SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

McConahey handled liaison and policy coordination with state, local, and territorial governments and related organizations such as the National Governors' Conference and the National League of Cities. Community development, energy and environmental policies, revenue sharing, the 1976 campaign, and federal aid are typical issues. A smaller portion of the collection derives from his work on transportation issues such as no-fault insurance and highway projects.

QUANTITY
16.8 linear feet (ca. 33,600 pages)

DONOR
Gerald R. Ford (accession numbers 77-23, 77-107)

ACCESS
Open. Some items are temporarily restricted under terms of the donor's deed of gift, a copy of which is available on request, or under National Archives and Records Administration general restrictions (36 CFR 1256).

COPYRIGHT
Gerald Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain.

Prepared by Sandra Raub & Kenneth Hafeli, May 1982
[s:\bin\findaid\mcconahey, stephen - files.doc]

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Stephen G. McConahey

November 8, 1943 - Born, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

1966 - B.S., political science and economics, University of Wisconsin

1968 - MBA, Harvard University

1968-72 - Management consultant, McKinsey and Company, Washington, D.C.

1972-73 - White House Fellow, assigned to the Department of Health, Education and Welfare

1973-75 - Management analyst and subsequently director, Office of Transit Management, Urban Mass Transportation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation

Sept. 1975-Jan. 1976 - Associate Director for Transportation, the Domestic Council

Jan. 1976-Jan. 1977 - Special Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs

1977-? - Boettcher and Company, Denver, Colorado

INTRODUCTION

Stephen McConahey joined the White House staff on September 7, 1975 as the Domestic Council's Associate Director for Transportation. He later was named Special Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs on January 28, 1976, inheriting the responsibilities of Associate Director James H. Falk, who had resigned at the end of 1975. The McConahey files consist of materials accumulated by him during his tenure in both positions; they also include files of Margo Boyle, who served as one of his assistants, March to May 1976. The majority of the material concerns intergovernmental affairs.

Drawing on his past experiences as director of the Department of Transportation's Office of Transit Management, McConahey worked both with government officials, especially Transportation Secretary William Coleman, and industry representatives in developing and evaluating federal transportation policies. He conducted analyses of transportation problems, developed and presented policy positions to White House staff and outside groups, and participated in the development of transportation legislation. Areas of concern included highway and airport development, urban mass transit, railroad reorganization, highway safety, no fault automobile insurance, and regulatory reform. McConahey's files include a small amount of material compiled by his predecessor, Michael Raoul-Duval; the files of Judith Hope, who succeeded McConahey as Associate Director, include materials passed on by both of her predecessors.

McConahey's appointment as Special Assistant for Intergovernmental Affairs, a newly created position, reflected the President's desire to improve the intergovernmental relations capabilities of the Executive branch. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, in a memo to the President of December 15, 1975, on his review of the nation's domestic programs (See WHCF-OA 5789), had recommended the creation of an Executive Office of Intergovernmental Coordination in the White House. As part of his new responsibilities, McConahey prepared an analysis (sent to the President by the Domestic Council's Executive Director James Cannon in May 1976) of the White House intergovernmental function, also suggesting an expanded Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. Although Cannon and McConahey requested a meeting with Ford to discuss the matter, such a conference does not appear to have ever taken place. Intergovernmental affairs continued to be a Domestic Council concern throughout the Ford presidency.

As special assistant with responsibility for liaison with state, county, and local officials, intergovernmental organizations, and public interest groups, McConahey sought to monitor and respond to important intergovernmental matters such as community development, block grants, and agricultural, environmental, and welfare policies. His major objectives were: 1.) to comment on program and policy decisions made by White House staff; 2.) to maintain a consultation process with state and local officials; 3.) to improve Executive Branch support of intergovernmental activities by meeting with agency and department representatives; 4.) to undertake substantive analyses of specific issues such as public employee bargaining and state and local financial problems; and 5.) to provide staff support for the president by preparing briefing material and arranging and attending meetings with state and local officials as well as handling day-to-day communications with such officials and public interest groups.

