Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-14
Charter Commiss
Complet es Draft

The City Charter Commission, COM
posed of committees from the NUM-
clpal improvement Leageu, the Bust
ness Mems Association, the Board of
Trade and the Ohio Valley Trades and
Labor Assembly, has completed the
first and longest stretch of its labors,
and within few days will issue in
printed form for free distribution the
charter establishing a commission
form of government for Wheeling,
which it is hoped to have passed by
the next legislature and subsequently,
by the citizens of the city by popular
vote.
"Five for Fifty"
The slogan for the first has been
five for fifty" meaning the abolition
of both branches of the city council
and all ward lines and the creation of
City Commission of five men, one
of whom shall be the mayor, at a
salary of $4,000 year, and four COM
missloners at salary of $4,000 each.
Many Amendments.
Many changes have been made to
the original draft, which was a copy
OF the Des Moines charter, the chief
changes being in the matter of refer
endum and recall percentages, condi-
tons OF employment for city employees,
the right to acquire the bridges, and
Safeguarding elections
. Initiative, Referendum and Recall.
The Initiative, Referendum and Re-
all are provided, the percentage nee
essary to call for an election being re-
duced to Is in the case of legislation
and 20 in the case of recall +
Officials Must Cut Clear.
A provision was adopted requiring
the elected officials to be entirely free
from corporations, accept no passes,
ete., and have no other active employ
ment.
Election Laws.
An amendment was adopted provid-
ing that the general election laws of
The state should apply to primary cleo
tions in the city. Heretofore all
crookedness has gone unpublished on
the explanation that there was no state
law covering political party primaries.
The election of the commission will
be by two ballots, the first, by which
any one with 25 signatures to a petit
ton can get upon the ballot for any OF
the five offices, and the second, or final
6alloting, by which the two highest in
the primary election shall contend for
the office of mayor and the eight
highest in the primary shall contend
for the four commissionships. The
precincts existing for county and state
elections shall be the city precincts
so far as practicable.
Civil Service.
The Board of Commissioners is
made a legislative and executive body
and may enact ordinances as the city
council does at present 1t is made
a civil service board for the fire and
water departments of the city and has
the-tight to establish civil service rules
for other department except the polfce,
which is specified to be two year term
for chief and his men, all appointments
to be subject to the Commission, and
all members of the department eligible
for continuous reaApointme1G
Will Ha9e Vote. H.
The charter which9will still be open
to amendment at a public meeting yet
to be announced, and to which every
citizen is invited, will be submitted to
the legislature with the provision that
it shall not become effective until rati-
fed BY the people Of Wheeling at am
election to be held on the fourth Tues
unJ AO4AO W1A6@IAO passage ny Tic lO6IS.
lature. 1t is believed that this will
fall about one month before the regular
city election, so that, if the charter
passes, the city can start in this year
on the new plan.
"a No Party Designations.
There will be no party designation
on the ballots if the charter passes.
All candidates for each office will be
placed in one column, alphabetically.
Other Features.
Other features of the new charter. of
great interest are the section limiting
franchises by law to 80 years instead
of so, clause giving the city to sell
electricity for private consumption, a
right which it does not enjoy now, and
clause giving the city the right to
buy and sell heat, electricity. water
and gas.