VOL. 1
0.23
AY 15, 1979
SERVING TRI-COUNTY SOUTHWESTER
.
ICHIGA
Announce
Vo ing a "renaissance
of neighborhood life and
community spirit," Wilce L.
Cooke announced his
candidacy for ayor of
Benton Harbor end that
of thr e others 0 win
join his slate as commis­
sioners.
Coo e, 762 Colfax,
with i1dred Love, Arnold
Smith and Don Finley com­
pose what they call the
"Renaissance" slate.
Lo ill be running
for S cond ard seat held
presently held by Tommy
P r s.
rs. Lo e is the direc­
tor of the ESC offic at
Fairplain.
See ing Edmond E-
Say
According to CETA
Dir ctor eldon Burden,
Bl c organizations hav
recei d 24 p rcent of all
CET A fund coming to
Berrien County ince June
of 1974.
Burden dre up the
list at the request of Ber­
��.t�" rien County Commissioner
_'''Lo'�'' K nneth Wendzel . ho said
"They're getting on hell of
a lot of CETA mon v .
Th y're less than 10 percent
of th population, but
th y'r tting 25 percent
of th money." .
Wendzel had s ed for
a brea down after the re­
cent ch r of the ACP,
Civil Rights Commission,
the Committee to Elimin te
R cism all charged that the
County as guilty of cism
is holding up funding only
for BI c run organization.
The County Bo rd h d
refused to 0 ay the R IF
progr m and OIC grants,
but reversed their votes
fter protest s register d.
urd n di tributed the
list t meeting of th
Hu�n Services Committee
of the County Board.
At th meeting, Com­
mittee chairperson ancy
Clark explained that is was
difficult to define a Black
organization. "It's primari­
ly staff, I guess, that they
con ider," she said.
The list showed these
expenditure : City of
Benton Harbor - $2,618,
834; Benton H rbor Recrea­
tion Board - $221,052;
BH/Benton Township Den­
tal Clinic - $15,313; BH/
Benton To n hip Housing
Commi sion - $224,040;
Benton Harbor Library -
$68,111 ; Berrien County
.Action - $903,645; B r­
rien ore $813,365;
Can mer Games - $150,
2 0; Helping Hands
$10,041; Homes for Ber­
rien County F milie
$149,582; Peoples Credit
Union - $44,519; Benton
Harbor Area Schools -
$509,390.
According to Burden,
th total mount comes to
$5,728,122 or 24 percent of
all CET A funds. The total
amount spent in the county
for the period from June
1974 to March 1979 as
$2 ,772,146.
Grocery
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mon's First rd seat is
Arnold Smith, a teacher
at Benton Harbor High
School and Pre ident of
the Citizen's Advisory
Board.
Don Finl y, a b iliff
in Judge BI ck's Fifth Dis­
trict Court, ill vie for
ovell Weiss' at-large Seat.
The other commission
seat coming up for election
this fall is that of Charles
Yarbrough ho is also a
commissioner at-large.
"Within nine months of
the election we'll be brea -
ing ground for ne housing
construction," declared
Cooke, who is a nurse at
ercy Ho pital.
"There are three pro-
o
Th City of Benton
Harbor has pent $89,242
for legal service in the
current fiscal year.
Commission r Charles
Y rbrough says that of that
total, $78,459 ent to
K. orris Gavin.
The figures co er the
time from July 1, 1978 to
ay 7. The fi I year ends
on J un 30 for the city.
"I ha nothing person­
al against Mr. Gavin," said
Commissioner Yarbrough,
"it's just business. I ha
the responsibility of saving
the city's moneY
blems in Benton H rbor
that th present commission
hasn't even ddressed ous­
ing, unemployment nd
crime," Coo e said.
Cooke has a BA in
political scienc .and sociolo­
gy and h s completed wor
for a asters in the same
sub] from Western ich-
igan niversity, ccording
to him.
Th aver's office nd
that of the four commis­
oners expires on December
29 of this year.
Any candidate for city
go ernment must obtain
not less than 25, and not
more than 50 sign tures" to
get his nam on the ballot.
- AN EDITORIAL -
ceo t
. "
There's n old saying imbued ith po er can the rim ry concern of
about "the buck stopping evo e re ponse the sta .
here." Currently, in Benton In a city Ii eSt. Jo- Th staff can flip, flop
H rbor City) the "buc "is ph where the electors and do at they please
floating around, being pass- are ell educated, affluent, ithout too much fe of
ed around and has no deli- city officials ill do what the largely uneducat d citi­
nite spot to stop. is in th best interest of zens taking i su ith them.
Part of the explanation th citizens they repre ent. To re erse the itua-
for this lies with the form of Officials can comm nd city tion, the charter of the city
gOY rnment we ha e and the staff nd staff "II func- must b chan ed to pro­
population that comprises tion. It all flows.' vide for a stron m or ho
the city. When the city staff can be held ccountable
The city has the highest is the Ie dership of the not only for -deci ions but
per capita Ifare popula- community, then thin the implementation of the
tion in the nation. are topsy turvy and th decisions,
Only a stong leader citizen's intere are not
to Actin
J m
qu
commissioners, "
Y rbrou .
rai ing this
th
"d
