WASHINGTON -- After two years in Washington, John E. Taylor still considers himself an outsider, and he'd like to keep it that way.
As executive director of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a group of more than 300 public advocacy groups, Mr. Taylor wants to bring the view of outsiders to lawmakers and regulators.
"My life is not having being a Washington player; I don't give a darn about that," he said. "It's about making a difference and having an impact, and that's what his coalition is about."
Mr. Taylor and his group have gained new-found prominence in Washington as community development issues have moved center stage. Mr. Taylor has testified on Capital Hill. He's lunched with Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry B. Cisneros. He has met countless lawmakers and administration officials.
Turf Battle
But the growth of the coalition, along with Mr. Taylor's ascent in Washington, has not come without some dissent among community and consumer groups. Politically astute national groups - even some of the coalition's members - have found themselves battling the newcomer for precious capital turf.
Mr. Taylor's wall is lined with photos of him and big names: President Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy 2d, D- Mass., and Paul Simon (the singer, not the senator).
This summer, he turned down a request from President Clinton to speak at a Rose Garden ceremony launching the administration's community development proposals. Instead, he asked that Irvin Henderson, president of this coalition and a Henderson, N.C., public advocate, speak.
"I always prefer to have local people," he said. "I think the message neds to be brought from the front lines."
"Mind you I'm not shy," he added. "But I'd prfer to have people who participate in the coalition in the spotlight."
Odd Couple
The three-year-old organization has an unlikely duo to thank for its existence: Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Pa., and Rep. Kennedy. In 1991, Rep. Kanjorski proposed exempting small banks from Community Reinvestment Act laws, a move that gathered some support in the House. In response to the assault, Rep. Kennedy challenged community activists to develop a formal, cohesive voice.
Several national groups - including Acorn, the Center for Community Change Local Initiative Support Corp. and the Enterprise Foundation - together launched the coalition. In 1990 if had 16 members.
"This represented an effort by the national groups to broaden support to another level," said Allen Fishbein, general counsel of the Center for Community Change and a NCRC board member. "We wanted to make sure every organization that had a stake in CRA had a means of participating as fully as possible in public policy deliberations."
Boston Accent
Mr. Taylor, who has degree from Northestern University, is,the group's first executive director. The first tip-off that the hasn't been in Washington, D.C., for long is his thick Boston accent. Couple the accent with his strong jawline, and you'd almost think Jay Leno had come to town to push CRA.
Mr Taylor's colleagues say he has a big heart and down-to-earth style. And they praise him for his years of hands-on experience, including a decade running a community development corporation in Somerville, Mass.
"John is one of those community reinvestment advocates who has first-hand experience with community development needs." Mr. Henderson said.
"John's proficient at getting to the bank to understand what the community needs are, but he's also able to understand the problems of the bank," said Richard Walker III, head of the Boston Fedhs community affairs program, who remembers Mr. Taylor well from his Boston days.
A few, though, fault Mr. Taylor for his haphazard management style and lack of Washington savvy. That's the flip side of being an outsider.
Some of the coalition's national members, those with long histories in Washington, have even distanced themselves from the organization since its inception. Although CRA has moved center stage, some say, there's only so much room in the limelight.
While the coalition may represent the most diverse membership - national, regional and local groups - it has a less established, more seat-of-the-pants feel to it than other big players in public advocacy field.
Mr. Taylor and his five siblings grew up in the Roxbury section of Boston, "in what is affectionately known as the projects," he said. He remembers shining shoes outside of bars and selling newspapers. And at the age of 15 he had a life-changing experience.
"I was going nowhere fast, when a family in the suburbs took an interest in me and sort of adopted me, plucked me out of the ghettos," he said. He moved into their home 20 miles outside of Boston in the suburb of Canton.
"That changed my life, turned me around," he said. He added, "I never forgot where I came from and still haven't."
The National Community Reinvestment Coalition has a strong interest in the bank regulators' reform of CRA. The group is anxious to see the agencies follow through on their promise to focus on more objective standards and toughen enforcement of the law.
"If we had a regulatory agency that took this stuff as seriously as they take safety and soundness we probably would have accomplished a lot more," he said. "For the better part of ten years, let's face, it this act was largely ignored."
The key to CRA is cooperation, between lenders and community groups, Mr. Taylor said. He likes proposals requiring lenders to work closely with the public to develop community needs plans.
Mr. Taylor and his wife, Susan Forward, live in the Washington's Chevy Chase neighborhood. Ms. Forward works on fair housiing issues with Assistant Secretary Roberta Achtenberg at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He has a 16-year-old son from a previous marriage, who still lives in Boston.
"I took like your typical white middle-class professional, but I've never lost the soul and I developed early in life, and that drives me," he said. "When things are tough, when things seem insurmountable, that's where I reach deep, and that fuels the fire everytime."
