The
City Commissioners approved
the Bentoti Harbor Hou' ng
Commission plan to cquire and
reh bilitate 50 hou s in the
city,
t the pre-meeting ork-
op, Commissioner Charle Yar­
brough opposed the propo d
Sub idized housing unit, ' 0
more subsidized housing - that's
my attitude," aid Yarbroll:gh.·
"I ould like to e more home
owner ," he dded.
Votin in f or of t
idized units re Commis-
loners Arnold Bolin, Charle
Hender on, orval ei, Ralph
, Michael Govato and
ilce Cook. Commi­
andall Jurgen n ab­
and Commissioner Yar-
brou cast the lone no vot .
City anager Elli Mitchell
id his concern i that the
50 hou are rehabbed properly,
and generate tax base.
The commi . ons pproval
mean th t the housing com­
mi 'on can now apply to
HVD for funds
Commi ioner
Henderson
id, ' e are not encouraging
subsidized hou ing but, decent
hou ing for the poor and un­
employed."
Dr. Har I Taylor, B nton
Harb r Hou ing Commi ion
Chairman aid the H u ing Com­
mi i n fe I 50 more rehabbed
LLINOIS LEGISLATO ADD ESSES
BLACK WOMEN'S POLITI-CAL CAUCUS
ETHEL S YLES LEX DER left). lDino' St te Rep n ti e ith
omen' Politic ueu id nt De 0 Col. Story on P e 7.
house will add to the beauti­
fication and help end blight in
the city. There is a need for
three to four bedroom house .
Hud is' providing all of the funds
needed to rehab the housing
units. The housing commi-
'on pre ntly has 40 scattered
hou s of new con truction
throughout the city, Taylor
said that eventually he would
like to see tho occupants
become property owner.
The city Commissioner
ote t go fn clo ssion
last night to discu the lawsuit
brought against the city by
former manager. After the
meeting Attorney Ernie White
announced a ttlement has
been reached. The commis-
. on voted to pay McCauley
$18,384. Commissioner Hen­
derson cast the only no vote.
Commissioner Juanita Echols
w bsent.
During the citizen com-
ments portion of the meeting,
ary DeFoe AACP chapter
president said th t Black fire
fighters and police officers
aero the country are not
being promoted into upervision
or management position. She
a ed the commi ion to look
into the ituation in our city.
She'd that B nton Harbor
h two officers wh have been
ith th city f r fi e year
Continued on p e 3
I OU"'l Fhv 'milin�' \ UUII� fl'" an' part uf lht' l ni HI \I,'mor·
i I .11 ... · .. od an I ht,hiun l'il"la. 0',. b. nw� an' I -rt. Uamil'l1
Fr�II' -r. ri ·tina Ruhin. on, . hr i\ .. Tavlor and Tashumhi Ta� lor.
, Inn on I'a�l' II.
,I
25e
JUU 0 D, noted Ci ri leader, t or and te Sen or from �� ..
Sept. 29 at Co unity C.O.G.tC., Benton Harbor. in ith Bond prior to .
Rev. Delano Bowman, p or of U 'on A .E: Supt. Earl right, Detroit: Elder
WeD Jr., p or of Community;' Bond; Elder W.L. H " Detroit; d Eld r John eCoy, p tor of
Coy's Temp C.O.G.I.C., Benton Harbor. (Fred B . d photo
project.
nd Bel hop or . nve tor/Par
o
By Alfred P. illiam, It. .
The . present i ue between
area Blacks and Muskegon Coun­
ty and City is a good example
of the struggle of Black Ameri­
can for a piece of the economic
pie."
The Black community was a
limited "partner" in the origi­
nal hotel project, when it was
to have been built on the corner
of Fourth Street and ebster
Avenue, in the very heart of an
inner city, low-moderate income
residential area.
That' rea would have bene­
fited greatly from the hotel,
which was the reason for the
choice for a building site. 'The
City of uskegon, H.V.D. and
the Develop rs of hat project
aU agreed to thi partn rship.
Why then, did the new
Dev I per, the ity and the
unty, "dr p" th Bla com-
munity r m the partn r hip?
Till new hotel pr j ct i
mu h c tlier than th rigi­
nal pr je t: n quently, a
J t m re inancing i required,
A we all n , p pie.
including bank. inve t their
money
that it earn
mon ..
I heir inve t
nd ev ryone want
money band
their inve tment earning a
quickl a po ible. Prcdicra ly,
l'W') invc uor ' n d ere con­
"lil'rt'd more important than
I Ill' pa. hack of the .0 .. G,
(.','111 money.
rill' payhac time .hedule
Ill, (11�'nt 111011 i ncgotiblc.
II I "h�,\llItd not nece ary
III wau years for repayment
;I, till' hotel UDAG agrcem nt
l'all� ft H • That �I. st rict I an
ec
arrangement convenience for
the investors, made by us e­
gon City and County official
and written into the U.D.A.G.
Grant request. Under the agree-
oice:
ever ha the City of us -
gon lived up to the purp
or intent of the UDAG
Ne
'S Commen ilry
ment of the original hotel pro­
ject the U.D.A.G. Fund
repayment was scheduled to
begin the same year that the
hotel opened its doors for busi­
ness not at the end of 8 years
time,
When it was decided to re­
locate the hotel project site
in view of the now increased
co t of the propo d pr [ect,
acqui ition of V_D.A,G. Grant
fund and th Ie of muni ipal
bond med to be th an wer.
T fully' utiliz ., th ,D. ,G.
unt
ne that m mbcr if the
Blac community would n t
, it till" f r thi , t nded
delay in . und payba and
fund vailability or min rit
e om mic devel pmen t proje t.
That i why the Bla k 'om­
munity a "dropped" from
partner hipping in the amend d
h tel proje t. If n t includ d.
Blacks would h ve no voice
in the matter and couldn't
que tion anything. It i ac ept­
ed k owledge that the Bla
commun�ty is e sy to "dis-
regard". either the Blac
them elves nor th other mern­
b r of th community que rion
uch "actions". It' Ian lard
operating procedure!
have a direct relationship t
benefiting low and moderate
income comrnunites.
The powerful real e tate
interests of uskegon were
opposed to the original site
of Fourth Street and ebster
Avenue. The reas n they
presented to the City om-
mis ion at the Public aring
wa that the land sale pri
would establi h the pre dent
of high r price for th I nd in
that area, f r then and ever
after. Thi impl m n that
the Blac pre p rty-o ncr
wid b ble tilt heir land
'" nd t rcct
c tern venue. that ended
one portion of the hl)t�'f pI \.
j °t' value to t h Black xuu­
munit the chanc t upgrade
inner .it property. Of .our c.
the hire pn I crt. -l wncr
(bu in men Ito had t h If
prop rty pr cha -d at the new
propo .d it were vcr plea sed
but. that i who a .• up-
po d " 10 be hap] y an wa .r >
The next ucp 'J to "drop"
the Black '01) 1 III unit J re 'IP­
icnt of the liD G pa� ha '
llHHll'Y. TIll' rcvis 'J plan: f, r
'ontinued on p: q
