Leder Should Not Be President

To the Editors of The Crimson:

I will be very disappointed if Dr. Philip Leder is chosen as Harvard's president. I am, like Dr. Leder, active in the government of the town of Brookline. Dr. Leder is a founder of and principal in a group created to prevent the building of a new town garage in the neighborhood in which he lives.

In my view this group and its leaders are profoundly irresponsible and selfish. The proposed garage site, which is already owned by the town, is well screened from nearby houses, can be made environmentally safe, and is in an area with few other town facilities. The garage site was designated as such by the Selectmen and a large majority of the Town Meeting. Further, the present garage is in every way inadequate: it is too old, too small, located in a dense residential neighborhood with no room for expansion, and poses a potential fire and environmental threat, and a real health hazard for the town employees that work in it.

I have never met Dr. Leder, but I hope that Harvard will not choose as its president someone so ready to use the very selfish argument, "not in my backyard." John Bassett '60