Accenting the Negative in Cleveland

Accenting the Negative in Cleveland By ROLDO BARTlMOLE and cabinet members. Even a close Negro as- lar frustrations - indeed, as do executives of CLEVELAND-Nearly two years ago Carl sociate of the mayor remarks, "His appoint- private enterprises in these days of skills B. Stokes, then an Ohio state legislator, told ments have been anything but stirring." Adds shortages. a U.S. Civil Rights Commission hearing: a sympathetic political scientist and univer- Yet it is clear that Mr. Stokes considers sity teacher of the mayor's appointments, his position a significant milestone in racial "We have in Cleveland developed the art. "They're good, honest men, but I didn't say destiny. to some, however, his moderate of accenting the positive to the exclusion of qualified. " stance may seem a little out of style in a city remedying the negative. How difficult it is, Mr. Stokes seemed not to heed warnings where black militancy is the vogue. ~ut he s;mnned militancy during the campaign and but. necessary, to advocate as a remedy the by aides during the campaign that he begin lining up staff members in anticipation of vic- has never had a record of deep-seated black accenting of the negative. How else to strike tory, and this became a handicap when he nationalism. This makes some. supporters at and endeavor to dispel the deep, almost in- took office less than a week after election uncomfortable and even a white liberal aide digenous, false sense of security and accom- day. says disappointedly, "1 never believed he was plishment that pervades this city?" But Mr. Stokes may have reached the "so conservative. I'm only working for him be- How difficult, indeed. Now, as mayor of turning point on the 100th day in office when cause he's Negro," Cleveland-the first Negro to be elected chief he named a new urban renewal chief, Rich- His few early successes stem from his executive of a major U.S. city-Mr. Stokes is ard Green, a 37-year-old protege of the form- ability to rebuild trust in city hall, especially finding out, as he seeks to make what some er Boston renewal wizard, Edward J. Logue. among Federal and state officials. Here the have called "a model of urban social crisis" Close friends believe Mr. Stokes will rise or mayor's good sense of humor and personable into the "model city" he envisioned as a fallon his ability to revive Cleveland's urban nature make him partiCUlarly impressive. Democratic candidate. ;renewal effort, one of the nation's largest No "Flow of Funds" and most troubled. It is too early, of course, to assess his Federal officials are impressed by his in- eventual success or failure-he has been on Mr. Green has the respect and blessing of telligence and dete~mination. The U.S. De- the job a mere four months. But the exuber- the Cleveland business-industrial community ance of national acclaim in which the city that helped select him. This confidence may partment of Housing and Urban Develop- basked after the witty and personable Mr. induce business, wary of city hall in the past ment, formerly severely critical of Cleve- Stokes won the November election is no lon- and perhaps overly concerned with spif-inter- land's dismal urban renewal record, now ger nearly so evident. est aspects of renewal, to join in a total effort. sends teams of experts to aid Mr. Stokes, as Unquestionably, had his Republican oppo- Competent Negroes, though perhaps pain- do other Federal agencies. But' the "flow of nent, Seth Taft, won, he would be encounter- fully aware of the racial destiny test, have not funds" from Washington, strongly hinted by ing the same difficulties. But Mr. Stokes must felt the need to make personal sacrifices. One Mr. Stokes in his campaign, hasn't material- shoulder a unique additional responsibility. young Negro lawyer, for example, the firet of ized SUbstantially. But the release of one $12 Though his campaign sought to portray him his race to join a prominent Cleveland law million urban renewal grant, earlier with- as simply the best qualified man for the job, firm, refused a Stokes-proffered city post. Dr. drawn, may have signalled a thaw in Wash- his success at the' polls stemmed almost en- Kenneth W. Clement, a Negro surgeon who ington-Cleveland relations. " tirely from Negro voter support aided by put aside his professional career temporarily On the state level, Mr. Stokes enjoys long- whites sympathetic to the civil rights move- to serve as Mr. Stokes' campaign manager, standing, warm relations with Republican ment. He is, in short, a symbol of the ascen- declined an offered new post as "deputy" Gov. James . Rhodes. The governor pledges dant Negro electorate. mayor, though he serves as a part-time consultant at $l·a-year. pollution and highway funds, but on tough Boon Opportunity urban