McConahey thus had routine contacts with the Office of Management and Budget, the Domestic Council, and other White House staff. He also frequently corresponded or met with state governors, mayors and other local official and representatives of intergovernmental organizations such as the Advisory Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, the National Association of Counties, the National Governors' Conference, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

McConahey's files include correspondence, memoranda, background material, meeting notes and schedule proposals, material prepared for the President's briefing book for the 1976 campaign, and comments on enrolled bills. A small amount of material is addressed to McConahey's predecessor James Falk; a few items were handled by McConahey's assistant Patrick Delaney.

Related Materials (May 1982)
Related material can be found in a number of other Domestic Council files, particularly those of Michael Raoul-Duval and Judith Hope (Transportation); and James H. Falk, Rayburn D. Hanzlik, and James M. Cannon (Intergovernmental Affairs). White House Central Files categories TR (Transportation) and FG 69 (Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Affairs) also contain additional material.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Transportation Subject File, 1975-76.  (Boxes 1-8, 3.2 linear feet)
Correspondence, memoranda, reports, studies, notes, press releases, newsletters, and publications dealing with federal transportation policy. Issues covered include automobile safety, fuel economy and emissions standards, no fault insurance, mass transportation systems, highway and airport development, and regulatory reform of railroads and the trucking industry.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Intergovernmental Affairs State File, 1976-77.  (Boxes 9-19, 4.4 linear feet)
Primarily copies of incoming correspondence from state and local officials with carbons of McConahey's replies. Also memoranda, clippings, pamphlets and publications. A variety of topics are touched upon including federal disaster assistance, base closings, federal payments in lieu of taxes, community development, general revenue sharing, transportation, energy, and environmental policy, unemployment, welfare, the Bicentennial and the 1976 campaign. Material related to advance work done for the Economic Summit in Puerto Rico, June 26 - 28, 1976 is also filed here.

Arranged alphabetically by state, with occasional sub-files for cities, meetings, or individuals.

View container list for this series

Intergovernmental Affairs Subject File, 1976-77.  (Boxes 20-31, 4.6 linear feet)
Correspondence, memoranda, reports, notes, Q & A's and issues statements prepared for the President, clippings, press releases, newsletters, other publications, itineraries, travel vouchers, resumes, and weekly reports to Executive Director Cannon. Some material, including weekly briefing sheets for Vice President Ford (February - August 1974) date from the period when James H. Falk was handling intergovernmental affairs. Much of the material is related to McConahey's meetings and other contacts with groups such as the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Affairs, the National Association of Counties, the National Governors' Conference, the National League of Cities, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The issues discussed include base closings, energy policy, general revenue sharing, transportation policy, and the 1976 campaign.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

Intergovernmental Affairs Presidential Meetings and Appearances File, 1976.  (Boxes 31-32, 0.4 linear feet)
Memoranda, lists of appointments, schedule proposals, agenda, and seating charts relating to President Ford's meetings with state governors, mayors and other local officials.

Arranged chronologically by meeting.

View container list for this series

Intergovernmental Affairs Presidential Briefing Books File, 1976.  (Boxes 32-33, 0.4 linear feet)
Q & A's and other background material prepared for Ford's 1976 campaign trips.

Arranged chronologically by trip.

View container list for this series

Enrolled Bills File, 1976.  (Boxes 33-35, 1.0 linear feet)
McConahey's October 1976 concurrences on enrolled bills, with copies of agency opinions sent to the Office of Management and Budget and OMB memos to the President. Also a small amount of correspondence and a log of bills received at the White House in October 1976.

Arranged by department or agency of primary interest.

