coined for the sake Of repOrtOrial
accuracy, the writer re-ehecked
the story information and sub
mits the following for the read
er'a own determination as to the
accuracy Of the Sept. 5 report.
Howard Ramaley said that on or
about Aug. 9 he was told by Comp
troIler Mitchell that he would meet
with the playground committee
before the budget was reported
out" and that the meeting was set
for the evening Of Aug. IL. The
Aug. 0 date is within the budget
period.
Ramaley stated further that he
mailed notices Of the meeting to
committee members, and that they
met in the parks and playground
department the evening Of Au-
gust II. when Mitchell ar
rived, he said, they were
informed by him that the budget
had already been submitted to the
city council, and that the press Of
the day carried the story. Mitchell
explained that according TO the
city charter, Aug. IL was the last
day he had to get the budget
to the council.
Ramaley's statements regard
ing the meeting and date were
confirmed by Hugh Sehuek, chair
man Of the ROndO community
playground committee. A check
Of the 81. Paul newspaper files
showed the budget story appear
ed on the 18th, before the evening
meeting.
A check Of the city charter,
chapter XIII, section 200, showed
that August 15-not August IA
was the last day for the comp
troller's submittal Of the budget to
the city council. The charter states:
at shall be the duty Of the comp
troller not later than August Is
Of each year to transmit to the city
council detailed estimates in writ
ing Of the expenses Of the city for
the next succeeding fiscal year, and
Of the revenue necessary TO meet
said expenses"
When making his complaint,
Mitchell said he had always sup
ported advancement Of the eity's
playground programs, even before
he was elected to office. He pointed
TO the $4,000 parks and play.
ground budget Of 1912, the year
before he took office, for compar-
ison with the overall budget of
$15S, 900 In 1947 and the $212, 900
budget he approved for 194s.
According to available infOr-
nation, the 1912 st. Paul Budget
was the lowest per capita for any
city Of its size in the country.
Further, the minimum require
ment" requested by the parks
and playground department for
1913 was $4,000, and the
amount approved by the
comptroller represented about n
One-third eit-a lOne-handed ac-
ton he took without consulting
mothers and fathers who asked
him to meet with them.
Damaging to the Rondo COM
munity's hopes for defeating long
years of outright discrimination
against its children was Nit.
ehell's cutting Of the capital &C.
count" from $4,000 to 10000
This so per cent cut considerably
"dampened" hopes for permanent