The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1913-11-15
MANAGER PLAN
Special Committee Named by
Municipal League Strong
ly Endorses Ii

Toronto. Nov. 15.-The city man
ager plan Of municipal government was
Endorsed at the nineteenth annual
meeting Of the municipal league by
the special committee appointed two
and a half years ago at the Richmond
meeting to stady commission govern
ment and its developments.
Commission government at present
rules more than 1000, 900 persons in
800 cities and towns. The supporters
of the plan are divided as to whether
commissioners should be elected for
specific posts as in Lynn, Mass. or on
q general ticket with power to divide
the departments among themselves
after election as in Galveston and Des
Moines. The majority of the commit
tee, however. reported that neither
solution was as sound as that of elect
ing a commission purely representative
and legislative in function. permitting
the members to give only part time to
municipal work and receive nominal
salaries or none, and leave the chief
executive work to a city manager hired
by the commission from anywhere in
| the country and holding Office at its
| pleasure. This manager controls the
remaining city employees under civil
sci vice provisions.
The first city manager plan was
en- bodied in a charter prepared for
Lockport, N. ", in 1911. The propo-
%sition. however, failed to get the APP
prevail of the state legislature, The
plan first went into effect at Sumter.
is. c.. January 1, 1913. Since then
it has been adopted by Hickory and
M~orgsntown, N. c.; Dayton and
springfield, o.; Grande, Ore; Phoe-
nix, Ariz., and Morris, Mimi.
The advantages of the plan as point
ed ont by the committee were:
1t creates a single handed admins
t~rative establishment instead of the
five separate establishments seen in the
Des Moines plan. The administrative
authority makes for harmony between
municipal departments since all ART
subject to " common head.
The city manager plan permits ex
pertness in administration at the point
where it is most valuable, namely, a,
the head.
1t permits comparative permanent,
in the Office of the chief executive
whereas In all plans involving ~electiv,
executives long tenures are rare.
1t permits the chief executive to mi
CRATE from city to city. Thus an ex
~perienced man can be summoned a
advanced salary from a similar post il
another city.
While giving single headed admins
t~ration, it abolishes the one man powe,
seen in the old mayor and council
plan. The manager has no dependenc,
and the city need not suffer from hi
personal whims OF prejudices, zinc,
he is subject to instant correction O
even discharge by the commission
Likewise in the commission each mem
ber's individual whims or prejudice
are safely submerged and averaged il
the combined judgment of the who'll
comm ission. since no member exert
any authority in the municipal gov
eminent save as n voting member o
the commission.
1t abaLdons all attempts to choos
administrators by popular election
This is desirable because it leave
the lines Of responsibility unmistak
ably clear, avoiding the confusion il
the Dee Moines plan between the re
sponsibility Of the individual commits
~sioners and that Of the commission a
q whole.
1t provides basis for better disciplin,
and harmony, inasmLch as the cit,
manager cannot safely be ut odd
with the commission. ~ can the Da