The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-03-08
WILL RECOMMEND CHANGES ::
IN the CITY CHARTER
Commission at Meeting Last
Evening Considered Several
Discrepancies, and Amendments
to Document Will be Framed
for Submission.

for Submission.
A meeting Of the Virginia
Charter Commission held at the
city hall last evening was attend
ed by eight out Of the fifteen men,
bers, those present being Presi-
dent Tanning, Secretary Poirier,
and Commissioners Costin, Britts,
Moore, Lamont, Gill and Hanna
ford, the primary call being to
consider the petition for an
amendment to those sections Of
the charter relating to the police
and fire commission and the pow
ers of the mayor in connection
with the police department.
The petition as presented had,
at a previous meeting, been sub
mitted to City Attorney Fesler, of
Duluth, for opinion as to it's va
lidity, and that opinion as read
was adverse to the petitioners,
Mr.. Fesler holding that in his
opinion the sixty-two names con-
tanned on the petition was insult
ticient inasmuch as shortly after
it's presentation municipal elec-
ton in this city showed a total
vote of which the 62 signers:
would not constitute five per cent.
A number of citizens were in
attendance at the meeting, in:
cluging Mayor-Elect Murphy, who
in statement made known his
views on the provisions Of the
present charter making the mayor
member ex-officio of the police
and fire commission without pow
er of vote, stating that under ex-.
isting conditions the mayor was
burdned with all the blame for
any shortcomings in the police
department while virtually hav-
ing no control over peace officers,
and that unless the charter was
SO amended as to make it more ex-
plicit that the mayor was not the
official head of the police depart
,ment, as generally accredited, he
would talk some means of inform.
ing citizens. The ideas of Mr..
Murphy met with approval of
several of those present, with the
result that motion that the po-
lice and fire commission be re-
duced to three in number and that
the mayor be an active member of
the body with power to vote was
carried, but this motion was later
reconsidered and the chair ap-
pointed a committee of three CON-
posed of Commissioners c.. E.
Moore, j. D. Lamont and Thomas
Gill to investigate all sections per-
tanning to this commission and
formulate for submission at
meeting to be held on Friday
evening next an amendment tend
ing to correct existing regula-
tons.
The commission also listened to
Attorney Pickering on points of
the charter which he considered
were inconsistent, Mr.. Pickering
citing numerous sections relating
to local improvements-howo Or
dered and how paid, and also re-
lating to the Library Board, of
which he is a member, and in
executive session at the close of
the meeting Mr.. Pickering was
employed to assist the committee
appointed in framing a correct
resolution for presentation to the
council and to voters on the police
department. regulations and also
on any points considered needful
Of remedying.
Inc Idea OF possible cOmmlS-
sion form of government being
voted by Virginians within a linn
tied time was also discussed, be-
ing brought out by statements of
Mayor Murphy, who contends
such will be the form of local gov
ernment within the next two
years. The manner in which this
form Of government is working
out in various places is being
watched by many Virginians with
keen interest, and it's success in
other places similarly situated
would tend to it's adoption here.
The commission will meet again
on Friday evening next, and no.
tices to be sent out by Secretary
Poirier will urge every member
to be in attendance or give some
valid excuse for his absence.
When presented to the council for