Dateline: 10/25/2000

Has the battle for funds and recognition for Lea School resulted in a fatal blow to the UCCC?

BY ALICE WELLS

Contributing Editor

Last month the Spruce Hill Community Association withdrew from the University City Community Council.

This month, the Community Council lost a struggle to retain control of its representation on the University City District board of directors, and Barry Grossbach, president of SHCA, was named as the community representative on the UCD executive committee.  

As the four-year-old University City Community Council evolves, procedural questions concerning its role in the community have been played out on issues that question the Council's role, and maybe its existence.

In a break with tradition, the UCD decided last week to ask individual community associations for nominations to its board of directors, bypassing the UCCC altogether, to fill community representative seats on its board.

According to UCD executive director Paul Steinke, the special services district will choose from three names submitted by Garden Court and another three names from Cedar Park Neighbors in order to fill one remaining opening on its board, for community representation. Those are the two neighborhoods that are not currently represented by five prior appointees from UCCC and more recently, UCD.

Next year, the remaining community association without representation will again be asked for three names from which UCD will choose a board member.  

The trouble at UCCC began last winter when the Council continued to fight for a University City-wide lottery to determine attendance to the proposed Penn-assisted public school, which will be located near the campus in the heart of Spruce Hill, even after Spruce Hill opposed the lottery in favor of a clearly defined boundary.

This was the first time the UCCC took a stance that was not unanimously supported by all six of its community association members. 

The Council eventually lost that battle, but even so, the UCCC education committee pulled off a major coup. Because of its persistence in meetings with the Mayor, the School Board and Penn, the University was pressured to up the ante of promised support for neighboring public schools, along with its plans for the new school.

To that end, Penn recently announced a grant of $1.5 million for the Lea School at 47th and Spruce streets, so there will not be such a huge disparity between the quality of neighborhood public elementary schools. (See an article in October 4, 2000, p. 3 of theUCReview.)

Lea School is on the border between the Garden Court and Walnut Hill communities. Parents of white children in Cedar Park and Squirrel Hill, to the south, can continue to bus their children to the well-regarded Powel School in Powelton VIllage, thus helping Powel keep its desegregation school status, which qualifies it for extra funds and dispels Powel's concern that its most academically motivated families will all flock to the Penn school.

Squirrel Hill president Frank Murphy feels they could have done more for the other schools if Spruce Hill "had looked beyond its own self interest." Although nearby Wilson and Drew schools did not benefit from the compromise, Penn continues to have programs in each of them.

Achieving this compromise took a toll on the UCCC members. Accusations of back-room politicking and high pressure tactics during UCCC meetings brought out longstanding resentments between neighborhoods close to campus and those on the outskirts that only within the past decade were officially included in University City. Volumes have been circulated on the Internet. Long-standing friends are no longer speaking.

This summer, fallout from the struggle permeated into the Council's relation with the University City District. Two of five seats traditionally held by UCCC appointees were up for re-election on the UCD board and the Council voted to send new people.

One of those seats had been held by Barry Grossbach, president of Spruce Hill Community Association. Since the beginning of the year, Grossbach has been a minority of one on most issues that came before the Council.

But Grossbach is highly valued by the institutions to the organization that fund the UCD. It is those seven major funders who hold the seven stipulated positions on its 25 person board, according to the UCD bylaws.

UCD began to question its policy of leaving community representation up to the UCCC. This has been UCD policy since its inception, but is not required by its bylaws.

The other seat was held by Vaughn Cook, a former president of the Powelton Village Community Association and the only representative to UCD from Powelton Village. Cook does not attend UCCC meetings, however.

Four years ago, it seemed like a natural for six neighborhood community associations and a dozen or so special interest groups to band together to promote goals common to all of University City.

The original discussions to form the University City Community Council took place in the living room of local realtor and then University City Historical Society president Melani Lamond during meetings of the University City Promotions Group. The Promotions Group was an ad hoc gathering of business and community people who banded together about ten years ago to put on the then annual April University City Saturday open house. Barry Grossbach was an active member of that group.

Eventually they saw the need for a group that brings together area community associations throughout the year around more general University City issues. Bylaws were written and the UCCC was officially launched. 

As UCCC's bylaws state, only the six community associations could vote, traditionally in the person of their presidents. They included Spruce Hill, Cedar Park Neighbors, Squirrel Hill, Walnut Hill, Garden Court and Powelton Village. Special interest groups, with narrower agendas - like Friends of Clark Park and Friends of Walnut West Library - were invited to weigh in on issues that related to them, but had no voting power.

