Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1911-09-14
CABINET" MEETS
LAST MONDAY
ADVISORY BOARD HOLDS ITS FIRST
MEETlNC--SK MEMBERS
PRESENT


Jackson's "Cabinet'' or Advisory
Board, appointed short time ago,
was held Monday afternoon in the
council rooms. Six of the eight
members appointed we're present,
the other two being out of the
city. Mayor Jackson in opening
the meeting mentioned his pur-
pose in having an advisory board
and to further explain what he ex-
pected Of the members he read the
following article from Worlds
Work on the Mayors Cabinet
in Kansas City, stating that this
article set forth his ideas clearly:
The article follows: II IT,
This idea that the citizens have
a right to see how the city's busi-
ness affairs are run and to take an
active part in them, is what Mayor
Darius A. Brown of Kansas City
has based his mayors cabinet"
on. Kansas City has not tried
commission government. This is
the first attempt made to gain the
services of variety of private
citizens as assistants in running a
city. Mayor Brown said after
entering Office:
II don't think any man is able
to run a city as it should be run
if he must depend solely upon the
advice, counsel, and assistance of
party leaders and politically elected
officials. l know I am not wise
enough to do this. l need help.
The help that I get from the COM
mon council and from the heads of
departments may be good enough
as far as it goes. But it does not
represent the kind of help that
could be and should be got from
the most progressive citizens, the
ones who are doing the most for
Kansas City. Every such organi-
zation as the Commercial Club, the
City Club, the Medical Association,
the Board of Trade, the Labor
Council, the Builders Exchange,
and the Press Club, has the ability
to furnish expert assistance in
running the city. 1t is its duty to
do so. want cabinet of citizens
to meet with me in the city hall
each Monday and help give the
city a business administration"
Mayor Brown had been elected
by the leaders of the Republican
machine. OF the men whom he
invited to assist him in directing
Kansas City several had opposed
his election. They came into the
first meeting curious to know
what the mayor meant to do,
skeptically on the watch for some
political trick. They found the
mayor waiting with the heads of
the city departments. These lat
ter had brought figures and statis-
tics representing the work of their
offices. 1t was like a business
meeting with managers reporting
to directors and the president of
the board calling for suggestions
and information.
The business sense of these
trained business men soon asserted
itself. They knew. They began
to check up figures on city ex-
penses, to recommend changes, to
get interested. Now every Mon
day afternoon you may find doz-
en- private citizens-doctors, mer-
chants, reporters, lawyers. en-
gineers- assembled with the mayor
and city officials of Kansas City,
thrashing over the city's business
and striving to get it done as
cheaply and as we'll as possible.
So wide is this representation of
citizens that it may be said that all
Kansas City knows what is taking
place in the city hall and takes a
share in doing it. The cabinet has
not hing to do with legislating for