The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-10-24
M en- to Manage City At
fairs Not to Be Named
by I ouncil.
PEOPLE 10 SAY
WHO SHALL SERVE
Candidates Already in Field
Long Before New Plan of
Government Is Adopted
Finally by Committee.
City Vote Would BE
Big Factor.

Members of the proposed admins
trativc board to take charge OF city
affairs are to be elected uy the people.
according to decision on the pending
plan reached BY the special Committee
on Changes in the Form OF Govern
ment last night. Several alternatives
| were proposed and voted down. the
nae ten or fifteen names. from wh,ch
the Council should elect live. Another
suggestion that secured Stronger sup
port Was that the nrsL ave lncmuu.s
should be named by the Councli ana
the plan SO inauS urated, but mat
| thereafter membefs as their terms eA
pred would be electeu by the people.
/ Messrs. Pollock, Don Leavy and
Lynch stood out Ior popular election,
hoiainS that the proposed board would
nave large powers anu snUulu be III
and the nnal plan adopted was for u
general election IN November tonUw-
ing the proposed charter cnange Tor all
i've members, the Two Receiving Tn.
highest number of votes to be elected
for Tour years and the next three Tor
| two years Each TWO years thereafter
there Will be an election, at the tirst
for three and at inc next for two
menlpers of the board
DIR. Ecude nnd Mr. RennOIds Voted No.
Ihe committee discussed the matter
| i'll careful detail. gong over the pos
sibilities at some future time OF cor
porate interests securing control of the
electorate; the influence of the enor-
nous city employee vote as opposed TO
any executive officer who siood for
economy and efficiency in the city SER
| vice. and very frankly the existence
/ OF u party machine, which might get
control of both the board and the city
through certain political combinations
I No plan offered observation-disclosures
4 WAS no millennium In sight-but the
plan recommended was. in the judg-
ment of the committee, the most
/ Democratic, and placed the burden di-
j rectly upon the people. who, the chair
man stated. usually got as good gov
eminent as they deserved to have.
Many other phases of the report
were discussed in detail without final
action, and the committee adjourned
until tomorrow night with many
points not yet finally determined.
These are largely as to the relation
OF the proposed board to the Council,
MIR. Meredith desiring TO employ ex-
perts and give them large powers,
while others desired merely to employ
a board of competent men to aid the
Council in its work.
Afraid of Police and Fire Boards.
The committee very frankly ad-
mitted that IL was afraid at this time
to attempt to place the management
OF the Fire and Police Departments on
the proposed salaried boards, SO
strongly entrenched politically are
those departments now. 1t was agreed
that 1t was an anomaly to employ IA
board to manage streets. sewers, parks
cemeteries, water, light, the electric
plant, and many other city utilities
and operations. and Still. retain two
separate boards for the Fire and Po-
lice Departments. but the committee
admitted that as practical PROPOSE
ton II was helpless unless the citizens
went over its head to the Legislature
and demanded such a reform, irrespec-
tive of the local politicians, as was
done many years ag when the Fire
and Police Boards We're created. with
out the consent or approval OF the
Council. to take those departments out
of city politics.
Not Commission,
The consensus of opinion seemed O
be that the board should not be a
commission or even a near-commission
The State Constitution requires two
Branch Council. and b.. that clause pre-
vents an out and out commission in
the sense in which that term has be-
The Council. il was explained is
amply able to attend to Legislative
matters, the enactment of ordinances
the levyinE of taxes, the appropria-
ton of money: but 1t has come to "A
point where most of the leading Coun-
ci!men admit that they cannot give
the time to the details of committee
work. to supervise the award of con-
tracts. the employment of labor and
n i.r,- IA 90 nf .,lt
1ellaneous executive duties now im-
posed on fourteen Council committees
which meet at more or less irregular
intervals. Interfering with the Coun-
Gil itself just little as possible, it
is proposed to employ five capable men.
to be elected at large by the whole
people. who shall sit daily at the city
Hall. giving the city their entire time
performing with dispatch and care all
the duties now devolvins upon the
committees.
Has Only Executive Powers.
1t was argued that the budget
should be made out annually by lump
sGm appropriations. to such depart
ments as streets. water. light etc, thus
giving the executive board large pow
ers in determining. after comprehen-
sive survey of the whole city. where
improvements should be made and how
i the money might be expended TO the
best advantage. but in no case exceed
ing the amount appropriated by the
Council. The Council Will retain as a
legislative power the right to create
offices and to iiN compensation. but ex-
ceDt for the general officers named In
| the charter. who are elected hy tho
Council, all city employees will be elect
ed by the Board, and even the depart
ment heads will report to the Board
Il -