Evening star., 1952-10-31
McGavin Quits
Parking Agency
With Protest
Opposes Apparent
Government Trend to
Step Into Picture

Charles T. McGavin, nearly
seven years prime mover in the
Districts Motor Vehicle Parking
Agency. has resigned. effective
in mid-November.
His resignation-to become exec
utive director of the National
Parking Association, a trade out
fit-was couched in terms of pro-
test. At the same time, Mr.. Nc
Gavin acknowledged he wants to
accept the position offered to him
by the private organization.
What bothered him in his pres
ent job as director of MVPA. Mr..
McGavin said. is an apparent
trend toward Government moving
into the parking business.
II cannot. in all conscience, ap-
prove" he said, 1T is my philos-
ophy of Government that the tax
payers money should not be spent
in fields of private enterprise"
Mr.. McGavin said he has spent
many sleepless nights trying to
reconcile my own beliefs with what
are regarded as official duties Of
my position.
Rejects Further Compromises.
He said he has sought relief in
compromise. But. he added, "I
cannot be placed in a position Of
further compromise, because I am
convinced that by so doing I will,
begin with the principle Of COM
promise and end up by compro.
missing my principles"
The 47-year-old official asserted
that during his tenure-flrst as
chief analyst and then director Of
MVPA-much of his efforts have
been diverted from the main
task of assisting private enter
prise by continual necessity to de-
fend the program"
Mr.. McGavin stated his belief
that the parking industry as a
young and growing industry "in
the evolutionary stages of any
other industry" should be given q
fair opportunity to develop.
II believe" he declared, "ttat.
if municipal governments are
sincere in wanting to speed up
this process, the quickest and
most economical way to do it is
to extend cooperation, rather
than Intervention and subsidy or
even the threat Of same."
Cites New Recommendations.
In a press conference. the re-
signing official cited recommends
tions of the parking subcommit-
tee of the Citizens Advisory Com
mittee on Public Works as indi-
cative of the trend he feared.
This subcommittee recommended
studying the possibility of issu-
ing municipal bonds and getting
tax-free loans from the Federal
Government for financing off,
street parking facilities here.
Brig. Ger. Bernard L. Robin =,
son, engineer commissioner. Mr..
McGavin'S chief. said he is~not
aware of any such trend" on the
part Of the District government.
The Commissioners, Gen. Rob.
inson said, favor legislation au-
thorizing revenue bonds whose
purpose is not to Subsidize but
assist private enterprise"
Gen. Robinson said issuance Of
such bonds would enable the city
to condemn land necessary for
privately operated parking facili-
tiss. The property then would be
leased to private parking lot op-
orators at a price to retire the
bonds and net the city sufficient
income to compensate for taxes
lost through the original property
condemnation.
= Would Avoid Operation.
The Commissioner stressed his
belief that revenue bonds are pref
cradle to a Government loan.
He emphasized further that he
favors private interests operating
parking lots.
II don't want the District
Building in the operating busi-
ness" Gen. Robinson declared.
Officers Of the National Parking
Association yesterday voiced their
objections to the fact that neither
the city parking agency nor the
Public Works Committees park
ing subcommittee number a repre-
sentative of the parking industry
among their members.
Gen. Robinson told reporters he
thinks it a good idea to correct
this situation, at least as far as
the parking agency Is concerned.
B. M. Stanton, president of the
National Parking Association, said
that although the organization is
only a year old, it covers 5000
parking lots in 200 cities. Head
now in Norfolk, Va, will
be- moved to Washington soon.
Three in'ArIington Named