New-York tribune., 1901-12-29
CHANGES IN THE CHARTER.
INCREASED POWER OF MAYOR AND
BOROUGH PRESIDENTS
NEW OFFICES

the trained politicians will need little time to
get accustomed to the changes. The changes
have been provided for in the amended charter
of the city.
The most striking change will be in the city's
legislative body. Instead of a Municipal Assem-
bly,. composed of a Council, with twenty-eight
members, presided over by a President of the
Council. and Board of Aldermen of sixty
members presided over by a president elected
by the board. there is to be one Board of Alder
men. consisting of seventy-three members pre-
sided over by the President Of the Board of
Aldermen, an officer elected by all the people
Of the city, and having equal vote with the
Mayor in the Board of Estimate and Apporton-
ment The President of the Board of Aldermen
IS to be the Acting Mayor in the absence of the
Mayor
The Board of Aldermen is to have powers
similar to those vested in the Municipal As
selnby. to grant franchises, pass upon plans for
improvements. fix the tax rate and authorize
payments of the city's money for various pur-
poses, Each Alderman will he a member of
board of local Improvements
For many years the control Of the cty's finan-
cal affairs has been mainly intrusted to the
Board Of Estimate and Apportionment. and
there is be great change in the composition
Of this board In the Tammany administration
the Mayor has been practically in control. be-
the Board. the Corporation Counsel and the
president Of the Department of Taxes and AS
sessments. men Of his own appointment. while
the other votes in the board are cast by the
Controller and President of the Council, elected
officers. The new Board of Estimate and APP
portionment is to consist of the Mayor. the Con-
troler the President of the Board OF Alder
men and the five borough presidents, all electe1
officers
In order that the three officers elected at large
shall have a majority Of the votes. the Magyar.
Controller and President of the Board of Alder
men are each to have three votes in the board.
while the presidents of Manhattan and Brooklyn
will have two votes each. and the presidents Of
The Bronx Queens and Richmond will have
one vote apiece.
The Board of Public Improvements is abol-
ished by the charter, and changes made in
several of the departments the heads Of which
had votes in that board. Many Of the powers
OF the defunct Board Of Public Improvements
TO authorize public improvements are conveyed
to the Board OF Estimate and Apportionment.
ard the Importance Of the latter board is thus
Increased. At the same time the Board of Esti-
mate and Apportiorlment loses OF its
powers TO authorize expenditures Of money.
make up the city budget and to vote bond issues
The Mayor IN the administration h to be
IN some respects q more powerful official than
the present Mayor. AND in some respects. par
ticularly as TO influence IN the BoaId of EST
mate and Apportionment. a weaker official HIS
term of office is only two years as compared
with the four-year term Of the present Mayor.
During his entire term of office. however. he
may remove at viii any head Of department he
has appointed. and for that reason he is TO have
full control ever the departments Of the city
government. with the exception Of the Finance
Department. which is 10 be conducted by the
Controller.
In the new syster Of city government the
presidents of boroughs are TO have powers great
ly augmented. They TO have and
voices in the Board of Estimate and Appor-
tioIment and in the Board OF Aldermen and
are to be chairmen OF the various local boards
Of improvements IN their boroughs. Then they
are to have general administrative powers over
certain bureaus composed of departments which
have been taken from the Mayors control The
Department Of Highways, the Department OF
Sewers, the Department of Public Buildings,
Lighting and Supplies and the Department Of
Buildings were abolished by the charter in order
that all their works might be under borough
supervision and performed at separate expense
In each borough.
In Manhattan Borough, as in the other bor-
oughs all the duties and powers OF the present
Commissioner of Highways and Commissioner
Of Sewers within the borough conveyed to
a Bureau of Public Works. This bureau will
be in the office of the borough president. and
vii! have a Commissioner of Public Works, to
be appointed by the president, its executive
head The borough president thus becomes re-
sponsible for all street paving repairs to pave
ments and all sewers in the borough.
The Department OF Public Buildings. Light
ing and Supplies is divided partly between the
borough presidents offices and the De-
partment OF Water Supply, Gas and Electricity.
To the borough presidents is conveyed the
power public buildings in the boroughs.
while the Commissioner Of Water Supply, Gas
and Electricity takes all the powers Of the pres
ent Commissioner Of Water Supply, and in ad
dition all the powers relating to street lighting.
The borough president will have a Bureau of
Public Buildings and Offices. for which he will
appoint superintendent.
The Department of Buildings is divided be-
tween the borough presidents, each of which is
TO have Bureau of Buildings in his office, with
Superintendent of Buildings to pass upon
plans for new buildings. President Cantor has
already designated Perez NJ. Stewart the
superintendent of Buildings in Manhattan. The
organization Of Bureaus of Buildings in Queens
and Richmond is TO be delayed for time, until
the Board OF Estimate and Apportionment and
The Board of Aldermen make appropriations for
such bureaus. Meanwhile the presidents of
Queens and Richmond TO have supervision
OF street cleaning in their boroughs
Eacn borough president is to have the ap-
pointment of five members of each local school
board, and each local board is to have as ad-
ditional members a member Of the Central Board
OF Education. living in the local district, and
scnool superintendent. These local boards are
not to be organized until February Is In Man
haitian President Cantor will have the appoint
inent Of 10 school trustees, divided among
twenty-five local boards The Board Of Educa-
uon is to consist Of forty-six members.
Under the new system Of government the De-
Pa[lments Of Law, Police, Fire, Street Cleaning,
runlic Charities and Correction will continue
under single heads appointed by the Mayor.
Instead of three Commissioners of Docks and
Ferries there is to be one Commissioner Of
soeks with a salary of $4,000 a year. who VIII
afpoint Deputy Commissioner, with a salary
stvcO. There are to be three Park Commits
Snaohers, of whom one is TO be Commissioner Of
Trafks for Manhattan and Richmond, one for
Inc Bronx and for Brooklyn and Queens
No change is made by the amended charter in
,he composition of the Board Of Taxes and