View container list for this series

Margo Boyle Subject File, 1976.  (Boxes 36-42, 2.8 linear feet)
Memoranda, correspondence, notes, press releases, clippings, publications and other printed material compiled by Boyle while assisting Stephen McConahey with intergovernmental relations. Boyle monitored Bicentennial activities and District of Columbia affairs. She also compiled information for McConahey on collective bargaining rights for government employees and the anticipated effects of cuts in general revenue sharing. Additional material on many of the topics can be found in the files of Andre Buckles, who previously had responsibility in these areas.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

CONTAINER LIST

Box 1 - Transportation Subject File

• Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations
• Allstate Insurance Company
• American Public Transit Association
• American Public Transit Association - Transit Journal
• Atlanta
• Automobile Design
• Automobile Emission Standards
• Automobile Industry
• Automobile - Miscellaneous
• Automobile Safety
• Automobile - Theft Prevention
• Briefing Papers

Box 2 - Transportation Subject File

• Bumper Standards
• Chicago
• Chicago and Northwestern Railroad
• Daylight Savings Time
• Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Department of Transportation
  - Anti-Lobbying of Highway Bill
  - Congressional Correspondence
  - Highway
  - Hydraulic Brake Standard (105-75)
  - Interviews
  - Legate, Virkler
  - Legislative Report
  - News
  - Regulatory Reform
  - State of the Union (1)-(2)
• Detroit

Box 3 - Transportation Subject File

• Domestic Council - Policy Review
• Domestic Council - Profile Completed
• Economic Policy Board
• El Paso, Texas (1)-(3)
• Enrolled Bill HR 3786 - Federal Share of Highway Projects
• Federal Highway Administration
• Federal Highway Administration - Newsletter
• Fort Lincoln Transit
• General Reference
• Grant Awards
• Highway Bill (Active File)
• Highway Fund
• Highway 131 (Grand Rapids)

Box 4 - Transportation Subject File

• Highway Legislation
• Highway Trust Fund - New Jersey
• Illinois
• Interstate 66
• Lock and Dam 26 (1)-(3)
• Maritime
• Maritime - Cotton Club
• Mass Transit - Los Angeles, California
• Mass Transit - New York City
• Motor Carrier Deregulation
• Motor Vehicle Inspection
• Motor Vehicle Safety
• Multi - State Transportation Corridor
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Box 5 - Transportation Subject File

• National Research Council
• National Transportation Policy Statement
• No Fault Insurance
  - Connecticut
  - Federal
  - Florida
  - General (1)-(4)
  - Massachusetts
  - Michigan
  - New Jersey
  - New York

Box 6 - Transportation Subject File

• No Fault Insurance
  - State No Fault Insurance
• Office of Management and Budget
• Office of Management and Budget - Fall Review (1)-(3)
• Ohio
• Passenger Restraints
• Public Transit - Ira Kaze, "Public Transit, an Area of Concern for the Rural South"
• Rail Reorganization Act
• Railroad Rehabilitation Program (1)

Box 7 - Transportation Subject File

• Railroad Rehabilitation Program (2)-(3)
• Railroad Revitalization (1)-(3)
• Railroad Subsidy Problems - Governor Marvin Mandel
• Railroad - United States Railway Association (1)

Box 8 - Transportation Subject File

• Railroad - United States Railway Association (2)
• Traffic Safety
• Transportation - Miscellaneous
• Urban Mass Transportation Administration
• United States Conference of Mayors
• White House Public Forum on Domestic Policy
  - Austin, Texas 11/10-11/75 (1)-(2)
  - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 11/18/75
  - Los Angeles, California, 12/8-9/75 (1)-(2)

Box 9 - Intergovernmental Affairs State File

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Alaska - Native Claims
• American Samoa
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California (1)-(3)
• California - Los Angeles (1)

Box 10 - Intergovernmental Affairs State File

• California - Los Angeles (2)
• California - Los Angeles, Meeting with Harry L. Huford 5/13/76
• California - Los Angeles, Pollard, Joe (1)-(2)
• California - Sacramento
• California - San Bernardino
• California - San Francisco
• California - Schabarum, Peter F.
• Colorado (1)-(2)
• Connecticut
• Delaware

