Roger Starr

Roger Starr (April 16, 1918 – September 10, 2001) was an intelligence officer during World War II, a businessman active in community organizations, and New York City housing administrator until his removal. He later became a writer for the New York Times. One of his books was titled The Living End.

Early life and education Starr was born in Manhattan in New York City, on April 16, 1918. He attended Yale University as an undergraduate and joined the United States Army and the Office of Strategic Services during World War II where he challenged military segregation. Upon his return after the war he went to work as a writer for CBS. Starr took over his father's construction company in 1945; he ended his leadership role in the company in 1974. Starr maintained the organization's advocacy for government role in development. His early political ideology leaned towards the teachings of Trotsky, developing into a supporter of the New Deal but later in life becoming a neoconservative.

Starr was appointed head of the New York City's Housing and Development Administration (HDA) in 1973 by Mayor Abraham Beame. In 1976,Starr proposed a "planned shrinkage" in New York: this is now more commonly known as municipal disinvestment. Starr wanted to accelerate the abandonment of certain neighborhoods such as the South Bronx by cutting support for their welfare programs, forcing inhabitants to move elsewhere. The shrinkage was seen as unhelpful to the solution of the underlying problem, which was flaws in the welfare system. The same reviewer said that "everyone who reads the book will find the author's arguments well developed and expressed", showing that Starr's literature was well developed in places, even if his argument was judged as immoral. This review of his works claims Starr says that this subject (arguing for planned shrinkage) is difficult to discuss in an environment of housing policy-makers who take a liberal, optimistic view of people's behaviour. Starr's analysis of the then-current problems in the government's attempt to provide decent accommodation for the nation was described as "pessimistic".

The views expressed in Starr's 1985 book The Rise and Fall of New York City was described by one reviewer as "cranky"! The book went into detail on Starr's harsh opinions on welfare and its recipients.

Starr's book Housing and the Money Market was received quite favourably as a guide suitable for the general public.

Selected publications

After the HDA, Starr wrote editorials for The New York Times, starting in 1977. Starr retired in 1992 and moved to Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains, where he took up fly fishing as a hobby.

Death In early 2001, Starr suffered a debilitating stroke. Later that year, on September 10, 2001, he died of pneumonia in Easton, Pennsylvania. He was survived by his second wife, Jody Ward Green, and his two sons Adam and Barnaby.