The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-10-21
TO BE ELECTED BY PEOPLE
An CITY COMMISSIONER TO BE
TOTED FOR IN DECElTBER.

Police and other city Departments
At the recent session of the general
assembly several laws were enacted
which directly affect the government Of
the police department and the workings
of which will be put to a test for the
first time in the near future. The two
most important of these laws are those
amending the charter of the city of New
Haven and providing for the establish
ment of a civil service commission 10
pass upon the fitness of applicants for
the police and fire departments and the
act which takes away from the board
of aldermen that which has been in for
mer years its chief prerogative, the elec-
ton of police, fire and road commission
ers.
By the provisions of the latter act
these commissioners are now to be cleo
ted by the people instead of by the
members of the board of aldermen and
| this law will go into effect at the COM
ing city election. when the successors
to Commissioners Prince and Gilhuly of
the police commission, Commissioners
Parsons and Mcdonald Of the fire COM
mission and Commissioners States and
| johnson OF the board of public works,
| all of whose terms expire on the first
Monday OF February, 1896, will be nom-
| mated in open convention and elected
| by the people at the oity election in De-
cember next.
The act which provides for the estao-
lishment of a civil service commission
was approved July /, 1895, and reads as
follows: Resolved by this assembly,
That the mayor, superintendent of po-
| lice, and superintendent of the fire de-
| partment of the city of New Haven
shall constitute a board of civil service
commissioners for the recommendation
of persons for appointment to the police
| and fire departments of said city, such
| recommendation to be based upon the
| esults of competitive examinations con-
| Quoted by the said commissioners per-
sonally, or under their supervision and
direction. They shall prepare rules no:
| inconsistent with existing laws for the
selection of persons to be recommended
| for such appointment, and shall super
wise the administration of the same. At
ter January /. 1896, no appointments
shall be made to the supernumerary
force of the police department or to the
regular force of the fire department ex-
cept from a list of persons recommend
ed by said board of civil service COM
missioners as eligible for such appoint
| ment.
| The act providing for the election of
| the several commissioners by the peo-
pie instead of by the board of aldermen
was approved by the governor July 2,
1895, and is as follows:
| Resolved by this assembly:
| Section THAT section thirty-seven
Of the charter of the city Of New Haven
be and hereby is amended to read as
| follows: There shall be in said city a
board of public works composed of six
members, a board of police commission
ers composed of six members, a board
Of fire commissioners composed Of six
members, all of whom shall be electors
residing in said city, and shall serve
without pay, but none of said police
commissioners shall, either as principal
agent or employe, be engaged in, Or di-
rectly or indirectly interested in, the
manufacture or sale of intoxicating LID
uors. The mayor of said city shall be
| ex-officio chairman of each of said
| boards and may vote in case of a tie
| exception upon the selection of voting
places in said city and town by said
board of police commissioners, and the
election or appointment by ballot or
vote of any officer or employe elected or
appointed by either of said boards, or
for the dismissal of any such officer or
employe. No person shall he a member
of more than one of said boards at the
same time, nor shall any member of the
city government be eligible to either of
said boards during the term for which
| he shall have been elected or appoint
| ed, except as herein otherwise provid-
ed No member of either of said boards
nor of the court of common council
shall furnish any materials to said city
or any department thereof or be EN-
ployed to do any work for said city, or
be directly or indirectly interested in
the furnishing of such materials or do
| ing such work. Each of said boards
| may elect one of it's number to preside
| in the absence of the mayor, and the
said several presiding officers shall be
ex-officio members of the boards of al
dermen and councilmen, and entitled to
all the privileges of members of said
boards of aldermen and councilmen, ex-
cept the right to vote. On the first
| Tuesday of December, 1895, and annual
lily thereafter the freemen of said city
shall elect by ballot from among their
number, as prescribed by law, two COM
| missioners of the police department.
| two commissioners of the fire depart
| ment two commissioners of the board
| of public works, each of whom shall
| hold office for the period of three years
from and after the first Monday of Feb
ruary next succeeding their election
and until their successors are duly elec-
| ted and qualified. No elector shall vote
| for more than one commissioner for
each of said boards, and the two can3i-
dates for the Office of commissioner of
each of said boards receiving the high
est number of votes cast at said election
shall be elected. Those commissioners
of the police department. fire depart
ment, and of the board of public works
now holding office and elected in 1894
shall hold office until the first Monday
of February, 1897. and those elected in
1895 shall hold Office until the first Mon
| day of February. 1898.
Section 2-Section thirty eight of said