Coffey, Dennis 03.09 - University of Massachusetts Lowell Libraries

A: Well your Uncle Reggie is very ah (--)
D: That’s right. He was one who was telling me about what a bum he was, you know.
A: I see. I see.
D: And so it’s fascinating to see the evolution that occurred. And I think, I think it really
did occur when Frank Keefe came to as a Planning Director. (A: Okay) You know he
saw these divisions, and of course Frank, very aggressive, very positive, very sure of
himself obviously, and with good cause. And one of the things he realized was, that he
saw this division and he said this isn’t good, because the redevelopment guys have a lot
to offer, the planning people have a lot to offer. We need to get them together. And so
periodically, once a month or so, not in any strict schedule, he’d get all the group together
and we’d just talk about things. And it was just amazing when we sat down and talked
and listened to each other how much common interest there really was. And I think
Frank helped to turn the corner within the CDA, and ah, at least to the staff level. Now
the CDA Board history, that’s a whole other thing, you know, which, which took a bad
turn I think, you know? But you know, and then Taupier came along and wiped him out.
A: Right. Right.
D: And at the time that was probably the right thing. You know, I think the CDA Board
was too embroiled in their own politics to have been a continuing force. But what you’re
trying to get to of course is the Park. And ah (--)
A: But you know, I love to hear those stories of kind of the politics of that (D: That
time, yah), I don’t know if you want to call it the pre-Park era, or (D: Right, that’s right)
whatever. So now you were talking about the divisions between like the planners and the
LRA holdovers. (A: Right. Yup) And do you remember specific instances where there
was friction?
D: Well like I said, you know, there was, there was within the LRA side of the house
they wanted to do more of the “cement city.” They wanted to tear down more of the
Acre. They wanted to really fill in the canals. (A: Yah) The Connector Extension (A:
Okay) that they thought was great. And you know, the planners on the other hand you
know, saw a different perspective, a review of things. And it was around that time of
course that Pat Mogan was involved with the Model Cities Neighborhood, (A: umhm)
along with Jack Tavares and some wonderful people over there. And so Bob and myself,
Bob Malavich and myself started spending some time with Pat.
A: You did.
D: Yah, and kind of unofficially and you know, learning more about what he was
thinking and his concept, and it was consistent with what we were thinking and doing,
and trying to do. And you know we were doing all of these studies. We had each got a
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