At first, when voting members agreed on an issue, the Council endorsed it. Otherwise, member organizations acted independently according their own interests.

The Council's chairmanship is rotated bimonthly, from meeting to meeting, among the six community association presidents. They provide meeting space and handle correspondence during the two months following the meeting they chair.

For several years, the UCCC worked well, but the definition of its mission was put to the test during the past year as members struggled with the issue of the catchment area for the proposed Penn-assisted public school in the heart of Spruce Hill.

Issues raised during that process have led to larger questions concerning the role of the Council relating to its member organizations and to the community at large. 

In 1998, the UCCC was invited by Penn to recommend community people for the planning committees for the proposed school that was billed to serve University City. By current definitions University City extended west to 50th Street. As awareness developed that the school will not be large enough for the children in all of University City to attend, the big question was "Who's children will benefit?"

"It became the elephant in the room," said Kathy Dowdell, president of the University City Historical Society, describing the tension that permeated UCCC meetings in the past year.

Finally, in September, after the issue had been resolved, the board of directors of the Spruce Hill Community Association, the largest and most powerful member of UCCC, voted to withdraw from the Council due to "philosophical differences" over whether UCCC should be a policy making body - not according to Spruce Hill - and whether all decisions should go back to member boards - yes according to Spruce Hill.

Grossbach sees the Council mainly as a vehicle for groups to share information and expertise. If it were up to him, representatives to UCCC would not be presidents.

"Once you have presidents, there's a tendancy to turn into a decision making body," he said.

According to Melani Lamond, who was also in on the founding of the Council, the mission of the UCCC is to advocate for issues on which they agree.

Two years ago SHCA had supported the UCCC position that all children in University City should have an equal chance to attend Penn's new elementary school, which is anticipated to be academically superior due to financial and educational support from Penn.

Penn and the School District preferred a traditional neighborhood school with clear-cut boundaries. Last December, members of Spruce Hill reconsidered the question and decided they really wanted to be able to send their children to the school in their midst. They did not want just a chance in a lottery.

The other community associations felt abandoned by Spruce Hill and were not willing to drop the issue even though support for the lottery was no longer unanimous. 

Under leadership of Squirrel Hill's Frank Murphy, with strong and vocal support from Squirrel Hill's past president Amy Williams and, then, Cedar Park Neighbors president Todd Kovich, a UCCC education committee was formed from members of the other five groups to meet with the Mayor and the School Board to promote the lottery system.

It was decided by vote that, considering Spruce Hill's disagreement with the majority position, Spruce Hill president Barry Grossbach should not be part of those discussions and meetings, even though the school will be in Spruce Hill.

Issues were voted upon and policies set by UCCC without Grossbach being allowed to take them back to his board for approval, even though he requested the opportunity to do so. Since the beginning of the year, routinely Spruce Hill's has been the sole dissenting vote cast against the other five groups, especially regarding the new school. 

The UCCC meets every other month. The other five community associations were concerned about delaying votes on crucial issues relating to the school. They felt under pressure from the School Board to act quickly.

Members of the education committee have expressed surprise that Spruce Hill saw the need to leave the Council since, eventually, Spruce Hill got what it wanted - a neighborhood school which children of Spruce Hill residents are guaranteed to attend - as decreed by the Board of Education late last spring.

However, this summer, members of the Council's education committee, lead by Squirrel Hill, continued to take a leadership role in the Council on other issues, to the exclusion of Spruce Hill, according to Todd Kovich, also a member of that committee.

Kovich began to question the fairness of Council procedures on a new issue: choosing UCCC representatives to UCD. Kovich has written to UCD president John Fry and to Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell reporting undemocratic procedures to choose UCD board members.

Kovich, who is no longer president of CPN, still attends UCCC meetings and serves on the UCCC bylaws review committee.

In mid July, UCD director Paul Steinke had written to the UCCC informing the Council that the UCD board of director terms of Grossbach and Cook would expire in September. They had both been recommended originally by UCCC. Steinke added that UCD would be happy to re-nominate them if UCCC so chose. He asked for direction from UCCC.

Meanwhile, in discussions prior to the next Council meeting, members of the Council's education committee decided to nominate Melani Lamond from CPN and Amy Williams of Squirrel Hill.

On July 31st, Ben Dugan of Powelton Village, acting as the current rolling chairman of UCCC, wrote back that the Council would consider the matter of whom to send to UCD at its August 3rd meeting.

On August 3rd, Dugan received a call from Steinke stating that UCD had reconsidered its nominating process and would like the Council to submit five names from which UCD would choose the two representatives. Dugan reported the information at the meeting, which was held at Spruce Hill. He received a letter in the mail the day after the Council meeting. The letter emphasized how well Cook and Grossbach had served the community.     

