Vel Phillips Papers (Radio scripts, Box 2)

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AND KEEPING ROUTINE RECORDS. IF YOU TYPE, AND WISH TO TAKE THE STORES CLERK-TYPIST JOB, YOU WILL ALSO BE REQUIRED TO MAKE AND MAINTAIN TYPEWRITTEN RECORDS. HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION OR EQUIVALENCY ON A G.E.D. TEST IS REQUIRED. SOME EXPERIENCE IN HANDLING MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT IN A STOREROOM, AND IN KEEPING STOCK AND TABULAR RECORDS WOULD ALSO HELP, ALTHOUGH NOT REQUIRED.

ENGINEERING TECHNICIANS AND DRAFTSMEN NEED SOMEWHAT MORE TECHNICAL TRAINING. FOR THESE POSITIONS, HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION OR EQUIVALENCY ON A G.E.D. TEST IS REQUIRED, AND YOU MUST HAVE HAD CERTAIN COURSES OR THEIR EQUIVALENTS. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE DRAFTSMAN POSITIONS, YOU MUST HAVE HAD AT LEAST FOUR SEMESTERS OF DRAFTING OR MECHANICAL DRAWING OF AT LEAST HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. APPLICANTS FOR THE ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN JOBS MUST HAVE HAD AT LEAST THREE YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL MATHEMATICS. FOR BOTH OF THESE POSITIONS, THE SALARY IS $104 A WEEK, BUT, SINCE THESE ARE ENTRY-LEVEL POSITIONS, LEADING TO MORE RESPONSIBLE AND TECHNICAL CAREER-TYPE JOBS IN THE FIELDS OF ENGINEERING AND DRAFTING, THE SALARIES WILL GO UP AS YOU DO. AGAIN, EXAMINATIONS FOR BOTH OF THESE POSITIONS ARE BEING GIVEN EVERYDAY.

CITY SERVICE WORK CAN BE AMONG THE MOST REWARDING IN THE WORLD. NO MATTER WHAT YOUR JOB, YOU ALWAYS KNOW THAT YOU ARE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE FUNCTIONING OF YOUR CITY. NO POSITION IS UNIMPORTANT IN CITY SERVICE. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BECOMING A PART OF THE WORKING OF THIS GREAT CITY, COME TO CITY HALL, ROOM 706, OR CALL 276-3711, EXTENSION 751. WE PROBABLY HAVE JUST THE JOB FOR YOU.

THAT IS ALL FOR TONIGHT. GOOD-BYE AND THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

4/24 1

AS many of YOU KNOW FROM NEWSPAPER AND RADIO REPORTS, MILWAUKEE'S COMMON COUNCIL IS FACED WITH ONE OF ITS MOST SERIOUS AND CONFUSING PROBLEMS IN YEARS. BY THE END OF THIS WEEK IT MUST DECIDE WHETHER TO APPLY FOR, OR PASS UP THE FEDERAL "MODEL CITY" PROGRAM.

RECENT DEBATE HAS MADE IT CLEAR THAT FEW PEOPLE IN PUBLIC OR PRIVATE LIFE UNDERSTAND THIS PROGRAM. I WILL, THEREFORE ATTEMPT TO CLEAR UP Some of the confusion - Tho actually even the reading matter itself seems to contain many vague generalities.

THE "DEMONSTRATION CITIES" OR, AS IT IS NOW KNOWN, "MODEL CITIES" PROGRAM, IS AN ATTEMPT BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO DEVELOP, AND PARTIALLY PAY FOR NEW PROGRAMS TO ATTACK THE CAUSES OF SLUMS. THE CITY is being asked to TO CREATE AND CARRY OUT THE PLANS.

LOCAL PLANNERS MUST DEVELOP PROGRAMS TO ELIMINATE SLUMS, CRIME, AND POOR HEALTH, AND TO CREATE NEW JOBS AND FACILITIES FOR IMPROVED EDUCATION, TRANSPORTATION, AND RECREATION.

NO ONE CAN ARGUE WITH A PROGRAM THAT PROMISES TO BE THE MOST MASSIVE REJUVENATION OF PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC RESOURCES IN OUR HISTORY. HOWEVER, "THE GENERAL NATURE" OF LOCAL PLANS HAS CREATED DOUBT IN MANY MINDS.

WHEN WE SPEAK OF REDEVELOPING AN UNIDENTIFIED AREA OF 2,500 ACRES which would contain about 82,000 PEOPLE, WE RAISE SERIOUS QUESTIONS. AN AREA OF THIS SIZE, WITH NO KNOWN BOUNDARIES, COULD AFFECT HALF A DOZEN CITY WARDS. IT COULD LUMP TOGETHER GROUPS WITH DIFFERENT

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PROBLEMS, FAILING TO ANSWER THE GREATEST NEEDS OF SOME. IT COULD EVEN FAIL TO INCLUDE THOSE IN GREATEST NEED. MANY OF THE ALDERMEN, WHILE FAVORING AN APPLICATION, do not want to SUPPORT SUCH A VAGUE PROPOSAL.

