New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-14
CHATTER RESIDENCE REQUIRE
MENTS

Mayor Seidel. the Socialist executive
Of Milwaukee is less fortunately placed
to carry out his plan of appointing ex-
perts from other cities as his heads of
departments than he would be if he were
Mayor of New York. The Milwaukee
charter is said TO require the appoint
ment Of residents, and the Mayors invf-
tation TO a Chicago man TO be Health
Commissioner was signal for legal &C.
ton. In New York under the present
charter the Mayor has almost q free
hand in choosing his commissioners, and
Mayor Strong found New York's best
Street Cleaning Commissioner in Rhode
Island, while Mayor Mcclellan obtained
good Police Commissioner in Wash
ington.
The state public officers act, indeed,
requires that officers of q city shall be
residents thereof, but that qualification
can be met by the newest conner before
taking Office.
The present charter is very free from
residence requirements for city officials.
Indeed. il does not even say that the
Mayor must be a resident of New York.
The same latitude Of choice is left to
the voters in regard to filling the Con
trpllership. The Mayor may appoint
on-Tesidents as heads Of practically I'll
of the departments. the only exceptions
being the Board of Education. the trus-
tees Of Bellevue and Allied Hospitals
and the Commissioner of Docks and
Ferries. The last named shall be. says the
charter, "a resident of the city of New
York Since If does not prescribe any
period, apparently Dock Commissioner
who moved TO New York one day before
his appointment could properly hold
Office. Why an exception is made in re-
gard to the Dock Commissioner is not
clear, since the charter says nothing
about the residence of police street
cleaning. park. tax, fire, charities and
the other important commissioners.
The tendency of later charter making.
as Mr.. Albert Z. Davis pointed out in
his letter to The Tribune published yes.
terday. seems 10 be toward added re-
strictions. The WINS charter required
that the Mayor should be u resident of
the city for at least ten years before
his election. Why this restriction was
added IS not clear. The present free
dom Of choice has not produced any such
results that it is important to limit the
voters choice TO residents of ten years
standing. While it would be long time
before the people Of New York would be
ready TO go outside the limits of the
city for a Mayor. as European cities do,
q hn Citx -i-.o
and probably employ the services of
one who had lived here less than ten
years. The residence qualification in
regard 10 borough presidents in the
present charter is merely nominal. II
the WINS charter il becomes five years.
In the Twins charter the Police Commits
! Sioner is required 10 be a resident of the
city for two years and this in face Of
the fact that New York was at the time
| the charter was drafted doing well with
/ one who came recently from Wash
/ ington.
! The charter bills pending at Albany
/ follow the Twins charter except that the
! two years residence qualification for the
Police Commissionership is abandoned.
/ If they pass the Mayor must be q resi-
dent for ten years. borough presidents
/ Eve years ana tax commissioners resi-
dents "at the time of their appoint
ment- nominal requirement borrowed
from the WINS charter The choice OF
deputies I'm some eases is moro restricted
| than the choice Of heads OF departments.
| Deputy tax commissioners must be duly
qualified electors and freeholders under
the present charter. That requirement
Is also extended To deputy park commits
sioners under the charter pending ar
Albany. There are reasons for some of
these qualifications, but the great free
dom Of choice left by the existing char
ter. even if it has rarely been exercised
is good feature TO retain in the re
yised charter whenever it is adopted