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ASH GTO D.C. - The
ational Urban League in testi­
mony last week before the
Senate Judiciary Committee
vigorou ly opposed the nominat-
ion of illiam Bradford Rey-
nolds A ociate Attorney
General of the United States
saying that he was ."�nfit to .hold
an '0 fice that ould increase
his . powers and his' influence
in the government s department
most concerned with protesting
and enforcing minority rights."
Speaking for the UL, John
. E. Jacob, its president, said the
agency's position was based on
Mr. Reynolds "record as he d of
the Justice Department's Civil
Rights Division, and on the
extraordinary positions he has
taken on key issues affecting
the civil rights of Blacks, women
and other minorities."
r. Jacob continued:
"The burden of the record
of T. Reynolds' steward hip
of the Civil Rights Division
indicate that he has pre . ded
over the weakening of federal
civil rights enforcement efforts,
has actively impeded efforts to
remedy civil rights violations,
and has undermined civil rights
principles est blished by the
Congre nd the Judiciary."
. H elaborated on this sess­
ment of r. Reynold by citing
ve al pecific instances in
. h he r. Reynolds
"dernonstr ted by hi ctions
and his views that he is unfit
for higher office."
Among the instances cited
were the following:
- r. Reynolds' Civil Rights
Division h s demonstrated a
contempt of Congre through
its refusal to carry out legi la­
tive mand tes for vigorous law
enforcement action.
- The Divi ion failed to pro­
perly enforce the Voting Rights
Act by preclearing changes in
covered jurisdictions that were
rejected in ub quent court
action.
-The Civil Rights Division,
under r. Reynolds' leader hip,
ha changed from bing
gu rdian of BI ick voting rights
to an obst le to those rights
and a source of aid and com­
fort to those who ould erode
them. .
-The Division h failed to
enforce the Fair Housing Act
and has brought fewer housing
di crimination c than in
previous administration.
-The Divi ion has acted to
retard hool desegregation and
to positively encourage those
who discriminate as in the Bob
Jones University ca .
-For the past four year
Mr. Reynolds has waged war on
effective affirm tive action plans
engaging in demagogic state­
ments labelling such plans" a
racial spoils system" and stig­
matizing numerical goals as
.. ' quotas. '
Mr. Jacob concluded:
"The f ct is that the head
of the Civil Rights Division of
the Justice Department ... is
supposed to wield the sword of
the law to defend minority
civil rights.
, he fact is that Mr. Rey­
nolds has used the sword of the
law to hack away at the victim
- to subvert minority civil
rights.
"The fact therefore .. is that
Mr. Reynolds should not be
promoted to a post where �e
would be in a position to do still
more damage."
JUNE 17 - 23, 1985 THE CITIZEN
r
••
poses specja
ax
By Ron Leuty .
BE TO HARBOR - A
proposed Downtown Develop­
ment Authority and a proposed
Tax Increment Finance Author­
ity were the two main topic
of discussion at the June 11
Benton Harbor City Commis­
sion meeting.
According to Alex Little,
Economic - Development
Director, he Downtown
Development Authority (DDA)
will plan specific improvements
in the ppearance and market­
ability of a certain are in the
city. Little said that the area
being considered covers a wide
area - from W. Main St. at the
St. Joseph River to Empire
Ave., to Eleventh St. to Market
St. to Highland Ave. From
Highland Ave. the area continues
to Paw Paw Ave. to E. Main,
to Fourth St., along the c&.0
Railroad, to . Shore Drive,
to Klock Rd., to Jean Kloc
Park.
Little said that the authority
will a1 0 attempt to increa
private investment within the
area.
A two-mill levy could be
introduced, said Little, which
would pay for orne staffing,
legal fee, and special project
costs. He said that the plan
could be passed by next week
and will be developed by
- USKEGO HEIGHTS - USKEGO
-BE TO BARBO -KALAMAZOO
-BATILE CREEK •
WiD train the right individual. Mu t have transportation.
•
PROTEST-SCLCAlabam President Rev. John ettl ,SCLC ational Pre ident Re�. Jo. p� E. Lof �:;
and United ine Workers of America ofilCw Ch. �. F.ull r lead demon nation m r:��:lde e
M' . . . Coa Coliseum nd Convention Center m BilOXI here Southern Company
ere :!�in SC1£ and UMW ere protesting the Southern Company's contract to �uy}o�: If�r
coal from s!�th Africa. In response, the company promised to "make a caref�1 examm tion of It
pure policy. (Photo by Elaine Tomlin)
February, 1986.
