Atkins Organizes Graduate Corps For City Advice

Boston City Councillor Tom Atkins 2L has organized almost 100 area graduate students and professors into eight advisory task forces to investigate local urban problems.

Atkins said yesterday he is already using the month-old research committees. Ed Dauber, special assistant to the councillor, estimates that 75 per cent of the issues that Atkins has brought before the Council have been studied by one or more of his task forces. His motions on tax assessment came out of task force research.

The general problem areas under consideration by the various groups, composed primarily of volunteers from the Harvard Law School, include low and moderate income housing, police, youth, city finance, commercial and industrial redevelopment, government structure, child and family services, and metropolitan services. Atkins has also designated one of the task forces as a legislative research bureau.

Three Steps

Under the supervision and co-ordination of Charles Nesson, assistant professor of Law, the study groups and their various subdivisions follow a three-step approach. After evaluating a situation by gathering data, they appraise the local, state, and federal resources available for solutions. Finally, the committees present a specific proposal which Atkins can bring before the Council.

According to William L. Rawn 2L, who is heading up the housing task force, "Atkins will have three ways of applying our reports: presenting legislation through the Council, holding public hearings, or using his political influence."

All Areas

Atkins currently chairs the Council committees on Urban Renewal, Appointment Confirmations, and Public Welfare. Though his greatest electoral support came from Roxbury, he has told his task force that he represents the entire city and wants the reports to consider all areas.

"These task forces are not people working for Tom Atkins," Atkins said. "They're working for ideas. I don't care whether they're committed to me personally, since what I want to see is that the best possible action toward solving these problems is taking place."