Ripon's New York chapter sponsors an Urban Leadership Symposium with the New York Young Republican Club, the New York County Republican Volunteers and New Yorkers for Political Action. "Senator Jacob Javits, Congressmen William Steiger, Charles Goodell, Clark MacGregor and Albert Quie, and Deputy Mayor Robert Sweet, and other political and academic and ghetto leaders" participate.

http://www.riponsociety.org/riponforum/1968-03_VolIV_No3.pdf

Incomplete.

Tape 1 (T5304):

Jeff Charmers [sp?] introduces Raymond Shafer, Chairman of Political Action for the Republican New York County Committee, who speaks about how urban issues are the most pressing of the day, particularly the subject of slums; and ignoring these issues will be costly. He highlights the disparity between "el barrio" and the "Gold Coast".

Prof. Willis Reese introduces Senator Jacob K. Javits, who praises the symposium as an example of a new Republican Party, and states that the current federal budget allocates insufficient and shrinking funds to solve the current urban crisis. However, new thinking is sprouting from these shortages --including increased collaboration with the private sector. Mr. Javits proposes using public incentives to channel private enterprise towards solutions to the urban crisis. His basic tenet is "allowing business to operate normally in order to solve the problems of poverty", i.e., to make such involvement "reasonably profitable", although he insists we should not rely exclusively on private enterprise; likewise, regulations should not be crippling or overly burdensome.

Tape 2 (T5305):

Jacob K. Javits proposes a "domestic World Bank" (the National Domestic Development Bank) and a nonprofit Economic Opportunity Corporation.

Jacques L. Debrot, ex-Assistant Commissioner of Buildings, hosts a panel on slum housing and urban renewal, with the following panelists:

LeRoy Bowser of Brooklyn C.O.R.E.;
Jeanne R. Lowe, author of _Cities in a Race with Time_;
George M. Raymond of the Pratt Institute;
Congressman Clark MacGregor; and
S. William Green of the Joint Legislative Committee on Housing and Urban Development.

Prof. Raymond declares that a war must be waged against urban decay.

Tape 3 (T5306):

George M. Raymond speaks about slum clearance and disparages the underfunded programs such as "Model Cities" which do not take into account the amount of necessary resources. He then suggests reallocating some federal funds towards urban issues. Prof. Raymond advocates for maintaining current programs instead of creating new ones, and for stricter accountability.

LeRoy Bowser speaks about urban housing and its (mis)management, using Red Hook public housing as an example. He suggests eliminating records; term limits for managers; and increasing involvement of the tenants.

Tape 4 (T5307):

LeRoy Bowser continues to analyze public-housing management and brings up the issue of race.
Bill Greene suggests focusing on infrastructure rehabilitation rather than building construction.
Jeanne Lowe warns about a semantic trap whereby "urban" equates "race conflict", and emphasizes that results will only come through collaborative efforts across parties and across public-private divides. She advocates a holistic approach towards urban problems, and brings up the issue of guaranteed income. She also thinks greater technical assistance is necessary to ensure running programs work better.

Tape 5 (T5308):

Jeanne Lowe speaks about redistribution of costs and the need to appeal to an urban-suburban constituency.
Clark MacGregor wishes for a stronger influence of urban-suburban residents in public discourse; praises 221(d)(3) legislation and its potential; encourages a "total war" on urban blight, while emphasizing that immediate results must be presented; agrees with George Raymond's idea to implement easy transfers from federal to local entities; but disagrees on the use of greater federal resources to implement 'reconstruction", instead suggesting to re-direct funds from less effective federal programs and to have greater private-industry involvement in the _planning_ of public housing.
Dr. Raymond replies that the first housing step can be implemented via government money, and that this first step can lay a foundation for private industry to step in.
A Mr. Best, from the audience, questions the idea of the level of "success" of public housing; Ms. Lowe comments on the inadequacy of the housing market for Negro and Puerto Rican population, while LeRoy Bowser emphasizes that other issues should not dilute the fact that housing must be improved; he also points out the good return on investment in some of the successes that Ms. Lowe pointed to.
A Young Illinois Republican member asks why there is so little involvement from residents in public housing.

Tape 6 (T5309):

A Young Illinois Republican member questions the idea of a guaranteed minimum wage and the idea of federal over-involvement in private matters; Jeanne Lowe replies that the idea is not new, and it is implemented in several European countries; Clark McGregor agrees that further business encouragement by the government is what is needed.
LeRoy Boser brings up the problem of school decentralization as a parallel example of public housing mismanagement.
Another audience member brings up increasing racism in the suburbs as an impediment to an urban-suburban coalition; Ms. Lowe replies that it may be difficult but necessary.
Clark MacGregor adds that businesses are beginning to ignore the urban-suburban divide, and that Minnesota has recently affected such a coalition, with good results. Ms. Lowe points out the difficulty in separating the urban and suburban. Mr. Boser says that reduced legislative representation from the black community continues to be a problem. George Raymond suggests that a more localized approach may be more fruitful, and points out that colored population has only increased in decaying suburbs.
Two "Model City" residents from New Haven present their city as an example where more money does not work, as black residents have fled. Mr. MacGregor agrees with the evaluation, and suggests diversifying the "urban" concept via public transportation and public housing in the suburbs.
Mr. Raymond acknowledges some of New Haven's faults, but thinks that the program and its accompanying legislation works.
Ms. Lowe, who has studied New Haven, thinks that a proper relocation program can help, and highlights successes in the city's program; she forcefully dismisses the idea that New Haven is a failure.
Mr. Bowser questions the ethics of the process of slum designation, implying that private interests are at work (citing as an example the old Pennsylvania Station neighborhood).

Tape 7 (T5310):

On a different panel, Congressman Albert Quie suggests an "industry" youth corps to train young people for better jobs, and that we should emphasize skill upgrading instead of a guaranteed minimum wage, citing successful European examples.

Philip Hauser, Director of the Population Research and Training Center at the University of Chicago, points out that Blacks have only recently moved to the cities, many of them unprepared; and suggests, instead of a welfare program, equal opportunity, equal housing, and fair education programs. He warns that ignoring inner cities is not only dangerous but costly in the long run. He claims that we are trying to solve 20th century problems with a 19th century mentality.

Questions from the audience: legislative representation of inner city; unions; Vocational Education Act.

Tape 8-9 (T5311):
Questions for Congressman Quie

Lee M. Oser of New Yorkers for Political Action introduces a final panel, titled "New Approaches in Urban Leadership", which includes
Kenneth Marshall of the Metropolitan Research Center; Henry Paley of the Day-Sol [?] Corporation; Congressman Ted Kupferman; Deputy Mayor Robert Sweet; Prof. Marshall Clinard of the University of Wisconsin; and Kenneth Simmons of Urban America Inc.

Self-proclaimed "Slumologist" Marshall Clinard summarizes his paper on the role of motivation for slum residents on welfare. He claims citizens are detached from government services and need "kill the rats themselves," and that a betterment of self-image is essential for improvements on condition. He advocates controlled decentralization, and the uprooting of all discrimination at the elementary-school level.

Henry Paley speaks on behalf of Alan Harvey about the role of business in urban leadership. He advocates going beyond bottom-line analysis and returns for business, and using data that analyze community improvement. Paley encourages public investment to encourage private investment.

Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection

WNYC archives id: 151780
Municipal archives id: T5304