New-York tribune., 1910-01-28
WILLIS PUT OUT
OUSTED ON CHARGES.
Mayor Drops ETecutiUe Secre-
tary after Hearing.

William A. Willis, who had been execu-
1--WE secretary in the Mayors office since
January, 1906, was removed by Mayor Gay
nor late yesterday afternoon. The removal
followed a hearing onscharges. that he had
Illegally altered designations by the Board
of City Record of newspapers to which GER
tain advertisements should be sent.
The order of removal was given for SER
vice to Lieutenant Kennel attached TO the
Mayors office. about o'clock. When Mr..
Willis, who, after the hearing, had been
waiting not far away. heard of the order
he went back to the City Hall "to save
Kennel the trouble of looking him up,
he said
Counsel for Mr.. Willis is considering APP
plying for mandamus compelling the
Mayor to reinstate his client. For that rea-
son he probably will appear to-day when
the Municipal Civil Service Commission
continues it's hearing on the proposition to
transfer the office of executive secretary
from the classified to the exempt class. 1t
would be of no use for him to fight for re-
tnstatement to A place that had been made
exempt
At the hearing by the Mayor a list of 1S2
designations of newspapers that had been
changed was presented. 1t covered period
from June, 1907 TO September 1908. The
Board of City Record decides what news
papers are TO receive certain advertise
ments. and the designations are signed by
the members of the board and later go to
the office of THE City Record" The rec
ords showed that the substitutions forming
the basis of the charge had been made in
ink and initialled wv. A w" 1t is un-
derstood that Mr.. Willis told the Mayor
that the substitutons were made because
the papers originally named were not sup
porting the administration.
Affidavits were received from ex-Con-
troller Metz and Assistant Corporation
Counsel Stirling, who represented his office
or the Board of City Record, saying that
they had no knowledge of the substitutions.
That substltutions had been made in ad-
vertising designations of the Board of City
Record was first brought out by the Cas-
sidy committee of the Legislature, which
investigated the Finance Department in
1908. 1t was found that some of the
changes in designation had been initialled
"F. OBJ" but these did not figure in the
proceedings yesterday.
There was a suggestion yesterday that
some of the contracts let as a result of
the advertisements in papers not author
lied by the Board of City Record might
be declared Illegal and that much confu-
sion might result It is believed, however,
that nothing Of the sort will occur as
most of the advertisements are understood
to have been of minor Importance.
The place of executive secretary, to which
is attached A salary of 5000 a year, was
transferred from the exempt to the classi-
fed list at the instance of Mayor McClel-
Ian some time ago. Mr.. Willis had been
as close to the Mayor as any one in the
city, and Mayor Gaynor did not fancy hav-
ing him in what was practically a conf
Dental office.
Since the Mayor took Office he has given
Willis nothing to do. His work was done
by Philip Kohler the Mayors former prl-
vate secretary, whom he retained at his
own expense. But Mr.. Willis did not take
the hint to resign. When the Municipal
Civil Service Commission, therefore, took
steps to have the place of executive secre-
tary placed in the exempt class it was
thought that the Mayor had asked for such
action. Not only did the Mayor deny this
but he wrote letter in which he told the
commission that he desired it 10 act on its
own judgment and to be influenced not at
all by what might be personally agreea BILE
10 him.