However, at the meeting, the Council had resolved to send the names of Lamond and Williams to the UCD, with the usual five to one vote. Grossbach was also nominated, by Mike Hardy, but Grossbach declined. Dugan nominated Cook who received three votes. The other two each received five votes. The minutes do not indicate why the request for five names was not honored.

At that meeting the Council also passed a resolution proposed by Frank Murphy, president of Squirrel Hill, that, in effect, the UCCC should take a more pro-active role on the UCD board, with the UCCC representatives reporting back to the Council and "carrying the concerns and messages of the UCCC to the UCD."

Grossbach was the one dissenting vote, questioning whether that was fair to groups in the minority on issues.

During the education committee report by Murphy, a letter was endorsed that requested the Council's presence on the oversight committee for the new Penn school.

Grossbach asked for and was denied the opportunity to take that back to his board since the school will be in Spruce Hill. This time Roger Harman from Cedar Park Neighbors joined Grossbach in the minority dissenting vote.   

As host chairman, Grossbach informed UCD of the two nominees from the Council.

Ben Dugan wrote to UCD president John Fry on his own behalf, stating his opinion that it is not appropriate for the UCD to tell the Council who to send as its representatives. 

And Todd Kovich also wrote to Fry. He said UCD should disregard nominations made by the Council because the boards of the community associations did not have input in the decision making process.    

At the end of August, the Council received a letter from the UCD nominating committee reporting that it had re-nominated Grossbach and Cook as "at-large representatives of the University City residential community."

The letter stated a need to keep continuity of board membership as the end of UCD's five-year funding cycle is approaching and keeping funders inclined to renew their support is a critical issue for the special services district.  

Furthermore it said, "...we believe that the Council's input on community nominations to the UCD board should be deferred at this time" citing "disagreement among the core constituents on how the UCCC should relate to the UCD."

Fry was quoted as saying,"We felt they kind of put a gun to our head and said, 'These are the names or else.' I was very disappointed," in the September 26 issue of the Daily Pennsylvanian (Penn's newspaper). Fry, who is also a vice president at Penn, did not have time to speak to the U.C. Review.

Three other UCCC representatives still serve on the UCD board: Marty Cabry who lives in Squirrel Hill and represents townwatch groups on UCCC and also represents Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell.

The other reps, Delores Jones from Walnut Hill and Linda Blythe from Spruce Hill do not normally attend Council meetings. Paul Steinke, executive director of UCD does attend UCCC meetings.

At a meeting with Councilwoman Blackwell on October 2nd, Fry offered to seat one of the Council's nominees, their choice. A meeting with the Council was proposed for the following morning, but none of the community association presidents could attend because of the short notice.

Murphy, the current Council chairman, wrote to Councilwoman Blackwell and asked for time to bring the matter up at the next UCCC meeting, on October 5. He also requested that the Council be given until December to reach a decision, as UCD had done last year. He suggested that Grossbach and Cook's terms as UCCC representatives be extended until then.

Murphy said Fry had made no prior attempt to meet with them to iron out the differences.  

David Adelman, chair of the UCD nominating committee, told the U.C.  Review that UCD's offer was turned down.

At the October 5 Council meeting, Murphy asked the presidents to return to their boards and ask for their endorsement in having him negotiate the matter on behalf of the Council. He proposed that the Council accept the offer if UCCC has its representative, namely Marty Cabry, on UCD's executive committee.

Since then, UCD has decided to bypass the UCCC altogether in its search for community representation on it board. 

But the questions remain: Who should speak for the residents of University City when dealing with institutions like the University of Pennsylvania, UCD, the Mayor, the School District and other government agencies?

Should it be individual residents, representatives from the community associations, or the University City Community Council?

If it is the UCCC, then how should decisions be arrived at within that body? When do presidents have to take issues back to their boards for approval? Is it enough that presidents are given authority by their boards and report back on Council actions? What happens when a community group does not agree with the majority opinion? Are some issues, like the school one, too important to be bypassed because there is not unanimity? At what point does advocacy turn into setting policy? Should UCCC be setting policy?

The Council counts as a major success the Neighborhood Group Home Policy developed by Frank Murphy three years ago. It is becoming a model for other neighborhoods in the city. But its support was unanimous.

The Council also unanimously supported the creation of the UCD and early on sent representatives to provide community input to that process.  Should the UCD answer to the UCCC? or to community groups? or only to the large institutions that fund it?

