Evening star., 1959-11-15

been associated with the COM
pany before and tried to find
out what the score was" on the
bus issue after a company rep
resentative told him the firm
had "been read out Of a con-
tract"
The school board compro-
missed the issue and split the
buses between the firm repre-
sented by Mr.. wilkins and an
other Arm. Mr.. wilkins said
he saved the county 81 a bus
on IS buses.
Mr.. wilkins said the bus firm
paid him $127 on a per diem
basis. He said that payment on
a per diem basis did not give
him an interest in a contract.
2. That he represented the
Picker X-ray Co. in Arlington
after that firm had been
awarded a contract for supply
ing x-ray equipment for the
Fairfax hospital.
Mr.. Wilkins said that Picker
X-ray had been interested in
locating a headquarters office
in Fairfax County but could
not find an acceptable location.
He said that the firm became
interested in an Arlington To-
cation but was not sure it was
properly zoned. He said an off,
cial of the firm called him and
asked him to check on it and
he did. He said the company
paid him $50.
3. That he represented a
firm which wanted to build a
shopping center at Beacon Air
port south Of Alexandria.
Mr.. wilkins said the devel-
oper came to him for advice on
the procedures he should follow
to secure the necessary rezoning
of the land. Mr.. wilkins said he
advised the firm that there was
little chance Of the land being
rezoned unless cooperation of
the citizens in the neighbor-
hood was obtained. He said he
arranged for the firm to meet
with representatives of PTA
and citizen groups In the area
and gave the firm advice on
how to lay out the project to
meet possible objections.
Mr.. wilkins said he severed
his relationship with the firm
when the rezoning application
was filed with the planning
commission because his wife
was a member of the commits
sion and the Board of Super
visors. He said he received a
total of about 5000 from the
firm on a $200-a-month retain
er basis.
Mrs. Wilkins abStained from
voting when the rezoning came
before the planning commission
and voted against it when 1t
came before the supervisors.
The rezoning was turned down
by the supervisors on a 4 to 3
vote in a hearing that lasted
through the entire night. The
firm. represented by former
State Senator Andrew Clarke,
got the boards action over
turned in a court case which
went to the Virginia Supreme
Court of Appeals and became a
landmark case in coming.
4. His relationship with
Municipal Services Co. of Kan
sas City, an engineering firm
which wanted to set up a water
system for Fairfax County.
Greeted Engineers
Mr.. Wilkins said he met two
officials of the firm at Wash
ingtcn National Airport and
took them to their hotel in
Washington when they came
here in July, 1857, to appear
before the Board of Supervisors.
He said he thinks someone in
the county asked him to meet
the firms representatives to
acquaint them with the nature
of the county's water problem.
He said he told the representa-
tiveS they should have local
legal and engineering consul
tants but did not suggest that
his firm could supply them. He
said he was interested in the
water problem from having
worked for an unsuccessful
bond issue in 1855 and de-
clared that he did not meet
with the representatives with
the idea of cashing in on any
contract with Fairfax County.
He did say, however, in testi-
mony before the Board of Su-
pervisors, that during a dis
cusSion of the nature of his
firms business he suggested his
firm might be of service to Mu-
nicipal Service in connection
with the analysis of bonds for
other contracts. He said he was
informed that the Kansas City
company already had bond
counsel in New York.
Mrs. Wilkins points out that
the possibility of having the
Kansas City firm set up a water
system for Fairfax County was
first brought up by Republican
Supervisor William Moss. She
said she opposed it and instead
supported setting up the coun-
tvs own water authority to
handle the problem. The water
authority was set up subse-
quently.
I. M. Lefton, an official of
the Kansas City firm, has been
called to testify before the su-
,@o,.,,;oa,,c TTYaI~a.Iz., ~A..,A A.