St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1962-04-20
Only Three Reply
To Questions On
Civil RIGHTS


st. Paul city elections responded
to a questionable sent them by the
st. Paul Recorder.
The only two council candidates
to reply were incumbent Mrs. Don
aid De Courcey and Adolph Tab
Ter. Joseph Gabler was the only
Mayoralty candidate responding.
Mrs. De Courcey votes with the
conservatives in the city council
and Mr.. Tobler is a liberal, active
in the st. Pau Trades and Labor
Assembly. Mr.. Gabler in the liberal
candidate for mayor.
The first two questions were on
issues of general nature affecting
the entire city and the third ques-
ton on civil rights affected chief
ly the st. Paul minority group
population.
The questionable was designed
to bring out some of the major
issues facing the people of st. Paul
in these areas, issues which have
been largely ignored by a majority
of the candidates.
Following issuance of the ques-
tionaire both candidates for mayor
did make statements advocating
suspension or postponement of the
Riverview industrial park land ac-
QUESTIONS to allow more time for
rehousing the residents of the
area.
One candidate for council who
did not reply to the questionable
but talked to the newspaper adj
mitted the questions were embar'
RAISING, especially the one on po-
lice entrapment.
Following are the responses OF
the candidates:
On housing and redevelopment
Mr.. Gabler responded that he is
quite dissatisfied" with the re-
settlement and rehousing perform
ance in the Riverview area, which
he pointed out is the only project
in development at this time. He
said he favors an accelerated pro-
gram of public housing to help
with the resettlement problem. He
advocates applying federal stand
ards and rules in the Riverview
project with respect to counseling
and protecting the families facing
displacement (pointing out that
Riverview does not come under
federal standards at this time)
Mr.. Gabler advocates more public
housing and enforcement of the
housing code to prevent neighbor-
hood deterioration resulting from
forcing displaced families into sub,
standard units. He favors making
adequate provision for displaced
families as a prerequisite for any
and all redevelopment, and points
out that he asked suspension of
the Riverview program on just this
basis.
He points out that the Housing
Authority under his craftsmanship
sold land for middle-income coop
erative apartments. Mr.. Tobler is
dissatisfied with present perform
ance in rehousing displaced fam
lilies, will support an accelerated
public housing program, and says
Families moved out of clearance
areas should have adequate hous-
ing available before they are re-
settled" He believes that this will
meet the problem of neighborhood
deterioration resulting from NOV
ing families into substandard
unite. Mr.. Tobler favors helping
affected families to take advant-
age of low-cost cooperative hous-
ing projects.
On transportation: Mr.. Tobler
expressed concern about mass
transportation In the area and the
fact that highway plans fail to
provide for express bus transpor-
tation. He points out that he has
urged correction of this shortcom-
ing in highway hearings. He favors
one integrated transportation sys-
tenn for the metropolitan area, to
be based upon "a comprehensive
study of the transportation sys-
tenn"
Mr.. Gabler is dissatisfied with
mass transportation in the Twin
Cities and advocates as one step
toward correcting the matter a
shift of authority over metropoli-
tan transportation from the State
Railroad and Warehouse Commits
sion to a Metropolitan Transit
Authority. He feels that there
should be some provision for use
of the throughways for mass