Whether the Council should be actively advocating and setting policy, or exist just for information sharing among the groups, depends upon whom you ask. There is not agreement on the Council about whether the bylaws need to be revised in a substantive way to clarify these issues, or simply to better handle technicalities like how to choose a secretary.

In diverse University City, with community groups that have a history of struggle and controversy within their own membership, is it reasonable to expect one entity to speak for all? The UCCC bylaws are clear that no community group is obliged to follow the direction of the Council.

Kathy Dowdell said the Historical Society has been discussing whether the long, contentious meetings are worth her time, and whether the UCHS should be part of a group that sets policy but does not allow them to vote.

At the August UCCC meeting, Mike Hardy, former Council secretary, Spruce Hill resident and partner of Grossbach, asked that the names of Baltimore Avenue in Bloom and Philadelphia on the West Side be taken off the letterhead in order to not imply that they agree carte blanche with Council policy.

Grossbach asked that Spruce Hill's name not be on the letterhead when the contents relate to issues which Spruce Hill opposes.

The other five groups have worked together well on the school issue, although they would like to move on to more constructive community issues than UCD representation. Their presidents told the U.C.Review they would welcome the return of Spruce Hill.

Ben Dugan, past president of Powelton Village acknowledged that Spruce Hill was treated like the enemy on occasion and that was wrong, but added that Grossbach has "a low threshold" for that kind of situation. 

Polarization in the meetings has been characterized as the five groups on "the rim" of University City versus "the center" - Spruce Hill. The "rim" traditionally is not high on the radar of the large institutions.

"It seems as though they only talk to Spruce Hill," said Janet Dubinsky, president of Garden Court. Banding together in the UCCC has given them a stronger platform from which to be heard.

"The center" has to deal with institutional expansion, numerous zoning issues and the seasonal influx of thousands of students, but it has managed in recent years to work with Penn and parlay that closeness to an advantage. Witness the new school, developed in response to a need expressed by the Spruce Hill Renewal Plan (which was created with help from Penn).

However, many of those advantages are shared by the "rim" neighborhoods, including renovation of problem houses, mortgage assistance bringing in more home owners and added security and clean streets from UCD, which is financed in large part by Penn.

Dubinsky of Garden Court, Betty Reavis of Walnut Hill, Roger Harman of CPN and Ben Dugan, recent past president of Powelton Village, as well as Frank Murphy from Squirrel Hill all dispute Kovich's implication that they are not consulting with and reporting to their boards. They all want the UCCC to survive as a valuable resource for the community. In light of the questions of accountability being circulated, they are inviting other members of their associations to accompany them to Council meetings. 

"There should be representatives from the entire community and rotate people on the UCD board," said Reavis, president of Walnut Hill.

"Why are they getting into such an uproar? They can vote us down no matter who we send," said Dubinsky, president of Garden Court, referring to the twenty non-community UCD board members.

There is division within CPN about the actions of the Council, and a desire for the bylaws to be revisited, but there is no intention to withdraw from the Council. Melani Lamond, CPN secretary, is also the proposed Council delegate to UCD. However, last week Harman decided not to endorse Murphy as spokesperson for the Council concerning the Council's role on the UCD board, in light of the number of signatures on a petition that Kovich circulated among CPN board members questioning the validity of the method of choosing the UCCC candidates and not giving authority to anyone to speak for them.

Harman does not understand the huge concern with the UCD or Kovich's actions.   

According to Dowdell there has been "bad behavior" on all sides.

"My major concern is, if the two presidents of the smallest group have the strongest voices, by virtue of their personal convictions, is that representation of the community?" asked Dowdell, referring to Murphy and Williams.

Murphy, who is a principal at the Meade Public School as well as president of small Squirrel Hill feels the people who founded the UCCC have to let go. "Now it's about community organizations, not about individuals and that's a natural maturing process," he said.

"In my own personal point of view, it was a moral imperative to get as much as possible for the neighborhood schools - all of them. I am a really passionate guy when it comes to children. I can't deny that. I'm going to do everything I can do - I'm not going to 'move on' - It's just too important. It's not personal, from my point of view, about the other people," said Murphy.

"It wasn't that Frank and Amy were bullying people that made it hard," said Squirrel Hill former president Amy Williams. "It was hard because it was a hard issue. If we hadn't, we wouldn't have gotten anything for Lea. I feel it was worth it. I feel UCCC should be respected for getting done what it did instead of being trashed...," she said.

"Barry Grossbach works hard for his community. He doesn't just lie down. Why should we?...He can pick up the phone and call John Fry whenever he wants to. We just want to be heard," said Williams.