Elections

Candidates Speak Out — John Roach

August 1970

HOUSING CODE ENFORCEMENT AND DERELICT BUILDINGS

We must have a complete restructuring of the building and housing code enforcement program to include new programs and ideas. The implementation of an occupancy permit system should be studied to require that housing units conform to the minimum housing standards prior to rental or sale. Although it may not be possible to apply such a system city-wide in one step, a phased program of implementation might be possible.

The city must act to either stimulate rehabilitation of derelicts or demolish them and assemble the raw land by tax sale to resell for construction of new housing or comercial facilities. A program to demol

housing or commercial facilities.. A program to demolish derelicts will not insure a reuse of. the land and indeed the present laxly enforced housing code and loose property tax collection procedures only encourage the process which leads to derelicts and slum housing.

LANDLORD AND TENANT RESPONSIBILITIES —

Vigorous enforcement of the present minimum housing code together with implementation of the new State Slum Receivership Bill under which city government can take an aggressive part, together with a program of eliminating present lax real estate collection procedures will help. As well, a comprehensive landlord/tenant responsibility ordinance providing criminal and civil penalties for violators of their responsibilities must be considered.

NEIGHBORHOOD CONTROL OF CITY SERVICES

The Board of Aldermen must act to bring the citizenry into contact with operating supervisors in the area of reinspection. For example, the Superintendent of the trash collectors in the West end of the city must feel he will answer to area residents if collections are not made or his men throw trash and garbage about the alleys.

One of the most important aspects of the urban crisis is the feeling of powerlessness and remoteness on the part of neighborhood residents. This feeling could be combated through district city halls as have been established in New York or by periodic forums within the neighborhoods to air complaints with provisions for development of a positive program to correct the deficiencies — neighborhood residents must feel they are being heard.

Most important is that city contact with neighborhood residents not be on a mere public relations basis but that neighborhood residents are made to feel that their reasonable complaints will be answered.

RACE RELATIONS —

Race relations will improve only when the respect borne of trust and confidence in one another is built. This is a slow and halting process and city officials must seek to equalize employment, housing and recreational opportunity and to provide programs which discourage idleness among youth which often leads to racial tensions.

CRIME PREVENTION AND ENFORCEMENT —

Law enforcement must be brought closer to the

Law enforcement must be brought closer to the people and coordinated with other city and state services such as recreation, job training and placement facilities. The juvenile officers must be in the neighborhoods. District juvenile officers must feel that they have a direct pipeline into all the services provided by city and state government.

We must devote additional resources to police protection to provide walking patrol and neighborhood contact between police officers and residents to establish liaison and trust between the two. The present situation which exists in both police districts in the 28th Ward where at certain times it is impossible to get a police car because all are on call, must be rectified.

SOURCES OF INCOME FOR THE CITY, INCLUDING TYPES OF TAXATION —

The city tax structure must be overhauled so that poor persons and older persons on fixed incomes are not discriminated against. This means that we must move towards a tax structure built more on ability to pay. Also, the present merchants and manufacturers levy often operates to discourage businesses from locating in the city because of its method of assessment.

However, the major portion of the revenue which is required to improve city services and to defeat decay must be produced from the federal and state governments which have in the past bled the city of revenue. In this connection, not only must we try to unify the city delegation to the state legislature but we must seek and obtain the support of legislators from Kansas City and other urban areas in the state so that urban needs are recognized and met in this vital area.

Originally published in The Paper, August 1970.

Read this article in the original newspaper issue.