Box 11 - Intergovernmental Affairs State File

• District of Columbia - Commuter Tax
• District of Columbia - Federal City Council
• District of Columbia - General (1)-(2)
• District of Columbia - Mathis Letter
• Florida
• Florida - Vocational Rehabilitation Problem
• Foreign Countries
• Georgia
• Guam
• Guam - Meeting on Guam, 4/14/76
• Guam - Meeting on Navy Shipyard, 4/29/76
• Hawaii

Box 12 - Intergovernmental Affairs State File

• Idaho
• Illinois (1)-(2)
• Indiana (1)-(2)
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana

Box 13 - Intergovernmental Affairs State File

• Maine (1)-(3)
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan - Detroit
• Michigan - General (1)-(2)

Box 14 - Intergovernmental Affairs State File

• Michigan - Lansing
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri (1)-(2)
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire

Box 15 - Intergovernmental Affairs State File

• New Jersey (1)-(2)
• New Mexico
• New York - Albany
• New York - General (1)-(3)
• New York - New York City
• New York - Rabbi Leib Pinter
• North Carolina

Box 16 - Intergovernmental Affairs State File

• North Dakota
• Ohio - General (1)-(3)
• Ohio - Mayor Ralph Perk's Trip to Milan
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania (1)-(2)

Box 17 - Intergovernmental Affairs State File

• Pennsylvania (3)
• Puerto Rico - General
• Puerto Rico - Meeting with Parsons and Carlos Romero, 2/2/1976
• Puerto Rico - Meeting with Cannon, 2/5/76
• Puerto Rico - Economic Summit Conference, San Juan, 6/8-9/76
• Puerto Rico - Economic Summit, 6/26-28/76 (1)-(3)
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota

Box 18 - Intergovernmental Affairs State File

• Tennessee
• Texas - General (1)-(3)
• Texas - Zavala County
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia (1)

Box 19 - Intergovernmental Affairs State File

• Virginia (2)
• Virgin Islands
• Washington (1)-(3)
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin - General (1)-(2)
• Wisconsin - American Presidency Citizens Seminar, Madison, 3/23-24/76
• Wyoming

Box 20 - Intergovernmental Affairs Subject File

• Action Memoranda (1)-(3)
• Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations
• American Association of Small Cities
• Appalachia Regional Commission
• Appointment - Commissions
• Columbia Interstate Compact Commission
• Correspondence
• Council for International Urban Liaison
• Council of State Governments
• Council of State Governments - Midwestern Office
• Disasters

Box 21 - Intergovernmental Affairs Subject File

• Domestic Council - Administration
• Domestic Council - Staff and Telephone Directing
• Economic Issues - General
• Economic Issues - Economic Adjustment Committee Meeting, 4/21/76
• Energy
• Energy - Response to "Gas Watchers" Program
• Ethnic Conference, 5/15/76
• Federal Financial Assistance
• Federal Regional Council
• Federal Regional Council - Regional Office Activities
• Finances

Box 22 - Intergovernmental Affairs Subject File

• Form Letters
• General Revenue Sharing
  - Bill Signing Ceremony
  - Form Letters
  - General
  - Issues and Options, 10/29/74 (1)-(2)
  - Presidential Message on Renewal Legislation
  - Responses
  - Steering Group
  - Weekly Report
• Health
• Inflation - Responses to Presidential Letter of December 4, 1974
• Intergovernmental Affairs
• Intergovernmental Agencies
• Intergovernmental Areas of Responsibility to Cannon

Box 23 - Intergovernmental Affairs Subject File

• Intergovernmental Personnel Act
• International City Management Association
• International City Management Association - Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada, 9/26-30/76
• Indians
• Issues - McKee, Patricia
• Legislative Notebook
• Miscellaneous (1)-(2)
• National Association of Attorneys General
• National Association of Counties - General (1)-(2)

Box 24 - Intergovernmental Affairs Subject File

• National Association of Counties - Meeting with the President, 1/26/76
• National Association of Counties - Mid-Winter Meeting, Washington, D.C., 3/29-30/76
• National Association of Counties - Salt Lake City, Utah, 6/26-30/76
• National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws
• National Conference of State Legislatures
• National Conference of State Legislatures - Intergovernmental Relations Committee
• National Conference of State Legislatures - Leaders Seminar, Vail, Colorado, 6/15-16/76
• National Conference of State Legislatures 2nd Annual Meeting, Kansas City, Missouri, 8/31/76 - 9/1/76
• National Council for Urban Economic Development
• National Governors' Conference
  - General (1)-(3)

