Local Officials to Attend Meeting Despite Protests

At least two city officials plan to attend a National League of Cities Conference in Atlanta, Ga., even though the City Council decided last year not to pay for trips by any Cambridge employee to states that have not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).

James L. Sullivan, city manager, and Councilor Saundra Graham will be attending the conference this month.

The National League of Cities is the lobbying force for all U.S. cities and towns. The league decides its policies at the annual conference.

"If we walk away, we leave the policy decisions to the more conservative communities. We're talking about having programs which the city of Cambridge must have," Sullivan said.

Graham said she hopes to go--but without city financing. She said the conference is more important than the ERA, adding that "Reagan is not going to have the ERA ratified no matter what."

Attending the convention even without city backing violates the spirit of the resolution, Carey Boniface, a member of the NOW ERA committee, said yesterday.

The ERA and council resolution are more important than the convention, Beth Broderson, an ERA spokesman, said. She said that if councilors go, "the only thing we can do is make sure everyone knows at election time next year. There is an awful lot of support for the ERA and boycott resolution in Cambridge."

Councilor David Sullivan said yesterday he will not attend the conference. "The city council has the responsibility to abide by its own decisions," he added.

Councilor Kevin Crane '73, who also said he would not go, added that the city should not pay for any official going to the conference.

It's Ronnie's Fault

But Republican control of the White House and Senate makes attendance at this convention necessary because that party traditionally tends to ignore the welfare of cities, Rich McKinnon, assistant to the city council, said yesterday.

"It's cutting our nose to spite our face, almost like not voting," McKinnon said. He added that Cambridge representatives can help the ERA by speaking before the conference about the amendment.

"The time for appropriate action was when the place was decided upon. We don't want to penalize people by not having them go to conferences; we want to keep the conventions out of unratified states." Broderson said.