Arizona republican., 1911-05-21

few years, control of affairs becomes
 a political issue again. There is, how
 eyer, this much to be said for the
 commission system-it is at least no
 worse than the old system, and it has
 the advantage which comes from con
 centrated authority and responsibility.
 What every city of moderate size
 needs is a business manager-let his
 title be mayor, commissioner, or some
 thing else. The little city of Staun-
 ton, Virginia, has tried out the sys-
 tenn of employing a business manager.
 apart from the regular mayor and council, and has found the plan d
 good one. As related by the Louis
 vile Courier-Journal, the city Of 1 Staunton decided to employ a business
 manager. but did not do away with
 the mayor or the city council. The aldermanic system was not interfered
 with. There was simply to be a business manager who would report
 to the council just as any business manager in any corporation would
 report to the directors of the corpor-
 ation, and what was done by the ! business manager had to be homolo- gated by the council
 The gentleman employed was MT Ashburner During his first year of work he more than saved the city his
 salary. He hired everybody that was employed by the city. He bought the coal, purchased the material for paving the streets, entered into con-
 tracts whereby private citizens could
 get materials cheap for paving the sidewalks in front of their homes, made the fire department one of the most efficient in the country, and in other ways was so successful that at the end of his first term of service he was reelected and has been reelected annually ever since. All the city CCun- cil did was to sit down and ratify
 the managers acts. Of course there were kickers. just as there always are, and politicians who wanted friends appointed to jobs, or who wanted jobs themselves. and all the little would-be grafters who were sure that a business manager was just tFN thing the town ought not to have; and they were insistent enough, so insistent. in fact, that Mir Ashburner has resigned his position, not because he did not know how to meet these annoyances but because his health has given way under the strain of too much work. and he is suffering from nervous prostration.
 The Staunton plan would, we are confident, prove profitable for the city of Phoenix. Our mayor and councilmen, honest and public spir- tied as they are. cannot give the ar fairs of the city the most efficient management possible, for they receive no pay for their services and they cannot afford to give to details the time which the public welfare really demands. As it is. they give to the public far more time than they can afford. If our charter only permitted a salary for the mayor, it would be proper for the city to clothe it's mayor with much greater authority. make him its business agent and manager, and pay him a salary Of five thousand dollars a year for all his time and services. But this cannot be done until we secure a new charter. Mean while, it would be practicable to em- ploy a capable man for the general duties of auditing the city's accounts, l buying it's supplies. employing its laborers and overseeing their work. ! He could have the title of superin- 1 tendent of streets. for example and | if an adequate salary were paid the | city would be the gainer to an | amount greater than the salary paid. !