Box 25 - Intergovernmental Affairs Subject File

• National Governors' Conference
  - Biographies
  - Committee on Human Resources
  - Follow-up Summaries by Cabinet Secretaries
  - General Revenue Sharing
  - Local Participation in Social Services
  - Welfare Reform Meeting, Washington D.C., 2/23/76
  - Midwinter Meeting, Washington D.C., 2/23/76 (1)-(2)
  - White House Dinner with Wives, 2/23/76
  - Summer Meeting, Hershey, Pennsylvania 7/4-6/76 (1)

Box 26 - Intergovernmental Affairs Subject File

• National Governors' Conference
  - Summer Meeting, Hershey, Pennsylvania 7/4-6/76 (2)
  - Midwestern Governors' Conference, 1975, Indianapolis, Indiana
  - Midwestern Governors' Conference, 1976, Indianapolis, Indiana
  - Southern Governors' Conference 1976, Williamsburg, Virginia (1)-(2)
  - Western Governors' Conference 1975, Palm Springs, California
  - Western Governors' Conference 1976, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
• National League of Cities
  - General
  - Officers Meeting with the President 2/25/76
  - Conference, Washington, D.C., 3/15/76
  - Conference of Mayors
  - Conference, Denver, Colorado, 11/30/76 - 12/2/76

Box 27 - Intergovernmental Affairs Subject File

• Neighborhood Revitalization (1)-(2)
• New Coalition
• New Hampshire - White House Regional Conference
• Office of Management and Budget
• Office of Management and Budget - A95
• Office of Telecommunications Policy
• Presidential Appointments
• Presidential Invitations
• Presidential Letters Requests (1)-(2)

Box 28 - Intergovernmental Affairs Subject File

• Presidential Letters Requests (3)
• Presidential Personnel
• Presidential Medical Report
• Press Releases
• Puerto Rico - President's Ad Hoc Advisory Committee (1)-(2)
• Questions and Answers
• Recommended Telephone Calls
• Regional Councils
• Regulatory Reform
• Republican Governors' Conference
• Republican National Committee 1972 Campaign Factbook

Box 29 - Intergovernmental Affairs Subject File

• Resumes
• Resumes - Secretarial Candidates
• Social Security
• State/Labor Relations
• Transportation (1)-(4)
• Travel Vouchers
• Undersecretaries Group (1)-(2)

Box 30 - Intergovernmental Affairs Subject File

• Unemployment (1)-(2)
• U.S. Conference of Mayors - General
• U.S. Conference of Mayors - Executive Committee Meeting with the President, 8/14/74
• U.S. Conference of Mayors - Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 6/26/76 - 7/1/76 (1)-(2)
• Urban Issues Group - Opportunity Funding Group
• Urban Task Force Meeting, 4/9/76
• Urban Task Force Meeting, 5/4/76
• Vice President (Ford) Weekly Briefings (1)-(3)
• Voter Registration

Box 31 - Intergovernmental Affairs Subject File

• Weekly Reports
• Welfare Reform
• White House Public Forum on Domestic Policy
• White House Public Forum on Domestic Policy - Indianapolis, Indiana, 11/25/75 (1)-(2)

Box 31 (Continued) - Intergovernmental Affairs Presidential Meetings and Appearances File

• Meeting with Governor Robert D. Ray on the State of the Union, 1/7/76
• Meeting with Governors and Mayors on Budget, 1/20/76
• Meeting with Mayors on Budget, FY 1977, 1/29/76 (1)-(2)
• Meeting with Republican Mayors Who Support Him, 1/30/76
• Meeting with Los Angeles Delegation, 2/19/76
• Meeting with Governor Daniel Evens, 2/23/76
• Meeting with Governor James Longley, 2/23/76
• Meeting with Governor Reubin D. Askew, 2/24/76
• Meeting with Mayor William Hudnut, 3/23/76
• Meeting on Swine Flu Program, 3/24/76

