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April 4,1974 PHOENIX Pate 13Replace-Don't DismantleNeighborhood Gov't. GroupFollowing is a copy of a lettersent to Mayor Abraham Beamewhich we thought would be ofinterest to PHOENIX readers asa followup to last week's story onthe local Park Slope%u2014SouthBrooklyn Urban Action TaskForce:Dear Mayor Beame:A great many of us inBrooklyn, and in other parts ofthe City, were very disturbed tolearn recently that the Commissioner of Water Resourcesand Chairman of the Mayor'sUrban Action Task Force, SamAzadian, has been given noticeof the termination of his employment. In view of the apparently abrupt manner inwhich this was done, along withother information indirectlyobtained in checking into thissituation, it appears to us thatthe Task Force and other neighborhood organizations of a likenature are being dismantled.According to Martha Thompson, your NeighborhoodGovernment Liaison Officer, itwas always the intention thatthe various experimentalorganizations set up under theLindsay administration would atsome time be developed into oneorganization embodying the bestof all of them. She indicated thatyou are apparently thinkingalong the lines of D istrictCabinet Offices, with a DistrictManager, responsible to youand-or City Council.This may or may not be animprovement and work out well.But we in Brooklyn andelsewhere are very sceptical (1)because of past experience withpromises vs. actual performances, (2) because nocommunication, of any kind wasmade in this matter%u2014not even apreliminary indication thatchanges are being planned andannouncements would be madein due course. The only officialcommunication of any kind wasthe advice to Sam Azadian of thetermination of his employment.We are angry that there hasbeen no communication officially, even though you havebeen in office for nearly threemonths. We are concerned andindeed demand that we beconsulted%u2014how else can theretruly be neighborhood government? We are particularlyconcerned that the presentstructure is apparently beingdismantled with no indication ofif, how and when it will bereplaced. We are also veryconcerned, since such areplacement and restructuringmust take some time, at thestrong likelihood of a gap between doing away with onestructure (or at least severelycurtailing its powers) andmaking the new structureoperational.You will have receivedalready, and may expect tocontinue to receive, sim ilarletters from various communitygroups in New York. Thegovernment of the city has beenimproved a little in the recentpast by the functioning of suchorganizations as the Mayor%u2019sUrban Action Task Force. Wecannot allow any setback in thisimprovement; we just refuse tobe the pawns moved around in agame played by a small selectgroup of people at the top of thecity government%u2014and I mightadd, it will ultimately prove to beto their advantage to continue tobuild this improvement, becausethe city will just not survivewithout it. Where will they havetheir game if the city goes down?Gaye SiberskyDean StreetTriangle Parks-FlatbushAvenue Improvement AssrCity Explains Efforts to DecentralizeUrban Gov't, by Cabinet SystemFollowing is a statementby John Carty, newly appointed Director of the NewYork City Office of Neighborhood G overnm ent.According to Press AideJonathan Cappel, it is intended in the way of areassurance to those areasnow benefiting fromdecentralized servicedelivery, that these benefitswill not be interrupted.Improvement in thedelivery of municipal services to all New Yorkers isthe primary concern of theOffice of NeighborhoodGovernment. Our eightoriginal D istrict ServiceCabinets, the mostsophisticated w orkingmadels for the decentralized administration ofurban government in thenation, showed that thisgoal could be achieved.These cabinets served asbell-wethers, and based ontheir progress, the programwas expanded to twenty-sixcommunities throughoutthe City, in July of 1973.The very nature of thisprogram is experimentation- a search to find the best,not the easiest, solution to acomplex problem. Whilepleased with initial successes, we look forward togreater progress in thefuture. Broadening therange and scope of servicedistricts, and increasingparticipation in localdecision-making are justtwo of the many innovationsnow being considered.Communities currentlyenjoying the benefits ofdecentralized servicedelivery, will continue to doso. Those %u2019 neighborhoodswhich have not yet beentouched on will soon beincluded within thisprogram.LICH RespondsCharges of DeceptionTo The Editor:I take strong objection to the editorial about the Long Island College Hospital that appeared in the March 21st issue of the