Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-03-03
SHOULD He PRESIDE?
What Are the Rights Of
The Mayor?
QUESTION ABLY DISCUSSED.
Did Mayor Sayles Establish Prece-
dent That Was Wrong2

| To The Editor OF the Tribune:
| This il claimed to be year OF reforms
In our municipal government, and there
is surely need Of them In many respects.
| There is certainly one that should be made
without any delay, and as it can be ef-
fected without the help or need of any ap-
preparation, will not require new official
nor displace an old one, perhaps 1t will
meet with favorab BILE consideration and ul-
innate adoption.
The charter OF our city rests its govern
ment in a Mayor and a City Council.
With US the former is not a part of the
latter, as he is In many cases, but separate
and apart from 1t as he should be. The
| Council Is the law or ordinance making
body, the Mayor is the executive head.
| These two lines of duty or labor were in
tended to he kept apart, and the sphere or
scope OF each Is very carefully defined In
| our charter. But through an unpardon-
| able blunder in the first year OF our life as
| a city this distinction was in a measure
lost sight OF, and, following the precedent
thus established, each succeeding year has
| seen repetition or continuance of the
mistake. It should be corrected and here
after avoided, and there can be no better
time for such change than the present.
BY express provision In the charter each
constituent part OF the City Council 10
authorized and directed to choose It's own
presiding officer, and the duties of such
officers are very clearly defined. All mu-
nicipal law max ing for the city must origi-
nate In one board and be concurred In by
| the OF her, each board acting independently
OF, or without interference from, the
| nth "A ~ dol
such measures in their early stages must
be had In these two boards and decided
upon 10y the respective votes OF the mem.
bers thereof and no others; and upon
| them, and them alone, should rest the re-
sponsibility of their actions. 1t is not
fair nor right, nor was II intended,
| that any man should have two chances
either to support or defeat any measure.
The influence of Councilman ends with
| the vote OF the Councll-of an Alderman
with that OF the board. After such vote
aud action, concurrent or joint, the duty
OF the Mayor begins. This duty Is the
exercise OF approval or veto, and was no
meant to be, and ought not to be, any
| thing more. The Mayor has not only the
right OF veto, but the right OF veto and
| approval combined; that is, he may APP
| prove i'm part and IN part veto the came
|
| power OF each OF the component bodies OF
the City Council to override his veto.
This power, actually making the Mayor
superior to three Aldermen and requiring
the united action OF four to overcome II q,
is enough for the Mayor and should not
be increased, but 1t virtually IL increased
| and has been ever since our present form
| OF government went into operation.
| There is provision of { he charter which
says that the Mayor MAY preside In meet
| iDgs OF the Aldermen and in Joint con-
| ventions OF the Council. But "may" is
not "shall," }" nor was il meant nor ex.
| pected that 1t would be so interpreted.
The purpose OF those who framed our
charter, and it was work that
required and received great
deal OF careful consideration, was the re.
suit OF the experience and observations of
some very thoughtful and intelligent
men, and was perfected only after very
mature -deliberation and a great many
changes and alterations, was that each
| board, aldermen and council alike, should
do its own work unhsmpered and inde-
pendent, and that the joint work OF the
two, " hen 1t had in due course become
their Joint work and not before, should 90
to the Mayor, who is not of the Council
L
Mayor should not have nor exert any in
fuence, however slight, In the prelimina-
ry stages OF legislation that is to come be-
fore him, and him alone, for final deter
mination. He should NOT preside at the
regular routine meetings OF the Aldermen,
nor take any part, however immaterial or
| indefinite, in their proceedings. Ii is
very well known that this custom origi.
mated In the fact that the first Board OF
| Aldermen Pawtucket ever had chose a
president to suit themselves instead Of
| choosing one to suit some one else, and
| that, In consequence OF and as q sort of
| punishment for such choice, the deter
mination was announced, and carried in
to feet, that the president SO chosen
should never, or only in the very fewest
possible instances, occupy the place and
enjoy the honor to which he had been
elected by his fellow members. This was
done under cover and by he help OF that
little word "may" mentioned above. Now
this word, permissive in its nature and
meaning, and never intended to be man.
dstory or interpreted AZ such, was in.
serted in its present position In the char
ter In order that, IL and whenever II
should be necessary or proper for the City
council TO deliberate upon matters of
| special Importance iand OF general
| nature, different from regular routine
work or legislation, as for example the
, death OF President OF the United States,
| the consideration OF some great national
| calamity, or the adoption OF measures to
meet some pressing state or national
emergency, the wHoL%~f the city gov
ernment, INCLUDING the Mayor, might
| join In such action and give character
and dignity to whatever might be decided
upon. Even in such cases, however, the
vote OF the Mayor was to be cast BY him
only on occurrence of tie, by virtue of
his position as temporary presiding off,
Ger and not rs Mayor. Under the system
which has grown up. however, the Mayor
customarily sits Mt each meeting OF the
Aldermen, Influences, at least to the ex-
tent OF bis position and his official station,
the early stages OF legislation which must
subsequently come before him individu.
ally and alone for revision add approval
or rejection, and so In many instances