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211 February .10 ~ 1981 In these capacities, I_~have become well aware of the needs of our city for Federal funds and the dilemma our city fathers find themselves in when the Federal Government via HUD cuts of these funds that are desperately needed -- but, we have just gone through a national trauma, the holding of our hostages (and I prefer to call them prisoners of war) for 444 days that should serve as a lesson, that there are worse things than succumbing to certain pressur~ in order to obtain federal funds, regardless of the dire need for them. The public pressures that were generated when an attempt was made to place 100 units of new subsidized housing in the Hodges Manor area and again in South Central Portsmouth should have sezvedpto tell you that there is a substantial number (and please note that I did not say all of our citizens) of our taxpayers that feel that Portsmouth already has its fair share of public and subsidized housing. The only other sister city that is on our level % wise, is Nor£olk. Let us share both our water,and subsidized housing with our sister cities Other speakers will go into details on some su-~ects that I touch on. I_have serval concerns 1. the timing of the public announcement of your intentions. It was tKe morning of Wednesday, January 28th, that I read in the morning paper that a tenta- tive agreement had been made between the city and HUD to rehabilitate apartments in Westhaven and Simonsdale. This concern galvanized a few of us into action and by Saturday afternoon (January 31) we had assembled 540 concerned citizens in the Westhaven School. We voiced our concerns to the Director of Housing Mr. Kay, the Attorney for the Housing Authority - Mr. Eennell, our Acting City Manager, Mr. Lieberman, and the Assistant City Manager, Mr. MeGinnis, from 2:15 p.m. ~il 8:30 p.m. They heard 54~ people in our community tell them, for various reasons, that we did not want HUD and the local Housing Authority in our community, the Simonsdale Community or any other part of our city. The same thing occurred at Simonsdale School on the following Monday night (February where-~O0~peopla had~ga~hered At bo~h'~of these meetings a~otinn was passed without a dissenting vote to ask our mayor to call a special meeting of our City Council so that we might express our feelings regarding this matter. We were turned down regarding a special meetin~ would have no public forum to air our concerns to you, was handed down by the Federal Courts. that left us in the position, that we our city fathers, before a final decre~ We have taken certain actions, since thattime to guard our rights as taxpayers and citizens to throw off the yoke of what we consider to be tyranny. I remember well, that in our early~history that certain citizens saw fit to dump tea into a Boston Harbor that they m£ght let those in high places know that they would no longer bear the burden of taxation without representation. Ta~ing the lines from Linzoln's Gettysburg Address, and I quote "The World will little note nor long remember what we say here but it can never forget what,they did here." I say to yau with all the sincerity that I possess, that future City Councils will ha~e to deal with the blight that will result from your actions. I realize that everything that you have done may have been done in a legal manner. That you have the right to make certain decisions, that youJfeel are in the best interest of our city as a whole. What I do not understand is that with a matter that you had to realize was very sensitive, you allowed other communities to voice their feelings, but did not give us the same opportunity. Your representatives have tried to reassure us, and especially those that live in these apartments that most of them will not be affected by this action. This may be true for the next 2 to 3 years, but, we who have reviewed our city over the past 25 ~o~0 years, know that it indeed will have an impact on our communities. An impact that is frighting to think about Look down the road 5,10,20 years from now. We implore you to take those actions, that at this late date, what you-~ve done. This concern is not only shared by the Central Civic Leagues, but by the Shea Terrace, Hodges Manor, Port Norfolk Leagues. There are other Leagues that are considering this matter p~int in time in order to take an offidial position. that you can, to undo Mid-City and Simonsdale and Churchland West Civic but have not met at this There are those that would say that this is a racial matter. It is no~ - we are tired of the Federal Government vic HUD, holding both you and we, who work and pay taxes, hostages with our own money. Money that we sent to Washington to begin with. We say, that it is time to say no to all of those who would dictate to us. That we have to find some other solution to our need for additional revenues. We are no longer willing to have this yoke of tyranny Around our necks," Mrs. William Ha~rell, 402 Westmoreland Avenue, relinquished her time J. C. Dom, 604 City Park Avenue, represenling Simonsdale Civic Club, time to Mr. Brown. to Mr. Brown. relinquished his J. H. Hardin, 4622 KinggS-t~eet, representing Westhave, spoke in opposition of the subsidized housing in Westhaven. Glenn Burdick, 4504 Griffin S~reet, representing Central Mid-City Civic League, spoke against the subsidized housing. Richard E. Knapp, 4515 Griffin Street, representing Central Mid-City Civic League, relinquished his time to Mr. Burdick.