Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-24
Appointed. {.
Mayor Favored
BY Eisenhower
Most Features Of
StoIIed Home Rule
Bill Approved

advised that President EiSen-
hover favors amending the
pending District home-rule bill
by providing for a presidentially
appointed Mayor.
The measure, as it now stands,
calls for an elected Mayor,
council. school board and nom
voting Delegate to the House.
The President approves of the
latter features.
Mr.. Eisenhower would further
modify the bill to give the White
House power to review actions by
the proposed city council under
certain circumstances.
The President also recon-
mended a procedural change
involving coming acts where dis
agreement may arise between the
council and the National Capital
Planning Commission.
The details of the Presidents
wishes on home-rule legislation
were set forth in a letter from
Federal Budget Bureau Director
Percival F. Brundage to Chair
man Mcmillan of the House
District Committee.
Stalled in Committee
The bill has been before the
committee for months since it's
passage last session by the SEN
ate. A discharge petition has
been introduced in the House to |
get the measure out of commit
tee and onto the House floor.
The petition still needs more
signatures.
Recommended also were
amendments that would have
the present Board of Elections,
as established by the Districts
new primary law. continue to
exist and with the further power
|of conducting a referendum on
the District Charter Act.
A further change urged by the
President would move the effec-
tive date for the new govern
ment to take Office on January
/. 1859. The bill now specifies !
next January /. Mr.. Eisenhower
feels the lapse of time since the
bill was drawn rules out the
earlier date.
Views Explained
On the question of an ap-
pointive mayor and presidential |
power Of review, Budget Direc-
tor Brundage wrote:
1T is the Presidents belief
that these two amendments are
consistent with the objective of |
providing a maximum degree of
self-government for the District
of Columbia while at the same
time maintaining an effective
and proper relationship between
the Federal Government and the
District of Columbia, which, un-
der Article I, Section s, of the
Constitution, has become the
seat of Government of the United
StateS.'"
The appointment of the mayor
would be subject to confirma-
ton by the Senate. under Mr..
Eisenhower's recommendation.
His proposed presidential re-
view authority would apply only
in cases where the council over
rides the mayors veto. AS now
written. the bill would make law
any measure passed by a two
thirds majority of the council
over the mayors veto. President |
Eisenhower recommended that
a measure vetoed and the veto
overridden would be resubmit-
ted to the mayor. If the mayor
were still to disapprove the
measure he would send it to the
White House. The President
then would have power to give
final blessing or veto.
On the zoning act provision,
the present bill would require
council and mayor approval and
submission of the coming pro-
posal to the planning commits
sion. If the commission were to
disapprove. the measure could |
be readopted into law by a two
thirds majority of the council.
President Eisenhower recon-
mended that the coming measure
be submitted to the commission
before the mavor gets IT,