Evening star., 1948-09-26
Everybody's Fight Now

Greater representation or the pupllc at
large on the newly created United Com
munity Services Board of Trustees, success
sor to the Washington Community Chest,
has been a major objective of the re-
organization.
The board represents three groups: The
operating agencies, city-Wide community
organizations and the public. In theory
the representatives of the community Or
ganizations and of the public at-large
would equal the representatives of the
agencies.
1t did not work out that way in prac-
tice. Some representatives of the public
at-large and of the community organiza
tions were, in addition, members of the
boards of directors of the operating
agencies. When the controversial question
of dropping the Washington Housing AS
sociation from the Chest campaign was put
to a vote of the trustees last July, the vote
was forty-five to thirty-nine in favor Of
retaining 1t. Six of the trustees who voted
with the majority were members OF the
Housing Associations Board of Directors.
Had they properly abstained from voting,
the vote would have been a tie.
That incident provoked new move to
get more public -at-large members of the
Board of Trustees. OF total of l84 truS-
tees, Ill were affiliated with some member
agency and a minority of seventy-three
we're not. On Thursday, the same day that
the board of the Housing Association voted
to remain a Chest-supported agency in
stead of voluntarily withdrawing, the So
T,,4o oriy uynrHino tho
UCS reorganization plan, voted to increase
the public -at-large representation by thlr-
ty-eight new trustees. The result Will be
a $3.50 ratio on the board between those
who are affiliated with some agency and
those who are not.
The result is to prevent agency -domina-
ton of the Board of Trustees. 1t may also
be designed to assure majority vote by
the board to exclude some of the agencies,
like the Housing Association which have
become points of controversy. The impor-
tant question, however, is how the new
non-agency trustees will use their balance
of power Rash. precipitate action In
expelling agencies can be highly injurious.
Considered action carefully thought out
can result in a stronger and better Or
ganization.
The point to be remembered now is that
this latest step has been taken in an effort
to meet the wishes of a highly vocal group
of critics of past Community Chest policy.
They have not been critics of the Com
munity Chest principle, on which there is
substantial agreement But they have
found fault with the policies, and they are
In position now to change the policies by
active participation in the governing
councils.
Policy changes may be helpful. But if
the emphasis continues to be on criticism
of policies, the Chest principle itself is
going to be so damaged that it will be
lost to Washington. The critics, in other
words, should now put up or shut up.
They should get into the important fight
for success of the coming Community
Chest Campaign and see that 1T is won,
leaving policy making to board ade-
ouately representative of the whole COM
munity. That is what Washington has a
right to expect of all citizens who are
sincerely interested in the good name and
reputation of the community.