Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-01-04
By CORTLAND S. WYNN,
Mayor of Atlanta in 19II-I9I2

charged by the public with a max
imum Of responsibility for the con-
duct of municipal affairs, when in
point Of fact his right and author
ity is limited to the appointment Of
his private secretary, his stenog-
rapher the porter in his office, the
license inspector, the inspector OF
weights and measures and giving.
advice that may or may not be
needed. and vetoin% tine action of
council in matters when he desires
to do so.
As stated in the outset, there are
many good features in the present
charter which can and should be
retained in a new charter | think
a now charter should provide for
council with members Representing
the different wards of the city but
elected by the entire city. The
council should have the right to
levy the taxes, apportion the city's
annual revenue and enact iegisIa-
ton for tho conduct of the public.
There should be an administrative
board of at least five, elected b. the
people. One member of said board
should be the mayor. There might
be the department of finance and
public education; department of
health and sanitation; department
Of parks. recreation and charities:
department of public safety and de-
partment of public works. The
mayor should have the special su-
perVision of the first named de
partment and general supervision
of the other departments, the de
tails 20 be worked out in a manner
to insure cooperation between all
members of the administrative
board, and such board to perform
the functions and duties of all eX-
isting boards and commissions.
The members of the administra-
tive board should be required to
give their entire time and service TO
the city, and paid salaries that
would Justify competent men to
aspire to the respective positions on
the board
The right of recall by vote Of the
people of any member of said board
for inetficiency, misconduct or other
good reasons should be provided.
All city employees in all the de
partments should be placed under
civil service rules. and efficiency
and merit should be the sole test
upon which their tenure of office is
based
The foregoing is a crude. skele-
ton outline of a charter, that in my
opinion would place responsibility
upon particular officials, that would
wipe out lost motion and red tape,
and give the people a direct efficient
administration of municipal af-
fairs.
The Demand Of the Times.
Within the past two years more
than 200 American cities have
awakened ia a realization of the
fact that the demands of modern
times requires a modern charter
and business like methods of ad
ministrating municipal affairs. 1t
is only a question of time, and in
my mind a short time. before the
people of Atlanta awaken to the
necessity of adopting a new charter
for our city in place of the old
Wornout patchwork, crazy quilt
charter that the city has operated
under for some years past.
The mayor and general council of
1918 can render the public no high
er or better service than to imme-
diately take up the question of
charter revision, or the creation of
a new charter, and appoint a com
mission to undertake this work.
composed either of members of the
general council, or jointly, of mem
bers Of council and citizens at
large. The commission should take
up the question promptly in a care
full, deliberate, painstaking way and
report a charter to the general
council that can be acted upon by
the legislature at its approaching
summer session, and then be sub
mitted to the qualified voters Of the
city for rejection or approval.