Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1912-05-10
A City With a General Manager
THE PLAN THAT MADE ONE DOLLAR OF CITY
MONEY DO WHAT TWO HAD DONE BEFORE.
BY L. NJ. HEWITT.

remarkable civic experience 1t Is well
Ito know something of Staunton, the
scene OF the innovation.
u 1t is not progressive town, as Des
Moines is progressive, or Memphis, or
Kansas City. 1t is an old town with
Traditions that reach back to the days
OF the Old South. The growth OF its
population is less than the natural in
crease. 1t runs to church spires and
schools rather than to smokestacks
and industries. Governor Woodrow
Wilson was born there in the manse
of the old Presbyterian church. The
manse today has new coat OF olive
green paint; otherwise it is said to
be quite the same as when old DR..
Wilson Numbered in the pulpit next
door. Woodrow Wilson removed from
stanton at the early age OF few
months. Many have followed in the
governors young footsteps. Staunton
4 has regarded their departure with
equanimity. The city has not devel-
loped much. Instead 1t has succeeded
lin raising an uncommonly fine crop
of intelligent and educated citizens.
That is why the plan came to Staun-
ton.
These intelligent and educated citi-
Zens naturally were not skilled In the
science OF town management any
more than the citizens of any other
town are skilled in this science. They
were excellent lawyers, bankers, doc
tors, merchants, and so on. In their
Town various vocations they were ex-
perts, and successful. In the city hall
(which was something quite out OF
their line, where duty came to them
as strong members Of the community
they were not expert and not sue
cessful. There is nothing exceptional
about this; you can find the same con-
Idition prevailing in thousand other
| city governments. But in Stanton.
because of the physical peculiarities
of its location, the results stood out
in a way that even the blind might
observe.
Under its old-fashioned double
council system of government, Staun-
ton had paved and kept in some sort
. of fashion its tiny business district.
The outlying district had no streets
at all This condition resulted not
, from poverty in revenues. and not
, from any direct graft on the part OF
, Its governing body. But Stanton was
, like business corporation without a
manager and with only an amateur
board of managers who gave but
small part of their time. and only a
; little more thought to the work of
directing its affairs.
This was the condition Of Staunton,
a mud town sinking beneath its in
debtedness, when few OF its Leaning
citizens began casting around for a
, means to save ii. The constitution OF
Virginia mobile old relicD requires
cities OF the first class to maintain
mayor and two branches OF the
council, the board of aldermen and
the common council. In Stanton the
complete council numbers twenty-five.
Being thus deprived of the right to
adopt government by commission.
Staunton began to search its own In
senuity to devise new scheme OF
government.
Mr.. John r. Crosby. president of
the common council; Mr.. II. H. Lang,
president of the board OF aldermen,
and Mr.. w. R. Sydnor. councilman,
were the leading spirits in furthering
the movement, and may be called the
fathers of the general manager plan.
In March, 1908, Mr.. Crosby introduced
an ordinance which was passed by the
council providing for the appointment
by the council of general manager
whose duties were prescribed as fol-
lows:
The general manager shall devote
his entire time to the duties of his
office. and shall have entire charge
and control of all the executive work
OF the city in its various departments,
and have entire charge and control Of
the heads of departments and en-
ployes of the city. He shall make all
contracts for labor and supplies, and
in general perform all OF the admins
Itrative and executive work now per-
formed by the several standing com
mittees OF the council, except the
finance, ordinance and auditing CON-
mittees. The general manager shall
discharge such other duties as may
from time to time be required of him
| nv tho council