o er*l nvI *t ila?/?t @:/i,' if,x*.a,x Iviaycr r,atting ano Members of the Oklahoma city council: f hereruith subtnit my resignafion as a Comnissioner of the oklahoma L City Public Housirt"g Authoritj, and I ask your brief hid.ulgence to permit me to...
o er*l nvI *t ila?/?t @:/i,' if,x*.a,x Iviaycr r,atting ano Members of the Oklahoma city council: f hereruith subtnit my resignafion as a Comnissioner of the oklahoma L City Public Housirt"g Authoritj, and I ask your brief hid.ulgence to permit me to present a ratlor[a1e for tiris ectiono f feel that f must step Cown from this important elvic aetivity for two prineipal$ reasonso First, f rnust plead the risir L, pressure of my personal bysiness," In recent months, fortune hali brought a substantial increase in my companyrs l.rorko I flnd mysedf no longer, able to devote as rnuch tims a}ray from iLo ln eivic and other aetivitiesr &s previouslyo ft is essential that I spen.d more {ime in my own offiee, behinrl my own desj.:o Seeond, f feel that f have achieved the goa.ls that I set for mysel.f when I accepted appointment to the Oklahona City Housing Authority four J'ears 8.goo *xf,srt It tT appropria,te ihat I step down ncw, afte1, those four years of public srlrvice, r.rith m;r o.$rn feoling that I have been faithful to my personal icommitment c',.er a very difficuit periodo I realize ttrat some ro"y """"{0" other reasons for my actiono f would I lacking in candor if I did n{t recognlze myself as controversial 0n I the oklahoma City public hou{ing sceneo That is not an element ln my I dautgx decision to resigno 4V conscience is clear. I have done my duty as I saw ito I am nct lacking in tho ccurage to continue, iror am I strrinking before rny cri 5v ].CSo Now, may I pursue the matter a bit with rifenence to the housing authori tyo 3/..(e^I h^i;D h 1/etlrt1fu' JvLy 22, l97L Four years ago Hayor Jaaes Norlek aeked Ee to becone a Comlsaloaer of the Oklahoaa Clty IbusLng Authottty. My appolnt@at waa recelved ad rnanlnouely apptwed by the Cotmcll. I was vet7 hrypy to accept thig aeslgh*ot and to becoae lavolved la thla Comnlty llovement. At the t1@' the Authorlty waa la the nldet of planalng Eo overall progre for Publlc llouelug for the Elderly gnd Geaeral Occupancy Fa,,rtliee. Beeause of a lack of tredlate Publlc Eouetfg, the Authority had over 600 Leased Ualta of Geaeral Occnpancy. wlth the help of the oklatrma Clty Chamber of Cmerce a Taek Force wae laltiated to aselet the Urban Reoenal and Publlc Housing Authorlty in eetablishlng a Progre utrlch nould help to expedlte the placemerrt 6f fl,rdt{gg fron the urban Reneral Areaa lnto other areas of oklahona city. t Because of the urgencY of llotrntorn Urban Reneal 1A belng lannched, the publlc Houelng Authorlty had to take urany iteps to arpedlte and coordlnate lta pro- grao wlth Urban Renewal Authorlt5r. Because of a laek of knowledge aad fnfotratloa regardlng Oklahoua Clty pr6llc Houslng Authority and lts fimctlon md purpoges {n the Comurlty, aany gEoupa, fron all areas of the clty have profeeted lte actlone. Thia reectlon iB not pecullar to only Oklahona Clty - lt le natlounlde. The Oklahona Clty Eoualng Authorlty ia a produet of the Houelng and Urba Development eatabllshed by the Federal Goverrent, aad a contract for lte operatlon lraa approyed by the loca1 Ctty GovernDent. Ttrlg ras neceaaaty ln order that Oklatrona Clty could eaJ oy the fnrlts of Urban Renenal for downtmn proJecte, John F. Kemedy, and the fledlcal area. Page 2 conttd Great atreaa aod nerrs coverage hrye been centered otr the resulte of Urtm Renerral, but Eo pnbllclty progr@ w4a ever inltlated to lnfot'n the Coanmlty of lts obllgatlone by ffuding proper and adequate housing provlded for thoee rtro nere dlaplaced through Urtan Reneryal. Ttre rulea od regulatioaa goveralng the Oklahma Cl.ty Houslng Authority are outllned by Federal and State statutea. Wtren a Comlseloaer la appolnted, he mret atteapt to agslmllate the lnformatlon gtven to hln ovEr a perLod of tlne, and mret of aecesslty rely on the recorendatlone of a pald etaff who are suppoged to be knonledgeable of all procedures, prectlcea and pollclea. In the flrst part of 1970, the Cm{ssloners of Oklahma Clty Publlc Houal.ng requeBted frou EIID that en audit be made of the 1oca1 offlce aad ur inveetlgatlon be nade of all lts firnctioaa alnce its inception. At lts request end the 1970 Grand Jury, the entlre Deaagement artd operatloa etaff waa reorgamlzd. Fnom a progte of only three projects whtch exLsted four yeara ago, yonr Oklahona Clty Houalug Authorlty heve now conpleted, or have prcpoeed, or urder construc- tloa, a total of 25 proJeete, wlth approxLrnately 5200 llwtng uolto lnvolved for Elderly od General Oceupancy Pmillea. Wlth thle type of progra ftr the Coormlty, I feel that a oaJor portr.on of the goale envlaloned have been accoqllghed. Therefore I feel ry Clvlc reapcraLb{llty aa ooe member of the Oklahona Clty Publlc Eoustng Auttrorlty Comlsalon hae beqn fulfllled and request a replaement on the Board no later than July 31, 1971. I wlah to e:(prese appreclatLon to ny fellow Comlseloners aud the staff, who are worklag eo dl1lgent1y to asslet the Cmrmlty ln thls Soclal Prograo. Page 3 conttd Further, nay I wlsh to extead ny profound thsrks to those ln the Clty Governnent who heve assLeted Publlc f,ouslng during the paet four yeare.