Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1911-01-05


The commission plan of municipal
government is attracting wide atten-
tion throughout the United States,
and in many places where the eX-
pertinent has been tried-notably Des
Moines, Iowa-its success has been
so surprising that the idea is rapid
~ spreading.
The plan is simply an effort Of the
taxpayers to get away from costly
mismanagement by and through poll
tical parties. and to adopt modern bus
mess methods in the conduct of a
City. A city. even the size of Aber
deem, is considerable of a business
proposition, YET, under the present
system, its management is liable to
fall into the hands Of men without
any capacity for business manage
ment To remedy this condition is
no small undertaking, yet the most
sluggish man in civic affairs begins
TO sit up and take notice when his
pocket nerve is touched-and just
now 1t seems to be touched rather
roughly all over the nation.
At present So cities have adopted
the commission form of government
- in Iowa, 20 in Texas. 2 in West
Virginia, l in North Carolina, 2 in
Colorado, l in Wisconsin, l in Lou
isiana, 19 in Kansas, in Idaho, Z
in South Dakota. 2 in New Mexico
8 in Massachusetts, 10 in Oklahoma
3 in North Dakota, ) in Tennessee
l in Mississippi. 4 in California, | in
Minnesota, in Michigan, in Mis-
souri, and in Washington.
In addition to these cities Buffalo,
\. Y. is seeking a commission char
ter and on December 10, Pittsburg,
Pa, through the chamber of COM
merce, made a unanimous recommen-
dation for modified form of COM
mission government.
The action Of the Aberdeen Cham
Der Of Commerce, at its luncheon
Tuesday. in appointing committee
to investigate the adyisability of fran
ing d bill for the coming legislature,
providing this plan for second class
cities has been forestallod by North
Yakima. The bill was prepared by
State Senator Allen and a committee
Of the Commercial club of that city.
and has been adopted by the club as
a whole.
1t provides for that form of gov
ernment in all cities of not less than
5000 or more than 10000, when adopt
ed by a majority vote. The admins
tration of the affairs of the city is
vested in a mayor and two commits
sioners, whose salaries are fixed ac-
cording TO population. Under this law,
the mayor of Aberdeen would receive
$1,000 year and the commissioners
$4,000, and would be expected to de-
vote their entire time to the city.
The city government is divided,
for apportionment of labor as well
as responsibility, into three depart
ments-public safety, finance and
accounting and streets and public i'm
prOvements. The mayor is to be SUI
perintendent of the department of
public safety and the other two
commissioners are to be elected to
head the other departments at their
first meeting.
Heads of departments under the
commissioners are to be elected by a
majority of the commissioners, ma.
jority in all cases being two of three
and quorum of two being necessary
to do business. The elective Offices
are firemen, city health officer, ply
sician, library trustees, etc.
officers and employees are strictly
prohibited from having any interest
whatever in firms doing business
with the city. Free passes are pro
hibited except for police and fire de
partment.
The commissioners or mayor may
be removed at any time by means
of the recall. A petition signed by
electors entitled to vote for the sue
cessor of the man to be removed
equal in number to at least 35 pei
cent of the vote for mayor at the pre-
vious general election, is necessar.
20 call the election.
The referendum in legislation i:
provided for also. When % pc
cent of the qualified electors petitiol