The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-03-23
TRIES new FORM
OF GOVERNMENT

/ mat Is declared by experts to be the
most advanced practical plan Of
municipal government by commission
in America is now i'll operation in
| Spokane. Five commissioners, chosen
from among 92 candidates at special
election on March Z, when women ex-
ercised the right of the ballot for the
| first time in the history of the city,
were formally inducted into Office on
March IA, retiring Mayor Nelson S.
Pratt and ten councilmen. The com
mission has been organized as follows:
| Mayor and commissioner of public
| affairs, William j. Hindley, formerly
pastor of Pilgrim Congregational
church.
Vice chairman and commissioner of
finance Robert Farley, formerly city
comptroller.
| Commissioner of public utilities,
Charles M. Fassett, formerly president
of the Spokane chamber of commerce.
Commissioners of public works, David
G. Coates, printer, former lieutenant
governor of Colorado.
Commissioner of public safety, Fora
| f. Hayden, retired lumber mill operat-
or and capitalist.
The first three were elected for
terms of five years, the last named for
three yars The salary is $4,000 a
year, the bond of each being fixed at
$25 900.
The commissioner Of public affairs
appoints and supervises the city en-
gineer, corporation counsel and in
spector of weights and measures; the
commissioner of finance controls the
books and offices of the city treasurer
and auditor; the commissioner of pub
lie utilities has charge of the city
water works and power plant, street
railway, telephone and allied affairs;
the commissioner of public works has
supervision of streets, pavements and
sewers, and the commissioner of public
safety controls the police and fremen
| The commissioners also look after the
ramifications of their various duties
and may change and alter these by
agreement.
Three civil service commissioners, to
| be appointed to serve without pay,
demand the merit system, examina
tions, probations, Investigations and
| removals on charges. The purpose is
to make permanent all municipal APP
lpcintments, calling for special fitness,
50 that faithful public official may
plar a career and fit himself according
| ly, without fear of displacement by
disfavor.
| Another feature of the charter is
the provision for publicity. All the
meetings are open to the public, and
all ordinances and other notices mist
be published in the Official Gazette,
which is distributed free of charge
The mayor has no veto power
The charter provides for the initia-
I've and the referendum and the re-
cali. Fifteen per cent of the vote is
required to recall any commissioner
who has been remiss or unsatisfactory
| IN his duty.
missioners is ingenious. Twenty FIVE
electors may nominate candidate by
| taking an oath that he is qualified and
a desirable man and that they desire
| to vote for him.
The ballot contains the names of all
| the candidates in alphabetic order,
| followed by spaces marked for first,
second and third choice. The voters
mark Is crosses on the ballot, voting
for five men as first choice, five 9th.
ers as second choice and five as third
choice. However, they NAV vote for
third choice the entire list after elimi
mating first and second choice
The majority of all votes cast elects
on the first choice. Then the votes for
the candidates, who are unsuccessful in
the first choice column and are in the
second choice column, are counted Ao
select the rest. If five candidates
having a majority of first and second
choice votes are not elected, the votes
of the third choice are counted with
the stragglers of the other two and the
third choice selections fill out the
| FIVE. The third choice men are elected
by a simple majority.
The Spokane plan varies from all
others by making the contest a free
for-all and not designating the office
sought There were 81 candidates at
the beginning of the recent campaign.
Three defined to make the race and
two withdrew just before the election.
IT provides that candidates must not
spend more than $3.50 during the cam
paign, also making it compulsory to
submit an itemized statement of ex
penditures, and no paid workers, ear
riages or other conveyances are per
mittel on election day.
Party lines are absolutely obliterat
ed and personalities are eliminated
The candidate must take an oath that
he represents no political party in the
election nor any special interests.
Spokane did not win its new govern
ment without a series of stubbornly
| fought battles. Late last fall Mayor
Pratt Democrat, working with a Re
publican council, composed of legisla
| tive and administrative branches, in
formally appointed committee o.
business men to prepare charter un
der the commission form. The draft
was presented to the city council three
months afterwards, but the ten repre-
sentatives paid little or no attention
to it.
A petition, signed by more than 30
per cent of the voters, was then sub
mitted to the council. This urged the
appointment of Is free-holders to for
mulate n charter The council grant