A feud of sorts is developing between the mayor of New Ulm and the mayor of Mankato.

The argument revolves around Mankato’s quest of $250,000 in discretionary funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Renewal (HUD).

NEW ULM Mayor Carl Wyczawski at the March 10 meeting of the Region 9 Board of Directors complained that Mankato, which already benefits from entitlement funds, should not be able to compete with smaller communities for discretionary funds.

“It’s like hogs going to the trough,” Wyczawski said Tuesday,”and having the big ones pushing the weaklings aside.”

Wyczawski spearheaded a March 10 Region 9 resolution asking that the discretionary grant program be changed to exclude entitlement cities in the future. The proposal won 7-1 approval of the Region 9 Board of Directors.

FOR THAT reason, Mankato Mayor Herbert Mocol has asked special handling for Mankato’s application for the $250,000. Mocol’s request has been approved by the Mankato City Council.

Mocol claims Mankato’s application for the community development funds would not get a fair hearing before Region 9, which reviews all funding applications.

A favorable recommendation from the Region 9 Board of Directors is important to federal funding applications, and Wyczawski, a board member has said he will take ‘a dim view of voting favorably”concerning Mankato’s application.

“We feel in this case,” Mocol said today,”our application has been prejudged.

“I’m positive Region 9 can delay our application,” he continued. “I don’t think they can kill it entirely, but I think they can cause us a lot of additional cost, in additional reports, additional travel and additional meetings.”

THE MANKATO City Council may ask the Minnesota State Planning Agency to assume the review normally conducted by Region 9 for the city’s discretionary grant application.

The planning agency and Minnesota’s regional development commissions are the two government levels normally assigned such review.

Wyczawski called Mocol’s request “a lot of hogwash,” because the review should be done by Region 9. Wyczawski added that he doesn’t want to develop a bitter rivalry with Mankato, but he says it is necessary to question Mankato’s application. Of nine directors on the Region 9board, Wyczawski says he expects six would vote against Mankato.

“I feel the only way we can call this to attention of the HUD people is to turn (the application) down. I think we have to do something drastic.”

Mocol and Mankato Community Development Director Phillip Shealy agree with Wyczawski that organization of the discretionary grant program may be unfair-allowing larger cities already benefiting from entitlement funds to compete with smaller cities less experienced in pursuing federal money.

But Shealy said the time to complain about that was last year when Austin, an entitlement city, obtained the first discretionary grant in southern Minnesota.

Wyczawski said that last year after Austin submitted its application “I called it to the attention of Region 9.” But his effort to draft a resolution similar to this year died because no other Region 9 director would second it.

MOCOL SAID today that “it’s totally unfair for all other entitlement cities to be included and to have Mankato be excluded.” He emphasized that for fairness all entitlement cities should be treated alike whether in Region 9 or whether in Minnesota.

And he added that if Mankato loses out on the $250,000,the money probably would go to another community outside Region 9.

I firmly believe,” Mocol said,”that a good and viable Mankato is good for New Ulm.”

New Ulm Daily Journal

March 24, 1926