Phoenix. That editorial contains a number of false charges which cannot be overlooked.As correctly reported in the October 4th and 18th, 1973 issues of the Phoenix, a series of meetings were scheduled between representatives of the community and the Hospital under the auspices of the Comprehensive Health Planning Agency (CHPA) to discuss the modernization plans of The Long Island College Hospital. Four such meetings were actually cunuucieu iasl Faii. The Phoenix also correctly reported on October 18, 1973 where individuals could secure copies of the Hospital%u2019s plans. Plans were distributed to all who requested them,Other newspapers also told the jiublic about our modernization plans, for example, the New York'%u25a0 ---l - ---- n o 1 Ann %u201e ., Jj m ic a %u2014 i c p i e m u c i ou, i s i o a n uthe Daily News %u2014 October 5, 1973.The plans most recently submitted to the State Department of Health, although they contain greated depth than those distributed earlier, are identical in scope and concept. Clearly, the Hospital has tried to keep its community fully informed and charges by the Phoenix that we have engaged in deception are not justified.Beyond the charge of deception, The Phoenix editorial states that %u201cThe Hospital chose to inveil its plan in public print in a set-up situation in one neighborhood news sheet...%u2019%u2019The Hospital has set up no one and, frankly, we were surprised to see the story that didnewspaper involved was only interested in writing a profile story about Dr. Friedman and Miss Coleman, our co-directors of Planning.The Hospital does feel it has strong support for its modernization plan. There are certain outstanding issues (The Phoenix has a copy of a rncrrtGrariclurn from me covering many of them) whichmust be solved. These can be solved through reasoned discussion with community leaders.We would hope that The Phoenix will do nothing which could potentially destroy a good relationship that is developing between the Hospital and its neighbors, We must have a meeting of the minds or we will lose the opportunity for an excellent health care program and facility for our community.PublicNot ServedTo the Editor:The failure of Community Planning Board 6 to respond>4 %u00ab i f l 1 %u2022 n 1 . %u2022 n r t r f n i4nm < r%u00ab *. %u201e v , %u00bboi * *- *,y e u iu u u c t j u a i c i ) tumatters of public interest andap pear, w e nau uiuu gm m a t m eSincerely, JohnB. Wingate Associate Administrator Ling Island College Hospitalwelfare is merely symptomatic of the failure of the present leadership to serve interests other than its own.The majority of the members of the CPB6 respond to the outdated notions of community which are the philosophy of the present District Leader, James Mangano. Many members, in fact, belong to his political club.Industrious, progressive community activists have made application for CPB6 over the past six years. These requests have been spurned in favor of obedient, regressive hacks whose allegiance belongs to Mangano and Councilman Thomas Cuite.Your editorial calling for an investigation of CPB6%u2019s actions will probably be treated with as much openness as the applications made by independent citizens.Sincerely, Salvatore A. Ferraioli 340 President St.Help JohnnyLearn to ReadDear Sir:To be able to read is a skill many ot us lake for granted. it is therefore very sad when you realize, that so many of our children never develop a facility for reading in our grade schools. So many doors are closed for our youngm who never found joy in reading.Bethlehem Lutheran Church has had a remedial reading programfor rnany years. In an effort to expand this program we are askingfor additional volunteers. No teaching or prior experience is necessary. All that is needed is a desire to help one child improve his or her reading skill. Our present tutoring group meet on Wednesday afternoons from 3 pm to 4 pm Reading material is available and help in getting started is given. Just one hour a week can help a child to a lifetime of reading enjoyment.Won%u2019t you help us in this most worthy endeavor by publicizing our plea for help in your paper? You may be helping a future reader of The Phoenix learn how. If you would like any additional information please contact Mrs. Evy Essenwien, 259 Hill Street, Mineola, New York, Phone 516-627- 3800 (business), 516-248-7770 (home) or Miss Mabelle Lundahl at the church office. Phone 624- 0242.Sincerely yours, Evy Essenwein Secretary, Program Committee.Bethlehem Lutheran Church 490 Pacific Streett _ i i . . . i_ _ * nien ua w iiu i 't you%u2019re thinking aboutlocal issues.Editor,1 55 Atlantic Ave.I _____ ___________________