THE GOVERNMENT IN PREPARING CRITERIA AND A PROGRAM GUIDE HAS ALSO CREATED MANY MISUNDERSTANDINGS. STATEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE, IN GOOD FAITH, THAT THE GOVERNMENT WILL PAY FOR 80% OF THIS PROGRAM, THEREFORE, ANY IMPROVEMENTS WE PUT IN WILL BE 80% FEDERALLY FUNDED. THIS, UNFORTUNATELY, IS NOT altogether TRUE. THE GOVERNMENT IS ONLY COMMITED TO FUND UP TO 80% ON IMPROVEMENTS OVER AND ABOVE THOSE ALREADY PROGRAMMED. IN ADDITION, FUNDS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ONLY FOR PLANNING, AND A HOSTILE CONGRESS COULD CONCEIVABLY CURTAIL FUTURE PLANS. AT PRESENT, ONLY $11,000,000 IS ACTUALLY AVAILABLE FOR the entire country with OVER 200 eligible CITIES. ANOTHER DILEMNA FACING THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL IS FEDERAL INSISTENCE ON GUARANTEES THAT ALL LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES WILL COOPERATE. IN MILWAUKEE, 35 AGENCIES COULD BE AFFECTED, AND HISTORICALLY THEY HAVE NEVER WORKED TOGETHER. PROMISES OF COOPERATION MIGHT BE OBTAINED, BUT NOT BEFORE THE MAY 1ST DEADLINE. THE ONLY OTHER ALTERNATIVE IS CREATION OF A SUPERAUTHORITY ON THE CITY LEVEL TO GO IT ALONE.

THE GOVERNMENT SUGGESTS CREATION OF A "CITY DEMONSTRATION AGENCY" WITH POWER TO CUT ACROSS LINES OF AUTHORITY, AND OVERCOME LOCAL GOVERNMENT FRAGMENTATION. SUCH AN ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY, AS SUGGESTED BY THE MAYOR, COULD OVERCOME THE ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS AND MOBILIZE

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THE NECESSARY COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR THIS FIGHT, BUT THERE WOULD BE NO MEANS OF LOCAL CONTROL OVER ITS OPERATIONS OR COST. ONE OF THE PRINCIPLE COMPLAINTS that we here today IS THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT RESPONSIVE TO THE DESIRES OF THE PEOPLE. FOR THIS REASON, MANY ALDERMEN ARE more than a little RELUCTANT TO CREATE SUCH AN INDEPENDENT AND POWERFUL AGENCY.

WE WILL EXPLAIN THE MODEL CITY PROGRAM FURTHER IN OUR NEXT BROADCAST.

GOODBYE, AND THANKS FOR LISTENING.

That's it for today - GoodBye for Now And, Thank you for Listening

4/26 1

WE DISCUSSED earlier THE DILEMNAS FACING THE metro city COUNCIL AND MAYOR IN APPLYING FOR PLANNING GRANTS UNDER THE MODEL CITIES PROGRAM. WE WILL NOW TRY TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE PROGRAM DOES AND WHAT IT COULD MEAN TO MILWAUKEE.

MODEL CITIES AIM IS TO REVITALIZE THE PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT IN BLIGHTED AREAS OF OUR CITIES. ALL OF THE GREAT PROBLEMS OF A SELECTED AREA WILL BE ATTACKED BY THE COMBINED RESOURCES OF LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL AGENCIES.

THIS IS AN URBAN PROGRAM AND IS DESIGNED TO HELP OUR MOST DEPRESSED NEIGHBORHOODS. THE SELECTED NEIGHBORHOODS MUST BE LARGE ENOUGH TO PERMIT EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS OF EDUCATION, HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES, AS WELL AS REHABILITATION OF HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOOD FACILITIES.

ON THE OTHER HAND THE NEIGHBORHOOD MUST BE SMALL ENOUGH TO SHOW RESULTS WITHIN ONLY A FEW YEARS. IT SHOULDN'T BE SO LARGE THAT THE CITY CAN'T CARRY OUT ITS PLANS, OR IS FORCED TO CUT CORNERS ON OTHER PROJECTS TO KEEP UP. NONE OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS SHOULD EVER BE LARGER THAN 10% OF THE CITY'S POPULATION. IN MILWAUKEE'S CASE, THIS WOULD AMOUNT TO ABOUT 80,000 PEOPLE. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE SUCH AN AREA IN MILWAUKEE, IT APPEARS NECESSARY TO INCLUDE APPROXIMATELY 2,500 ACRES IN THE PLAN. THIS SEEMS LIKE A VERY LARGE AREA, BUT ADMINISTRATIVELY WOULD PROVIDE AN EFFICIENT UNIT FOR EDUCATIONAL, SANITATION, PUBLIC WORKS, AND HEALTH FUNCTIONS.

MODEL NEIGHBORHOODS SHOULD BE RESIDENTIAL IN CHARACTER, AND AT LEAST PARTLY HARD-CORE SLUMS, WITH A CONCENTRATION OF LOW INCOME FAMILIES.