Evening star., 1951-12-08
CityHeads Study
Ban on Planners
Veto Authority
Would Keep Control
Of Lund Purchases
Made on D. c. Funds

sNtSAS VII ~ 49, ] utNS
The Commissioners have di-
rected study of the possibility
of removing the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission
veto power over real estate trans
actions on property bought with
District funds.
In discussing the proposed re-
organization of the District gov
ernment. the city heads expressed
the view yesterday that property
bought with District money should
be controlled by the District Com
missioners.
Engineer Commissioner Bernard
L. Robinson said the Commission
ers feel the planning commission
function should be advisory only
on the disposal of property bought
with District money.
Check Revocation of Power.
The city heads directed the
committee drafting their reorgani-
cation plan for submission to the
Bureau of the Budget to study the
law to determine whether the
planning commissions veto power
could be withdrawn.
Budget Officer Walter L. Fowler,
a member of the committee, long
has been an advocate of the Dis
trict's buying and condemning
it's own property and holding title
Ito it.
The Commissioners have been
instructed to send their proposal
for reconstructing the city govern
ment to the Budget Bureau by
next Saturday.
Department heads have been
given until next Wednesday noon
to send in their comments on the
proposed distribution of city
activities under Engineer Com
missioner Bernard L. Robinson's
commission plan of reorganiza-
ton. adopted by a majority vote
of the commissioners.
Some Comments Received.
Some of these comments all
ready have been received, and
these were taken into considera-
ton yesterday when the city heads
came to tentative agreement on
several proposals for integraticn
of independent or semi-independ-
ent District agencies into the
municipal government.
They made clear, however, that
the whole question of the place
ment of agency functions was
still open.
In yesterdays deliberations, the
Commissioners by split votes IA
vored integration into the munich
pal set-up of the Board of Recrea-
ton, but opposed bring the Board
of Education and the Board of
Library Trustees into the munich
pal structure.
Education "Most Important"
Gen. Robinson diSSented in the
vote to integrate the Recreation
Board. He had expressed the view
in submitting his reorganization
plan that recreation functions
were properly under the control of
board, and citizen control should
be encouraged under present con-
ditions here.
Commissioner F. Joseph Dono-
hue diSsented in the votes to leave
the Board of Education and the
library trustees to themselves. He
said he felt that the school and
library systems were essential mu-
nicipal functions.
He called education the most
important of all municipal func-
tions" and said he thinks control
should be in the city government.
Mr.. Donohue has advocated ap-
pointment of the Board of Educa-
tion by the Commissioners rather
than by the District Court judges
as at present, but this would not
be part of the reorganization pro-
poSal.
Would Control Park Police.
Under yesterdays actions, the
school boards responsibilities for
the child labor laws would remain
with the board.
The city heads held that the
Office of Peoples Counsel should
be abolished and the Register of
Wills could not legally be included
In the municipal government.
They agreed that the National
Capital Park Police should be
lntegrated into the municipal po-
lice department, but decided
against including the Zoo police.
They also decided against inte-
grafton into the city government
OF the United States Employment
Service for the District, as we'll
as the Apprenticeship Council and
the Employees Compensation Com
mittee. They voted to include the
Vocational Rehabilitation Service,
and give further thought to a
recommendation that it be as
signed to the school board.
The city heads opposed inte-
grafton of the Mental Health Com
mission.
Favor Handling Parole Board,
They favored integration of the
Parole Board into the city govern
ment for administrative purposes.
with the idea that full and final
powers would remain with the
board. There would be no appeal
to the Commissioners from the
boards decisions and the city
heads would not review its find
ings.
The National Capital Housing
Authority and Redevelopment
Land Agency were excluded from
proposed integration into the
structure.