The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-26


discipline
The commission manager plan of gov
ernment is based largely upon the the
ory that there is marked analogy be-
tween the municipal and the industrial
corporation. and what Is good for one
is good for the other. The friends of
the plan insist that the city manager
plan is universally applicable by reason
of it's flexibility.
The commission. 1t is explained in de-
fense of this argument, may be large
in large city and small in a small
city. 1t may be elected at large, as in
this city, or the members may be elect
ed by districts, or even by proportional
representation, provided care is TAX
en- to keep the short ballot. 1t is
claimed that 1t is easily adaptable to
city the size of Dayton or to city
the size Of New York or Chicago.
1t is pointed out in this connection
that private corporations are built upon
the same principle regardless of their
size or purpose. School boards with
their professional superintendents, it is
pointed out, furnish another parallel
and furnish an argument in defense of
the commission manager plan.
The first step in the Inauguration of
the new system for Dayton was the Sc
lection Of is men to draft a charter
These Is men made their campaign
upon their avowed favoritsm to the
proposed commission manager FORM
They were~elected by a substantial ma
1ority, despite the fact that two other
tickets, one containing the names of
] 8 democrats, who favored the modified
federal plan. and the other by Is social
lists who favored the modified federal
plan with enlarged powers given to the
OFFICIALS to the end that municipal own.
ership of public utilities could be
brought about in the shortest possible
time.
These 10 commissioners concluded their
important work of drafting the charter
on May q. Printed copies of the pro-
posed municipal constitution had been
provided, and this was taken up section
by section and gone over with extreme
care and exhaustiveness. The only change
made in the original draft was one maxi
ing it mandatory that bonds furnished the
city officials or employees shall be pro-
cured from bonding companies authorized
to do business in Ohio
A formidable presentation OF the argu.
ment against the risks and burdens OF
the old personal bonds and in favor of
the more up to date and business-lilke
security offered by the bonding companies
quickly brought the commissioners into
una ninous agreement.
The charter is largely patterned after
that adopted in Cleveland, only it pro-
vided for a commission. eliminating the
dtttfHdfllC SYSTEM TO Wnlcn the ClGVe-
land instrument adhered
Some Important Provisions
Among the most important provisions
of the commission-manager charter, as
adopted In this city, are those contem-
plating that the legislative functions be
delegated to a commission of five men,
elected at large by the people, the ad-
ministrative functions delegated to city
manager, who shall be elected by the
commissioners, the elimination OF party
pehtics, the adoption of the short ballot
p ieiple, subjecting the commissioners
and city managers to recall, the control
OF legislation through the exercise of the
Initiative and referendum. the making of
appointments on the basis of merit alone
an independent and continuous audit of
public finances, the purchase OF all sup
plies for the CITY by special agent fol-
lowing system Of competitive bidding;
the retention by the city of the right to
purchase any utility and to regulate It's
action, provision for full publicity of all
public records, the establishment of pub
lie repositories. assuring and securing of
interest on all public bonds; provision
for an eight-hour law for all public work,
the making of improvements by contract
or direct labor and other provisions that
are believed to conduce to the general
welfare of the city.
The charter provides that the mayor
who receives the highest number of votes
at the election. The salary of each COM
missioner is fixed at Si4vJ each, the
mayor being paid an additional $500, be-
cause of the fact that 1t will be his duty
Ito preside at all the meetings OF the COM
mission and extend the courtesies OF the
city to visiting delegations, conventions
| and attend all functions at which the ex-
ecutive officer of city would naturally
be expected to appear.
This, it is argued, will relieve the real
executive, the city manager, from many
duties that would necessarily take his at
| tention from matters of greater consc-
| quence.
| 1t is provided in the new Dayton char
| ter, also, that the commissioners shall
meet not less than once each week, and
| at this meeting they shall hold a con-
ference with the CITY manager. issue any
orders or dictate any changes in policy
| that they may feel disposed to declare.
| The administrative departments of the
city, under the new constitutional law
will be the department of law, depart
! ment of finance, department of public
| service. department of public safety and
department of public welfare. The III
| rector of each of these departments shall
I, be appointed by the city manager, with
| the affirmation Of the commission.
| Though this duty is made optional with
| the commission, it is provided in the
| charter that this body may appoint
| city plan board, whose members shall
serve without compensation, but whose
| duty It shall be to outlire systems OF
| public Identification and general better
| ment
| The city attorney. who shall be ap-
pointed by the manager. shall act as
| city solicitor and as prosecuting attor-
ney of the municipal court.
! One of the most active men connected
with the forward NOV vement in Dayton
which appearssto, be identified with the
commission manager form OF govern
ment. has been John II. Patterson, pres.
ident of the National Cash Register
company. 1t was Mr.. Patterson whose
leadership resulted in the bringing sue
cess to the primary campaign after a
notable contest
j While he declined to be a candidate
for commissioner he devoted much time