MASTER's THESIS M-664 HARMAN, Bryan Douglas. CONGRESS AND
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MASTER’S THESIS M-664 HARMAN, Bryan Douglas. CONGRESS AND URBAN RENEWAL IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. The American University, M.A., 1964 Political Science, general University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan COPYRIGHT BY BRYAN DOUGLAS HARMAN 1965 CONGRESS AND URBAN RENEWAL IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA by B'. Douglas Harman A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Government and Public Administration in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Signatures of G^mmitte^; C hairman : j C .O'- / January, 1964 The American University Washington, D. C . LIBRARY 161964 i^ASHiNGTQN. a c SOS'Çy FOREWORD This thesis developed from a general interest in leadership in urban government and planning. It was felt that a study of the operations of the District Committees in urban renewal might serve to do two things. First, it could serve possibly as an addition to the limited research on how Congress governs the District of Columbia. Secondly, it might lead toward better understanding of the leadership requirements in urban redevelopment. It seems that both of these areas deserve considerable examination. Several persons made this thesis possible, and the author is very grateful for their assistance. Dr. Royce Hanson of The American University gave substantial guidance and encouragement in the formulation and development of the thesis. The author is also indebted to the many persons from the District Committees, the renewal agencies, and the groups interested in renewal who gave their time in describing the various aspects of renewal politics in the District. The author must share with these people any merit which may exist. The faults are the author's. The author must also express his deepest appreciation to his lovely wife for her endurance of the tribulations of writing this thesis and for her very long hours before the typewriter. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. AN INTRODUCTION TO A STUDY OF RENEWAL POLITICS ...................................... 1 Background Literature.......................... 1 District Committee literature............... 1 Renewal politics literature................. 4 District renewal literature................. 8 Renewal Concepts ................. 10 Research Problems.............................. 11 Preliminary Hypotheses ....................... 12 Methodology.................................... l4 Organization .................................. 15 II. THE PROBLEMS OF RENEWAL.......................... 17 Substantive Problems ...................^ . 17 B a c k g r o u n d .................................. l8 First renewal plans.......................... 19 Renewal finances ............................ 19 Legal authority................... 21 Renewal concepts ................... 21 D e v e l o p e r s .................................. 23 Contractor qualification ................... 24 Financial disputes ........ ......... 25 R e l o c a t i o n .................................. 25 Iv CHAPTER - PAGE Negotiated contracts ........................28 Slum determination.............................. 29 Citizen participation............................ 30 Commercial renewal a u t h o r i t y ................... 32 Organizational Problems............................ 33 Renewal process.................................. 34- Expressway location.............................. 35 Building locations.............................. 36 HHFA regulations .......... 36 Office of Urban Renewal..........................37 Renewal expectations............................ 39 Consultants...................................... 40 Conflict over financing.......................... 4l III. congressional ACTION ON RENEWAL..................... 43 Period of Slight Congressional Interest...........43 Lease-Purchase A c t .............................. 43 Appropriation Subcommittees..................... 44 Redevelopment Act amended........................45 Section 13 B i l l s ................................ 45 Period of Early Congressional Concern.............47 Congressman Rabaut ............................ 47 H e a r i n g s ........................................ 49 Bill dies. .................................. 57 House study...................................... 58 V CHAft’ER PAGE Reprimand..................................... 58 Renewal powers................................. 59 Senate action .......... 60 Period of Congressional Rejection of Reform . 6l House renewal s t u d y .......................... 6l Senate investigation.......................... 65 Commercial renewal................. 66 Renewal bills ................................. 6 7 Period of Increased An t a g o n i s m s ................ 70 House investigation .................. 70 Commercial renewal............................ 79 Renewal bills ................................. 80 Conclusion....................................... 82 IV. CONGRESS AND THE RENEWAL AGENCIES ................ 83 The Renewal Agencies............................. 83 Members of Congress and the Agencies........... 87 Congressional Staff and Renewal Agencies. 94 General Committee Investigations................ 99 V. THE INTEREST GROUPS AND CONGRESS................. 107 Renewal Groups..................................... 107 Proponents....................................... 107 Opponents....................................... 114 Groups and Congress ........................ 119 Proponents and C o n g r e s s ............... 119 Opponents and Congress........................... 125 Vi CHAPTER p a g e VI. SUMMARY OF F I N D I N G S ............................... 134 Reconsideration of Hypotheses ................. 134 Findings Analyzed with Other Studies............ 139 Suggestions for Further Research................ 144 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................. l46 CHAPTER I AN INTRODUCTION TO A STUDY OP RENEWAL POLITICS There is a dearth of research on the role of Congress as a unit of government for the District of Columbia, In recent years, only two authors have given the District of Columbia Committees of the House and Senate more than minuscule consideration. Even these two studies considered these Committees as parts of larger research projects. There is, therefore, only limited scholarly examination on the subject of Congress' role as a governing body over the District of Columbia. It seems proper that investigation into this area be undertaken. Since Congress' purview over the District is very broad, such a study should focus upon a specific area of Congressional concern. In recent years, one of the most publicized and controversial fields considered by the District Committees has been urban renewal. Since 1 9 5, 9 portions of Congress have assumed increasing interest in the substance and organization of renewal. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the role of Congress in the politics of renewal in the District of Columbia. Martha Derthick, City Politics in Washington. D . Ç. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, I9 6 2); Royce Hanson, Capital, Metropolis, and Local Government: The Process of Governing Metropolitan Washington" (unpublished Ph.D. dis sertation, The American University, Washington, D. C ., 1 9 6 2), I . BACKGROUND LITERATURE In order to undertake such a study, one must give careful consideration to the pertinent literature. Several general fields of research are relevant. Such literature includes that concerning the District Committees and staffs, the politics and administration of renewal, and the District's renewal program. The findings of the literature in these areas are vital in formulating further research design. District Committee literature. Martha Derthick's Citv Politics in Washington. D . Ç. is one of the two recent studies to consider the District Committees. Her work was not meant to be a finished treatise. Rather, it is a col lection of "raw and semi-interpreted data."^ She highlights many of the main characteristics of the Committees. The pre eminence of the House District Committee, the Southern domination, and the low general interest of members are elements which she considers. The second work is Royce Hanson's "Capital, Metropolis, and Local Government," a study of the politics of the Wash ington metropolitan area. Again the District Committees are cast as a part of a larger setting. However, this disser tation analytically describes the operations of these Committees, and it provides starting points for further ^Derthick, og_. cit.. p. ii 3 inquiry. Hanson hypothesizes that the Committees have failed as units of government because of their reluctance to delegate power. Other contributing factors are the rural interest domination, the irrelevancy of constituencies, the fragmented legislative scheme, and the absence of responsibility. Hanson concludes that Congress, as a unit of local government, is "inept and cantankerous." The whole scheme is marked by vetoes and stalemates. This study provides many valuable points of departure for a more detailed consideration of this phase of Congressional action. Various general works on Congress include limited materials on District Committee action and behavior. George Galloway, for example, briefly discusses the District situation, He complains of the amount of time, an estimated five thousand 2 hours, spent on District affairs each session. These limited comments are only the briefest of introductions to this subject. Several of the studies on Congressional behavior do contain materials relevant to one aspect of District Com mittees. This is the role