Box 32 - Intergovernmental Affairs Presidential Meetings and Appearances File

• Signing Ceremony for Summer Youth Employment Program, 4/8/76
• Signing Ceremony for Highway Bill, 5/4/76
• Meeting with Missouri and Kansas Mayors, 5/28/76
• Meeting with New Coalition, 6/3/76
• Meeting with Governor Daniel Evans, 7/2/76
• Meeting with Governor Cecil Andrus, 7/9/76
• Signing Ceremony for ADAP Bill, 7/12/76
• Signing Ceremony for Coastal Zone, 7/26/76
• Meeting with Republican Governors Association, 11/29/76

Box 32 (Continued) - Intergovernmental Affairs Presidential Briefing Books File

• Q & A's, Texas, 4/9-10/76
• Q & A's, Indiana, 4/22-23/76
• Q & A's, Georgia, 4/23/76
• Q & A's, Nebraska, 5/7-8/76

Box 33 - Intergovernmental Affairs Presidential Briefing Books File

• Q & A's, Tennessee, 5/14/76
• Q & A's, Oregon, 5/22-24/76
• Q & A's, Nevada, 5/22-24/76
• Q & A's, Ohio, 5/26/76
• Q & A's Connecticut, 7/16-17/76

Box 33 (Continued) - Enrolled Bills File

• Department of Agriculture
• Department of Commerce
• Department of Defense (1)-(2)
• Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (1)-(2)

Box 34 - Enrolled Bills File

• Department of the Interior (1)-(5)
• Department of Justice (1)-(2)
• Department of Labor
• Department of State
• Department of Transportation (1)-(2)
• Department of Treasury (1)-(2)

Box 35 - Enrolled Bills File

• Environmental Protection Agency
• General Services Administration (1)-(2)
• Miscellaneous Agencies A - N
• Miscellaneous Agencies O - Z
• Miscellaneous Legislation - Correspondence
• Private Relief Bills

Box 36 - Margo Boyle Subject File

• Agenda for Governmental Reform Act
• Allied Services
• Bicentennial - General (1)-(8)

Box 37 - Margo Boyle Subject File

• Bicentennial - General (9)
• Bicentennial - Agency Task Force
• Block Grant Concepts
• Block Grant Concepts - Comprehensive HEW Simplification and Reform
• Collective Bargaining (1)-(2)

Box 38 - Margo Boyle Subject File

• Collective Bargaining (3)-(6)
• District of Columbia (1)-(3)
• District of Columbia
  - Budget FY 1976
  - Budget FY 1977

Box 39 - Margo Boyle Subject File

• District of Columbia
  - City Council
  - Commuter Tax
  - Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital (1)-(2)
  - Dulles Corridor
  - Federal City Council
  - Federal Enclave
  - History
  - Home Rule
  - HR 12261, Criminal Code Revision
  - Issues - Downtown Progress
  - Law Revision Commission, Annual Report
  - Mayor's Legislative Program 1975
  - Metro System
  - Mrs. Ford
  - Presidential Review of Statements
  - Presidential Statements

Box 40 - Margo Boyle Subject File

• District of Columbia
  - Rent Control, Affirmative Action
• General Revenue Sharing
• General Revenue Sharing - Cities (1)-(2)
• General Revenue Sharing - Counties (1)-(2)
• General Revenue Sharing - States (1)-(3)
• General Revenue Sharing - Speakers
• Intergovernmental Affairs - William Simon

Box 41 - Margo Boyle Subject File

• Intergovernmental Relations - Articles, Early Memos
• Intergovernmental Relations - Issues Inventory
• National Capital Planning Commission (1)-(7)
• National Governors' Conference, 2/22-24/76 (1)-(2)

Box 42 - Margo Boyle Subject File

• Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation (1)-(2)
• Pensions