The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-01-03

There was a general discussion of
the situation which confronts city
councils in cities of the various classes,
and the meeting decided to ask the leg
islature for certain changes in the law
which would practically revolutis aize
the cities and towns laws.
Under the present law the mavof ap-
points all members of the various
boards make the other appointments.
The council has nothing whatever to
say about any of these matters. The
system is one-man system. with the
mayor Responsible to the people for the
mana cement of the city's business.
The councilmen who attended the
meeting believe that the council should
have something to say about these mat
tiers. They will have a bill prepared
by committee for Introduction in the
legislature which would provide that
In cities of the first and second classes
the city council shall have the power
to initiate public Improvement rasolu-
tons the same the board OF works
now has. Under the present law the
Improvement resolution must originate
with the board of works and after
favorable action by the board il is sent
TO the council for ratification. Then it
| into execution.
| that the board of works shall retain
this power, but the council shall also
have tho power to originate such mat
tiers and then send them to the board
| OF works. II the board of works re-
! fuses to ratify the resolution and sends
| it back to the council with a veto the
| council may pass 1t over the board S
| veto by two thirds vote OF all OF the
elected members of the council.
| 1t is said by some OF the councilmen
! that In many instances the board of
works in some of the cities, especially
those which are growing rapidly, re-
| fuse to order an improvement which -
badly needed, and there is no way TO
proceed in such cases. Under the pro-
posed plan the Improvement could be
made even IL the board did not want to
do Ii.
In cities of the third, fourth and ffth
classes. the bill will make the same
provision in regard to the origin OF
Improvement resolutions as are in
cluded for cities of the first and second
classes. But will provide further in the
smaller cities that the council shall
have something's to say about the APP
-
boards of the city This part of the
bill has not been worked out in detail
but ii is believed that 1t will provide
that the council shall name the board s
or that the council shall ratify or reject
the nominations made by the mayor for
members of the boards
The councilment say they are positive
that such law would be a good thing
for the various cities, as 1T would be
return to a popular form of govern
ment instead of clinging to what the,
. declare is now one-man government
The following members of a commit
tee were appointed to prepare the bill
for introduction into the legislature
and the committee will meet within tn,
: next few days and take up this work
: w. H. Johnson, Indianapolis C. A. Han
f ly. Michigan City: Marcus Castleman
Gary.
"A commission form OF government
| in which all OF the authority is veste
in a commission of half a dozen men i
o preferable to the present form of gov
eminent in third and fourth class elite
in which the mayor is an absolute die
:. tator.'
& This is the statement that Henr
/ Whitaker, president pro tenn of the In
!, diana state Association OF Councilmer
/. made in his address to tht 43 member
:. of this new organization who wer
: present at the Indianapolis meeting
s. There was large attendance G
:. lcouncilmendlr rom Hammond. Gary. an
/ East Cbensip and the interest in thi
a orgap affair in Northern Indiana
k spndred dohearly every city in tn