The Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council has been reorganized to increase the number of area residents on the Board of Directors.
Under the new propsal approved by the board on April 13, four additional residents of the Rosedale-Skinker area and six additional residents of the Washington Heights area will be added to the board.
Each of these groups, as well as the Parkview Agents, will retain its existing seat.
The net result will be to change the Council from a body in with area churches and Washington University had a majority of the votes to a body in which residents of the area will hold the majority.
“While I believe that the Council always has represented all segments of the community in its programming, the new arrangements will ensure that this continues to be done. All persons within the community—black and white, middle and low income— will be represented,” he said.
The new citizen representatives will be chosen by the two neighborhood groups. It is expected that Rosedale-Skinker will elect its representatives at its annual dinner, May 2, at St. Roch’s.
Washington Heights is expected to appoint its representatives during its regular annual elections next winter.
Members chosen must reside in specific areas within the neighborhood. This is required to ensure that all parts of each neighborhood have some representation.
In the Rosedale-Skinker area, two of the representatives must live in the area north of the alley between McPherson and Kingsbury and two must live south.
In the Washington Heights area, two must live in the area bounded by Des Peres, the Forest Park Expressway and the Wabash tracks; two in the area bounded by the Wabash tracks, Delmar and Laurel, Delmar and DeBaliviere.
The at-large representative of each neighborhood may come from any section.
Seats on the Board are also held by Delmar Baptist, GRace Methodist, St. Roch’s and Washington University. Thus the breakdown is: Churches and Washington University, four seats; Parkview, one seat; Rosedale-Skinker, five seats and Washington Heights, seven seats;
Originally published in The Paper, May 1970.
