Evening star., 1953-03-22
Grant
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on several issues. said he had nc
knowledge of the reported move
in behalf Of Gen. Grant. The
42-year-old Chicagoan until re-
Gently headed the Illinois Board
of Pardons and Parole. He
had. been named to that post
by Gov. Adlai Stevenson, and
was the Democratic candidates
adviser on human relations dur
ing the 1852 campaign.
DR.. Lohman said he had in
sisted that his appointment to
the parole board be on a mon
political basis" and that he
viewed his service with the plan
ming group in the same light.
ID. C. Resident Wanted.
A main factor in the move to
have Gen. Grant resume leader
ship of the commission, it was
understood, is a feeling among
various groups here that the
chairman should be a Washing
ton resident. Proponents of this
view. one source explained, argue
that the chairman must know
intimately the Washington area S
peculiar problems, and should
be in constant contact with
community groups and indi-
vidualS.
Another argument cited was
that the chairman should spend
more time with the commissions
technical staff than is possible
on trips from out of town. Asked
as matter of record how many
trips DR.. Lohman had made here
since his appointment seven
months ago, NCPC officials said
the number was II.
AS another nonresident COM
missioner, Mr.. Greensfelder said
he saw real advantages in having
a nonresident chairman.
A n-Washingtonian, he said,
is less likely to take sides in
purely local dispute, when the
commissions function "is not
and should not be detail" Mat
ters of detail, he said, should be
handled by the commission s
technical staff. saaa
Mr.. GreenSfelder, sa st. Louis
planning leader for Is years, said
the commission should have a
substantial Nonresident repre-
sentation also because It is the
Federal City, and the Capitol of
all the people.
2 Must be ID. C. Residents.
The commission is made up of
seven ex-officio members and
five citizen members. The citi-
zen members are named by the
President for Six-year terms.
Under the 1852 law, at least two
of the five must be District resi-
dents.
This legal minimum is met
now. through the memberships
of Mr.. Remon and Hilyard r.
Robinson, 54-year-old Washing
ton colored architect. The other
three citizen members are DR..
Lohman. Mr.. Greensfelder and
Frederick Bigger, Pittsburgh ar
chitect.
Another provision Of the law
is that one of the District resi-
dents be selected by the Presi-
dent from a panel of three names
submitted by the District Com
missioners. It was expected that
this procedure would be followed
to fill the vacancy which oc-
cured last fall. Since there were
two District members already on
the commission Eat that time,
however, President Truman ap-
parently felt free to appoint DIR.
Lohman. DR.. Lohman had been
nominated by then Interior Sec
retary Chapman.
Grant Stepped Out in 1949.
District Engineer Commits
Sioner Louis w. Prentiss, him
self an ex-oficio member of the
planning group, said the ques-
tion of whether the city heads
would recommend successors to
Mr.. GreenSfelder next month has
not been raised.
The next expiration of a Dis
trict residents appointment will
be Mr.. Robinson'S in 1866. Mr..
Bigger's appointment expires
next year, Mr.. Remon's in 1856,
and DR.. Lohman's in 1857.
Gen. Grant severed his last
connection with the planning
commission in 1949, when his
six-year appointment expired.
Since then, Gen. Grant has re-
mained active as a member of
the Committee Of 100 on the
Federal City and in a number of
other groups dealing with plan
ming and conservation.
A prominent figure nationally
in his field, the 71-year-old re-
tired Army engineer has been
closely associated with WASH
ington's development for a quar-
ter Of a century.