La Junta tribune., 1913-11-22
CITY MANAGER PLAN.
CitIs-. Are He.s GOvesnrd - - Rx.
p~rt Acting Cnties . Consnas.
sios-New lbea GeOwi0G.

| The Guy manager pAAA V1 000-
ieipal government was sxplained ssd
heartily endorsed at the ninstseath
annual meeting OF the Nat3osal
Municipal League held r~ceatly In
Toronto. Ontario. BY the special
\ committee appointed At The Rich
| mond meeting TO study the problem
OF com mission government aud it,
Developments.
| Commission government ~ pres-
en-, rules more than 100000 psr-
sons In 500 cities and towns. The
supporters OF the plan are divided
as TO whether commissioners should
he elected for specific posts. - In
Linn, Mass. or on q general ticket
| with power TO divide the depart
ments among themselves aftse cleo
ton. Az in Galveston aud Dies
Moines.
The committee reported that
neither solution Was as sOusd - tia,
offered by the plan OF elscting q
com mission purely representative
and legislative In function. permit
ting the members to give only par,
time to municipal work and receive
nominal salaries or none and lsay
Ing the chief executive work 70 u
city manager hired by the cOmnis
sion from anywhere In the countxy
and holding office nj its pleasure
This manager appoints and controls
the remaining city employees. sub
ject to adequate civil service proyi-
sions.
The first city manager plan was
EN- bodied In a charter prepared for
the city OF Lockport. n. T., In 1911.
The proposition. however. failed TO
re, tn. approval OF the state legtxla.
ture.
Tn. plan Was first adopted BY the
legislature OF South Carolina for the
city OF Sumter and went into effect
ther. on the first OF the present year.
Since then II has been adopted by
Hickory and MorEanto~n. y. C.;
Dayton and Springfield. Ohio; La
Grande. ore. Phoenix. Artx-. and
Morris. MINI.
The advantages of the plan are
pointed out by tn, committee as
| follows:
1t creates single handed ad-
ministratiye establishment instead
of the fiv. separat. administrztive
establishments seen In the Des
Moines plan. This administrative
unity makes harmony bet~een nun
icipal department.. sine. all srs sub
iect to . common head.
The city manager plan ~
expertne~s In administration AtlAe
point where II is most valuable,
namely. at the head.
II 1t permits, comparative p-roan-
.noe In the office OF the chief s1ec-
utiy..
u 1t permits III. chief executive Ia
mikFat" from citN W Guy. 'h'H~~@
a. the city manager Ia not TO be nee
.-sarily a resident OF the city al the
tim. of his appointment
Will. giving sinxle-head.d sd'
ministration II Abolish.s the one
man power seen In tn. old mayor
and-council plan. The city need mol
suffer from his personal ~hims. OF
prejudiccs of the manager. since b
is subject to instant correction. 0I
even Discharge. by the commis-on.
''I.ike~ts~. Ia the commission
each mem b~r's Individual ht0s
or prcjudic~s are safely submereed
aud average In the com bin.d iuAS
m.nt OF the whole com mission. sincu
no member excrts any authority ID
the municipal government save ~
on. voting member of tn. com mis-.
sion.
1t abandons all attempts =
election.
1t provides basis for better dts
eipiin- and harmony. inasmuch q
tn. city manager cannot safely be aI
odds with the commission.
1T H. better adapted FOR large
cities than the Dcs Moin.s plan
In very small cities. by proNidiaG
the services OF one we'll paid mana
ger instead of five or thr-. paid
commissioners. II makes possibs>
economy In salaries and overhead sx
pcnsss.
1T creates positions tm.mb-rsh hll
In the commissioal which should n
attrsctiv. TO first.ciAas citizens"