The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-01-05
DESIRE ChlNeE N
!. CITY .cAARIER
Petitioners Would Have Charter
: Commission, Submit Amend
ment Making Police Force
More Amenable to Mayor

More Amenable to Mayor
Responsive. to a petition signed
by fifty-six free-holders, President
M. E. Tanning, of the Virginia
Charter Commission, requested
Secretary Poirier to call a special
meeting of that body on Tuesday
to consider the points named in
the document, but the lack Of a
quorum being in attendance multi
fed the effort.
The petition asked for the sub
mission Of an amendment to the
existing charter, with a view to
having same placed on the ballot
at the coming municipal election,
to sections 1853 and 1854 to make
said sections to read as follows {:
Section 163. Officers. At it's
first regular meeting of each cal
endar year the commission shall
elect from it's members a vice
president. The city clerk shall be
ex-officio clerk Of the commission
and shall keep it's records without
extra compensation. The mayor
shall be an ex-oficio member of
such commission and the president
thereof.
Section 164. Appointments,
Terms. All members and en-
ployes Of the police and fire de-
partments shall be appointed by
and hold Office during the pleasure
| of said commission and shall re-
ceive such compensation as shall
be fixed by the commission; pro-
vided that the mayor shall at any
time have the right and authority
to remove or discharge any mem
Der or employe Of the Police De.
partment when in his judgment
the best interests of the city re.
quire such removal or discharge,
Notwithstanding any provisions in
this charter to the contrary.
The lack of quorum at the
meeting and the fact that at least
one member Of the Charter Com.
mission has removed from the city
since appointment Mr.. D. B. Nj
Donald, has caused application tc
be made to the district court fol
the appointment of successor tt
the member named, and it is not
unlikely another call for a meet
ing to consider the terms of the
petition will be called shortly
although the failure of the body
to meet at this time will eliminate
all possibility Of placing thu
proposition before the voters Al
the regular election.
| The petition recites that tn,
signers believe that when it il
commonly understood that tn
mayor is responsible for the goo(
order of the city that he should
have some control over the polio,
force, that he has none now, an(
the fact that he shall have tn
power to remove any police of
ficer or employee of the police
department, even though he doe
not exercise the power, will tent
to give him such control as shall
be adequate to uphold his RICH
as the executive head Of such de
partment and therefore response
bic for it's efficiency.
I The point is seemingly wei
taken, although at the time Of tn
passage of the charter the conten
ton of those favoring the estab
lishment Of the police and fir
commission was that such &C
would take these departments GU
Of local politics and make employ
es subservient to civil service
rules. And while under the char
ter the mayor is naught but ;
fgure-head insofar as the mem
bers of the police and fire depart
ments are convened, he has Ger
tainly received the censure of many
for the open manner in which tn
city has been permitted to ru1
insofar as the state laws relating
to saloons, especilly, are concern
ed.
| There is also before the charter
commission a proposition, in it
incipiency, of the passage Of I
commission form of government
for the city, based on lines to b.
worked out later.