KTLA News: "Tom Bradley introduces James Hadaway" (1976)

[Mayor Tom Bradley] Mr. Benson, Mr. Miller and the Recreation and Parks Commission. In the announcement of the new manager for the Department of Recreation and Parks. We conducted a nationwide search. Had some outstanding candidates. The field was finally narrowed to three and they were brought to Los Angeles, ah, intensively interviewed and the Commission, ah, made its selection. And the man who has been chosen is, Mr. James Hadaway, [Bradley] the director of, [Bradley] ah, Parks and Recreation for the city of Memphis, Tennessee. [Bradley] He has done an outstanding job there. As a matter of fact, ah, [Bradley] in 1972, ah, won a national award for his work in that city. [Bradley] We are eagerly looking forward to, [Bradley] ah, his innovation, his ideas, his expertise, [Bradley] in continuing to build the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department, [Bradley] ah, beyond the stature which it now enjoys. And we're very pleased to have you with us today, Jim. [James Hadaway] Thank you so much, Mayor Bradley. I appreciate it. [Bradley] Evelyn, would you like to say a word and then we'll ask, [Evelyn] Yes. [Bradley] Don, do you care to say word? [Don] No. [Bradley] Okay. All right [Bradley] Ladies and gentlemen, James Hadaway. [James Hadaway] Thank you, Mayor, of course, I'm honored to [camera noise] and it's quite an honor to head up that department. [Hadaway] I had the opportunity yesterday to meet with staff. Ah, I can truthfully say that, ah, [Camera noise] [Hadaway] years ago, and they are now regular policemen trained by the Memphis Police Department. [Hadaway] And so they are regular officers. But, [Camera noise] listening. [Hadaway] I did a great deal of that yesterday. [Hadaway] Ah, I told the mayor, I'll be looking forward to, as soon as I get here, to sit down with him and see what his, priorities and recommendations are. [Hadaway] I met with the board last night from about 7 to 10:30, ah, doing a great deal of listening. [Hadaway] Ah, each one of the board members, I feel is, ah, [Hadaway] has some area that they're particularly interested in. And, and I was certainly interested in finding out what that is. [Hadaway] I met with the staff yesterday, for quite a long time, ah, ah, [Hadaway] finding out their backgrounds, and, [Hadaway] ah, what they feel like the problems are. And of course as soon as I arrive on the scene, I'll meet with each one, individually, for example, the Recreation Department meet with the supervisors. And, and so I guess the next couple months, I'll be doing an awful lot of listening. Trying to find out what the problems are and then, ah, hopefully with the help of the mayor and the board and the staff, ah, start solving some of the problems. If there are problems. I'm not saying there are. If there are and I'm sure that there will be. [Reporter, partially unintelligible] a couple of years ago. [Camera noise] [KTLA Reporter Stan Chambers?] in the parking leading up to the diamond lanes of the freeways. It's been a week now. [Chambers] What is your feeling on this Diamond Lane experiment? "The Times," this morning that perhaps it's just another big mistake that Caltrans has made. [Bradley] I don't know. I didn't read that article. So, I can't tell you. [Reporter] Mayor Bradley, as far as I can, [Bradley] I think it's not so much a matter of trying to make it uncomfortable for the single passenger automobiles. Ah, but there is a design to encourage better use of the, automobiles and public transportation in particular. Any device that, ah, will lead in that direction, I think is what is being tried. [Reporter] Do you think this might be a viable device going in that direction? The concept looked good on paper and, and any such project of this magnitude. Has to be tested. Has to be adjusted. And, I think that, ah, we ought to withhold that judgment until that test is completed. [Chambers?] A lot of the criticism is that it's just driven cars off of the freeway to clog up the surface streets. And causing a lot of problems there. Ah, I don't know where the, problems are on the surface streets. I know that there are some serious problems on certain on ramps of the freeway. But the surface traffic seems to be adjusting very well. [Chuckles] Thank you very much, ladies.