The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1910-03-05

Minot. has written j. B. Thompson of
Dickinson as follows regarding the
commission form of.city government:
/. The commission system has been
in operation since May "A. 1909.
2. Number of commissioners, five.
3. See the Session Laws of 1907,
where the charter we are now operating
under is to be found. We nominate
commissioners here by petition; and, as
we understand the law, cumulative vot-
ing is allowed. ...
4. Cumulative voting is allowed.
and was used in our election to q very
slight extent
S. In the opinion of the writer, the
recall. the initiative and the refer
endum are all necessary to clean, effec-
tive, responsible government of cities.
None of them are provided, however,
under the laws under which cities must
operate in North Dakota at the present
time The recall is believed to be the
most important of the three in NUM-
cipal affairs, making the responsibility
of the commissioners to the people only,
which is not only theoretical, but practi-
cal and effective.
We have passed q resolution requiring
every city appointee to file with his
oath of Office his resignation, dated
blank, for use at the pleasure of the
board of commissioners. This amounts.
to the same thing as the recall against
the commissioners. and has really
earned more money for the city of
Minot in the past five months than has
been earned in that many years prior
thereto by the city employees.
~ A doubt is entertained as to the
legality of this resolution, but it works
like house fire.
6. The president of the board Of COM
missioners receives $4,000 per year.
The commissioners receive 81. 90 per
meeting.
7. The commissioners and the presi-
dent, and every public employe of the
city. is expected to devote so much of
his time as is necessary to do the work
of the city in q ffrst-cfass manner; and
at the time when it ought to be done,
or get off the roost. 80
8. The personnel of the board of
commissioners is pretty we'll split up.
There is one member of the old council !;
two young men, and two representative
business men one of them known as
politician. In practical operation, the
politician has very little to say on the
board of commissioners, and is appar-
emily losing influence every day because
of the publicity program carried out by
the board of commissioners. which pre-
vents any combinations or cliques being
formed on the board, and renders abso-
Elutely essential full, free discussion and
action by the board of every matter. for
the reason that it is but few hours
after the board acts on matter until it
j s made public to the entire city.
9. There is no comparison between
the old and the new system, as far
as practical results in this town are con-
cerned. Effective service is being
rendered in every department of the city
under the commission system. Effec-
tive service was never rendered under
the council system in this town.
10. City employees are not protected
by law or by custom, or any sort of
civil service rules. Their ten years of
service depends entirely upon satisfac-
tory service being rendered 10 the board
of commissioners. When that service
is not satisfactory to them, they have
the power to accept the resignation
filed by any employee, with or without
setting forth any reason for their action.
ii. With reference to the difference
in expense to the city, we have been
in operation too short time to be pre-
pared to give detailed statement of
the difference, but if we allow for the
increased service to the city for the
amount expended, the difference is
large. A report of the condition of the
city for the first fiscal year will be
gotten out at the close of that time, and
will doubtless be of interest to any cities
contemplating change in North Da-
kOta. The comparison is entirely to
the advantage of the commission system.
IL. The following changes would. in
the opinion of the writer, be, OF great
value to cities operating under the COM
mission system:
a. Recall law; b. initiative; c.
referendum; d. a comprehensive elec-
tion act for cities operating under the
commission system, including in it
non-partisan elections and preferential
voting system; c. the ab0lishment of
the contract system of making city i'm
pr0vements, which would be safe bet
with the recall in operation; d. last.
but not least, system of city account
ing law should be passed, making uni
form system Of keeping the city's ac-
counts absolutely compulsory, for the
following reasons
That in time anyone. at all familiar
with the city's business would become
sufficiently familiar with q uniform
system Of accounting to detect irreeu-
larities any time. And further. in
many cities there is no system of ac-
counting worthy Of the name at all. and
| if the systems were uniform, COM
parsons would be possible between the
different cities of the state, and this
would furnish very valuable material
in the way Sof assisting and fostering a
rivalry among the different cities. for
government, and for the purpose Of max
ling it easier to be honest for those in
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