Walter Ganz Dead
April 13, 2009 Filed in: History
The Record recently reported the death in
Santa Fe, New Mexico, at age 87, of Walter H. Ganz,
describing him as "a meteoric force in Englewood
politics more than a generation ago." I knew Walter
Ganz and would like to expand on this description.
In the late 1960's and early 1970's a major change in the political and social character of Englewood, described to me by one key participant as a "revolution," took place. And Walter was at the center of this change. The Democratic Party in Englewood at the time included many strong personalities, and Walter’s genius was in his ability to cause them to work together for agreed objectives.
Englewood had been controlled politically for the entire 20th century to that time by an entrenched Republican organization, led in the later years by prominent State Senator David Van Alstyne Jr. Republican control began to be challenged as post-war development, especially in the Third Ward, brought in new voters, largely from New York City, with Democratic leanings. These new voters formed an uneasy alliance with the African-American residents of the Fourth Ward, who were increasingly resentful of their perceived second-class status, reflected in sub-standard housing and school segregation. A newly energized local Democratic Party began voicing its grievances and closing the gap in elections. It was a period in our nation’s history when civil rights and anti-war activism was at its peak, which contributed to the local unrest.
The first major local controversy of the era was over the public schools, where Englewood’s elementary school children were at the time assigned to racially segregated schools, a decade after Brown vs Board of Education had outlawed segregated schools in the South. After a period of extensive public protest and legal action, the Englewood Board of Education accepted the inevitable and instituted busing to achieve integration.
The next and pivotal controversy was over public housing. Englewood’s scandal at the time was the existence in the area south of Englewood Avenue of hundreds of severely substandard dwellings, located in the same small City where millionaires on the hill lived in luxurious style. In the 1960's Federal funds for urban renewal became available to municipalities across the country, including Englewood. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), however, would grant funds to Englewood only if a portion of the new development were to be located outside the Fourth Ward "ghetto." This the Republican-controlled Mayor and Council would not accept.
The crucial turning point was in 1967. In July of that year racial disturbances erupted in Detroit and in Newark and Plainfield in New Jersey. In Englewood tempers were high, with the housing issue at the forefront. At the request of Englewood’s Mayor additional police were brought into the City to maintain order, and for several days angry confrontations took place in Mackay Park and elsewhere between residents and police. In the context of rioting elsewhere, Englewood’s relatively minor disturbance received considerable media attention.
In the election that November, the Englewood Democratic Party achieved control for the first time, electing Reverend Bob Miller as Mayor, and with a narrow victory in the election for Bill Mettler as Councilman-at-Large. Fourth Ward Councilman Vincente Tibbs was elected Council President, and steps were taken to implement the Democratic Housing plan, which included what is now Rock Creek Terrace in the Second Ward. Walter Ganz, as Democratic Municipal Chair, was the main architect of this historic victory. In 1971, Ganz himself was elected Councilman-at-Large, along with Rev. Walter Taylor as Mayor, in a three-way contest. Although he left Englewood for good shortly thereafter, the City had been permanently transformed. He lived here only a little more than a decade, but his impact during those years was major.
In the late 1960's and early 1970's a major change in the political and social character of Englewood, described to me by one key participant as a "revolution," took place. And Walter was at the center of this change. The Democratic Party in Englewood at the time included many strong personalities, and Walter’s genius was in his ability to cause them to work together for agreed objectives.
Englewood had been controlled politically for the entire 20th century to that time by an entrenched Republican organization, led in the later years by prominent State Senator David Van Alstyne Jr. Republican control began to be challenged as post-war development, especially in the Third Ward, brought in new voters, largely from New York City, with Democratic leanings. These new voters formed an uneasy alliance with the African-American residents of the Fourth Ward, who were increasingly resentful of their perceived second-class status, reflected in sub-standard housing and school segregation. A newly energized local Democratic Party began voicing its grievances and closing the gap in elections. It was a period in our nation’s history when civil rights and anti-war activism was at its peak, which contributed to the local unrest.
The first major local controversy of the era was over the public schools, where Englewood’s elementary school children were at the time assigned to racially segregated schools, a decade after Brown vs Board of Education had outlawed segregated schools in the South. After a period of extensive public protest and legal action, the Englewood Board of Education accepted the inevitable and instituted busing to achieve integration.
The next and pivotal controversy was over public housing. Englewood’s scandal at the time was the existence in the area south of Englewood Avenue of hundreds of severely substandard dwellings, located in the same small City where millionaires on the hill lived in luxurious style. In the 1960's Federal funds for urban renewal became available to municipalities across the country, including Englewood. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), however, would grant funds to Englewood only if a portion of the new development were to be located outside the Fourth Ward "ghetto." This the Republican-controlled Mayor and Council would not accept.
The crucial turning point was in 1967. In July of that year racial disturbances erupted in Detroit and in Newark and Plainfield in New Jersey. In Englewood tempers were high, with the housing issue at the forefront. At the request of Englewood’s Mayor additional police were brought into the City to maintain order, and for several days angry confrontations took place in Mackay Park and elsewhere between residents and police. In the context of rioting elsewhere, Englewood’s relatively minor disturbance received considerable media attention.
In the election that November, the Englewood Democratic Party achieved control for the first time, electing Reverend Bob Miller as Mayor, and with a narrow victory in the election for Bill Mettler as Councilman-at-Large. Fourth Ward Councilman Vincente Tibbs was elected Council President, and steps were taken to implement the Democratic Housing plan, which included what is now Rock Creek Terrace in the Second Ward. Walter Ganz, as Democratic Municipal Chair, was the main architect of this historic victory. In 1971, Ganz himself was elected Councilman-at-Large, along with Rev. Walter Taylor as Mayor, in a three-way contest. Although he left Englewood for good shortly thereafter, the City had been permanently transformed. He lived here only a little more than a decade, but his impact during those years was major.