problems-housing and jobs-the stats Meanwhile, two incidents involving top has little to offer but advice. But this responsibility also holds a unique aides cast shadows on the administration. The opportunity for Negroes to demonstrate the mayor's executive secretary was quickly Mr. Stokes can claim some other gains too. essence of their rights to equality. A rousingly fired after it was disclosed she was secretary He beefed up police patrols in high crime successful Stokes administration could be a of a private club that sold liquor illegally. areas by shifting 250 policemen from lesser marked boon for the Negro political move- Another aide resigned after being shot in the duties, and crime is down; he pushed "legisla- ment nationally. A failure to lift Cleveland home of his assailant's estranged wife. More tion for a county-wide port ~uthority through from its civic doldrums could be a disappoint- mature judgment in the administration might council; he averted a suburban land grab that ing setback, perhaps even reason for cheer to have prevented such minor mistakes which might have curtailed airport expansion; he those who say N'egroes are incapable. "become extremely burdensome in public has awakened the public housing authority to \ So far, however, Mr. Stokes' most able print," in the words of one intimate. its responsibilities for lOW-incomedwellingll. ~Negro and liberal white supporters seem less Mayor Stokes' difficulties in recruiting His moderation has won the sy:mpathy and tllian enthusiastic. Disappointing to some has top-calibre advisers is not unique to be sure. some support from the business community. ~een the new mayor's inability to gather the Mayors of other major cities, inclUding Mayor But the cooperation has been mostly symbolic :yost competent assistants, department heads Lindsay of New York, have experienced simi- and on projects of vested interest to the busi· ness community. Unfortunately, the g\)odwill lends itself to the type oJ. misinterp~tion that perpetuates tha "false sense of p1'O~. ress" the mayor hit at two years ago. Mr. Stokes could perhaps make his most meaningfUl contribution by articulating and interpreting the alienation of the slum at the highest civic levels. But thus far he says blaclt militants want only "good government and that's what we're going to give them." This simplification maY\obelp explain the business community's lethargy on perpleXing city problems. Efforts, for example, in housing and jobs have been conventional and token at best. In- deed, recent attempts to create, with industrial financing, a non-profit corporation to spur low income housing construction havs reached the "frustration point," says one 01 the plan's promoters.~ • Another $5 ~1l1on fund to work on inner city problems, announced a year ago by Ralph M. Besse, chairmlJ,n of the Cleveland Electric muminating Co., fizzled. Mr. Stokes' reliance upon goodwill and prI- vate interest resources also keeps the city hall staff weak. This has been the case for the past quarter century and, though private instI- tutions often share in the decision-making, city hall takes the raps for failures. Renewal Debacle A good example is the industry-financed Cleveland Development Foundation, which secretly helped form Cleveland's multi-million dollar Erieview urban renewal project at the same time the City Planning Agency was introducing its own master plan for the same downtown area.· The foundation was repre- sented on a five-man task force, named by Mr. Stokes, to untangle the urban renewal debacle it helped create. Despite the slow movement on issues of concern to the slum, the support of Cleve- land's 280,000 Negroes doesn't waver. Mr. Stokes remains a figure of pride, accomplish- ment and hope. "Even critical Negroes are .profoundly hoping he will succeed," says a Negro councilman. A seven-year-old Negro boy best symbolizes the pride: Thumbs in his shirt pockets and chest thrust out, he ex-' claims, "I'm Carl Stokes." The militant minority is less enthralled, of course. Some black power advocates see Mr. Stokes' election as merely another method of pacifying the slum. Nevertheless, they are aware of his popularity, and personal criti- cisms are few. Indeed, some people credit Mr. Stokes' vic- tory to militants who helped keep Cleveland peaceful last summer. Militants, rationalizing or not. say they supported him knowing he could do little to help them. In their minds, however, his failure could help radicalize Negroes. "People will see it isn't the man, but the 5ystem. It's just another step in the revo- lution," says one. Mr. Stokes is betting again!'t the dangers of this feeling. But his very election and the pride it engendered are tending to mesmerize those who wlmt to believe him.

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