friday, november4, 1977
daily nebraskan
page 9
Veys 'calm, collected' in face of recall controversy
Bv Jane Johnson
Omaha Mayor Al Veys said he will continue to operate
a policy of open government, despite talk of his recall.
Veys said a mayor- has to be calm, cool and collected in
times of controversy.
Although Veys said he has no idea who started the
recall idea, he is sure it stemmed from the controversy
over the Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women.
"If I had allowed the commission to go on as they
were, there wouldn't be any controversy," Veys said.
Trouble began when Veys recently appointed a chair
man and vice chairman to the committee, he said. Veys
said he told the commission it would have to meet in
public.
The Omaha city charter states that all boards of com
mission to the mayor are to conduct open public
meetings. This includes commissions regarding public
business and affairs, Veys said.
"I have tried to be cooperative in every area with these
ladies," Veys said. 'The women wanted to be
independent and under the city charter. They can't do
that."
Veys said he thinks programs about rape, battered
women and abused children were good as sponsored by
the commission.
"All I wanted to know was what they were doing and
for them to keep me informed on their operations," Veys
said.
He said the commission wanted to operate independent
of city government and give no real reports on its
transactions.
Veys said the commission intervened into the educa-
Hampton: philosophical opposition
A philosophical opposition to eovernment control of
business is one of .the reasons for City Councilman Joseph
Hampton's proposed revision of the municipal code, he
said.
Hampton said he wants to change the code so none of
Moot court board
picks six seniors
Six UNL Law School seniors will compete in the
regional moot court competition at Creighton University
Thursday through Saturday, according to Bob Henderson,
chairman of the court board.
The six are; Bill Wright, Anna Anthony, Scott Robert
son, Jim Sherrets, Cliff Mesner and, Steve Guenzel.
Moot, court is a law school program designed to give
future lawyers experience in brief writing and oral
argument.
The moot court program selects contestants who com
pete in yearly contests on a state and regional level. If
the team is successful at the regional competition, it will
go to the national competition, Henderson said.
Members of the moot court are chosen on the basis of
grades, Henderson said. UNL's moot court has 17 junior
members and 16 senior members, he said.
AU contestants have worked on an appellate court
brief that they will present to a panel of judges.
Wright and Anthony will conduct an oral argument be
fore the judges and answer their questions, Henderson
said.
The six contestants were chosen by the moot court
from a total group entered in UNL's competition. The
brief was then reworked by the new team and oral argu
ments were prepared for the regional contest.
The case is a hypothetical labor problem concerning a
law firm that has broken up. The contestants will argue
whether the attorneys are subject to labor laws or not,
Henderson said.
All the teams have worked on the same problem,
Henderson said. Winners will be selected on the basis of
the oral argument and the brief.
The judges will most likely be attorneys from the
Omaha area, he said.
The UNL team will argue its case on Thursday and
Friday, Henderson said. Times will be posted at Creighton.
Competing in the regional competition will be Big 8
Law schools and other law schools in the area, he said.
The moot court regional winners will compete in the
national competition, Henderson said.
P
UDOB
Jazz!
Two guys and a gal playing music suited to
everyone's taste now through November 12
in the Clayton House Lounge .
The Clayton House Restaurant G Lounge
C Uym ilMitt I own Irvti l(Nk ft II' Mitttt Jtntnuw ijntuhi ff pukm f dmiwi fttM
mut hnUtii. lunik inl !" 4ih,
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JmiMiM.ttPi'J
The Omaha Magic Theatre Presents Miml Loring's
Astral White
A Musical Comedy About the Holy Order Of The
Divine Light)
Admission:
rriday Performance! are Freel We requeit $2
(itudants), $3 (general) for Saturday and Sunday
evening (although no one will be turned sway due to
lack of coin).
Curtain: 830 pm Nov 4,5,6,11,12,13,
1417 Famam Omaha, Ncbr.
its discrimination provisions are any stricter than the state
and federal statutes.
He said he did not know exactly what categories are
covered in the code, but some of the areas in question
are disability, receipt of public assistance, marital status,
sex and age.
He said he is concerned that giving expanded rights tot
citizens may restrict the rights of employers and property'
owners, he said at Monday night's public hearing on the
proposed amendment to the discrimination section.
The main reason he became interested in amending the
municipal code, was because of confusion about which
discrimination guidelines to follow and because of the
time it takes (one to two years average) to resolve a dis
crimination complaint.
At Monday's hearing, 42 persons testified against the
proposed amendments which would weaken the existing
provisions against discrimination.
Hampton said he had the city's legal department study
the laws and come up with a proposal to draft a local law
with discrimination standards no stricter than state and
federal laws. The proposal did not include some of the
areas included in state and federal law, Hampton said.
The proposal was sent back to the city attorney's
office for further study, he said. The issue comes up
before the city council again Nov. 14.
tion field, trying to institute programs in the schools that
"raised his eyebrows" when he found out about them.
"The reaction I have heard around the city for open
government has been favorable," Veys said. "I have no
idea if the recall is a threat or not, yet."
Anyone who thinks the mayor or a city council
member is not fulfilling a position can file a petition to re
move the official from office after he has served for six
months. If a mayor is terminated in this manner, the city
council would appoint a new mayor.
Veys said he thinks before anyone is recalled he should
be allowed to express his views to the person who is re
calling him.
'The accusations made against me now are that I am
trying to gag the commission," Veys said. "This is the
opposite of what I want. How can I be gagging a group
when I have invited them to hold public meetings? I want
open government. If people don't want open government
with everything made public, then they must not want
good government."
Conference issue
is world hunger
Dieters will not be the only people dealing with hunger
Nov. 11. The Governor's Conference on Food and Hunger
Issues plans to help Nebraskans learn more about fighting
hunger in the world.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Bob Bergland will speak
at the conference sponsored by CROP (the Community
Hunger Appeal of Church World Service).
The conference, at the First Plymouth Congregational
Church, will feature other speakers such as representatives
from the United Nations, UNL,. and Women Involved in
Farm Economics (WIFE).
The purpose of the conference is to study ways Neb
raskans who are generally dependent on agriculture can
fight hunger in and outside the United States, according
to John Cutler, CROP staff member.
The conference which will begin with registration at
8:30 a.m. will continue until 8 p.m. with lunch and dinner
provided, Cutler said.
A $5 registration fee will be charged to cover the meal
costs, he said. .
And just who is Alex Wade?
He has been an architect for over 20 years and is
well known for his sensible, eye-catching houses.
But even more importantly is his latest book, 30
Energy-Efficient Houses ... You Can Build. It's
ail about how to build tomorrow's house-today.
How to build a house that is energy efficient, solar
heated, uses every inch of space well, is designed
for the people who plan to live there, is elegantly
simple, and yet doesn't cost a small fortune.
Stop in Monday, between 8:30 and 10:30 and talk
to Alex Wade about his book and his own studio
"house that he designed and built for $1,500.
30
Enemy-Efficient
HOUSeS...You Can Build
it.
J 5 J lTij 5?w
Open 8-5, Monday -Saturday
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VISA'l
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Cards
oleoma
1135 R
432-0111