The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-12-09
The Commission Plan Here

The Commission, Plan Here.
Under the charter used by Bemidii
at present, city business is looked af-
ter by series of committees consist
ing of councilmen and appointed by
the president of the council. These
committees act under the direction of
the entire council. The city has a
clerk who is largely bookkeeper
and who has practically no authority
to care for city business or property
except under, the. direction of the
council.
The city has mayor who attends
council meetings but who has no vot-
ing power. He recommends the DO
lice for appointment so is virtually
the head of the force. He has sundry
powers but is not real executive
head as the power of action is center
ed in the council. The council ap-
points street commissioner who is
without discretionary powers and
who acts under orders OF the street
committee: 1t also appoints a JAM
tor and fire wagon driver but the
h1 h,,:l
mittee and the driver under the fire
committee.
None Of the councilmen are paid
for their services to the city and vet
they are required. to meet twice a
month and spend long evening on
city business. Is it any wonder,
then, that during the intervening
time they prefer to attend, to their
own business and let the city busi-
ness slide? When the fire insurance
men met here last spring the
assistant state fire marshall ordered
that one Of the stoves in the city hall
be boxed in as there was danger of
fire in it's present position. The jan
itor knows this and so does the coun-
Gil, yet he is without authority to
have the matter remedied. The build
ing committee of Messrs: Kline, Grip
pen and Smart evidently have been
too busy with their own affairs to see
to this change.
Many people want a skating rink
made on the lake. That matter was
taken up with the street commission
or who said that he acted under or
ders of the street committee of
Messrs. Moberg, Smart and Bisiar.
They will Investigate, report to the
council and then the rink may or
may not be made. A sidewalk or
crossing may be wanted somewhere
in town. The matter must be taken
through several different hands be-
fore any final action can possibly be
taken. All of this red tape means de-
lay and incidentally a scattered re-
sponsibility that is bad for all con-
cerned. If the city hall catches fire
from the stove condemned by the
state and burns to the ground, who is
to blame under our present form of
government?
A proper charter will give Bemid-
il one or three men to- do the work
now handled by the council through
it's many committees. These men
should be men financially responsible,
should be under bond and paid for
their work. Then the people will
have someone to look to for actual
quick results. Such commission
can stop the thousands of leakages
which exist here today and which are
no small factor in making the city
taxes what they, are. The present
city government probably was all
right in the days when men had plen-
ty of time, the city was small and
personal interest was great. It is
antiquated now. .@@~4e '.>.'i,=5.' +
- The movement: started in Calves
ton and Des Moines is sweeping the
country. Why? Because it is the
business government ofsthe twentieth
century. Bemidji must get it's city
affairs on a business basis and the
sooner the better. -:~..ss - =: =" L.. T..
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