Little said that tax money
within the area would stay in
the area to finance improve­
ments in the district. He said
that a meeting with all taxing
units involved in the area - the
city, Berrien County, Benton
Harbor Area School, Lake
Michigan College, and the Ber­
rien Intermediate School
District - would be held so as
to explain the DDA idea with
them. Little said that the tax­
ing units would not lose any­
thing.
An authority of 9-12 people
will over ee the development.
Five of the people on the
authority must own or
operate busine in the desig­
nated area.
C.A. Tobia, president and
general manager of Tobias Oil
Co., Benton Harbor, said that
the city is a little "premature"
abo�t a DDA. Tobias said that
the city should wait and see
what happens to the Enter­
prise Zone bill, presently being
thrashed out in the Michigan
legislature.
Tobias also said that many
business owners were not con­
tacted about the hearing.
City Manager Ellis Mitchell
said that the city must look
at the DDA at the same time as
the Enterprise Zone, Mitchell
stated that the city can not
concerntrate on one thing at
a' time, it mu t attempt many
programs - industrial, com­
mercial and housing.
The Tax Increment Finance
Authority (TIFA) would involve
the orth of Main Industrial
Park, said Little. Little said
that the TIF A would not re­
quire additional levies, as the
DAA might.
The TIF A would allow the
taxes in the district ot be
"captured" for impr vements
within the district. Little cited
re-platting of the property with­
in the orth of Main Industrial
Park and beautification of the
o Creek area within the park.
Little said that it won't
take much after the TIF A
gets going to begin improve­
ments in the district. .
The industrial park and TIF A
are bounded by E. ain Paw
Paw, orth St., the C&O Rail­
road, Fifth si., Park si., and
Third St.
Little and Mitchell cited the
expansion of Sumitec, Inc., and
the recent acquisition of the
former Benton Harbor Engi­
neering building by orthshore
Development.
Little said that the TIF A
would allow the industrial park
plan to move smoothly, instead
of breaking the plan into phases.
Also at the meeting the
commission heard from Arnold
Smith, a member of the Citi­
zens' Advisory Board, who has
recently taken out petitions for
the ugust 6 primary election.
Smith said that the city should
re-examine its contract with
Acton Cable TV, which pro­
vides cable television rvice to
Benton Harbor. Smith said that
in the ten-year old contract, the
cable company promised to
offer viewers 35 channels.
Smith aid that the company
offers only 24.
In other action, the com­
mission put "on the back
burner" preparation of a ballot
question of a proposed city
income tax.
In March, Mayor ike Cooke
told City Attorney Ernest White
to prepare the proposal for t�e
next city election. Cooke, 10
the pre-meeting workshop, said
that the proposal is being put
on the 'back burner", so city
businessmen and residents can
"be relieved". Cooke said that
at this time the benefits of the
tax would not outweigh the
losses.
Al
at the meeting the
commis ion ...
-Awarded three housing re­
habilitation contract - two to
J&G Construction and one to
Gaipa Construction. The con­
tracts with J&G Constru ti n,
totaling over $21 000 involve
properties at 391 E. Britain
and 356 Pipestone. Gaipa's
lone contract was for nearly
8000 work on a hou e at
405 Ohio.
-Entered into a contract
with Cornmuni-Center South, of
Dothan, Alabama, for in-hou
training for city personnel on
the city's new computer system.
The contract calls, for $3000
of training for- 24 employees
for 10 full days. Another
1000 would be spent on
transportation.
-Adopted a resolution
approving Age Discrimination in
Employment Act language. The
city is required by federal law
to adopt the act which says that
persons over the age of 31 can
not be discriminated gainst
when hiring is being done for
the police and fire depart­
ments.
-Entered into a contract
with Robert Bell to provide
services as the coordinator of
the Community Improvement
Program Paint Program. Bell
coordinated the program last
year and, according to Co�­
munity Services Director 11-
liam Lilly, did a very effective
job.
-Accepted 262 Paw Pa
Ave. a a gift from Mrs. Ursula
Totzke, 1840 E. Ogden, Ben­
ton Township. The property is
within the orth of ain
Industrial Par .
-Commended Robert Gray
owner of the JR Club for
spon oring the recent "Bootlo
Day" in Hall Park. An e ti­
mated ] 500 people attended the
day-long event whi h featured
music game and fo d .