The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-11-14
FAVOR CITY
MANAGER PLAN
Its Advantages For Conduct Of
Municipal Affairs
Report of Special Committee to Ma
tionaI Municipal League at Toronto
CleaE-AdRpted Both to Large Cit
les and Small Ones.

Toronto, Nov 14-The CITY Man
ager Plan" of the municipal govern
ment was explained and heartily en-
dorsed at the nineteenth annual meet
ing of the National Municipal League
yesterday by the special committee
appointed two and a half years ago
at the Richmond meeting to study the
problem of commission government
and it's developments
Commission Government at present
rules more than 1000, 600 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 general ticket with power to di-
vide the departments among them
selves after election, in Galveston,
and Des Moines. The majority Of the
committee, however, reported that
neither solution was sound as that
offered by the plan of elecing a com
mission purely representative and leg
islative in. function, permitting the
members to give only part time to mu-
nicipa1 work and receive nominal sal
aries. or none and leave the chief ex-
ecutiVe work to city manager hired
by the Commission from anywhere in
the country and holding Office at it's
pleasure. This manager appoints and
controls the remaining city employees,
subject to adequate civil service pro-
visions.
The first city Manager plan was en-
bodied in a charter prepared for the
city of L.ockort, N Y, in. 1911. The
roposition, however, failed to get the
approval of the state legislature The
plan was first adopted by the legis-
1ature of South Carolina for the city
onu the first of the present year Since
then it has been adopted by Hickory
and Morgantown, North Carolina;
Dayton and Springfield, Ohio; La Gran
de- Oregon; Phoenix, Arizona and Nor
ris, Minnesota
The advantages of the plan were
pointed out by the Committee in its
report, as fo11oFvs.e- s4----4 -
'.It creates q sfngIe-handed admin
istrative establishment instead of the
five separate administrative establish
ments seen in the Des Moines plan
This administrative unity makes for
harmony between municipal depart
ments since al 1are subject to com
mon head.
1.-The City Manager plan permits ex-
pertness in administration at the point
where it is most valuable, namely, at
the head.
"'It permits comparative permanence
in the Office of the chief executive,
whereas in all plans involving elective
executives. long TEXTURES are rare.
''It permits the chief executive to
migrate from city to city, inasmuch as
the City Manager is not to be neees-
sari1y a, resident of the city at the
time Of his appointment, and thus an
experienced man can be summoned at
advanced salary from a similar post
in another city.
while giving a single headed ad-
rninistration, it abolishes the one-man
power seen in the old Mayor and
Council plan. The Manager has no
I independents and the city need not
suffer fromzhis personal whims or pro-
JUDGES since he is subject to instant
correction, or even discharge, by the
Commission. Likewise, in the Com
| mission, each members individual
whims or prejudtces are safely sub
merged and averaged in the com bined
Judgment of the whole Commission,
since no members exerts any author
| ity in the municipal government save
as one voting member of the Commits
sion.
1T abandons all attepnnts to choose
| administrators by popular election.
This is desirable because
''It leaves the lines of responsibility
Enthusiastically clear, avoiding the con-
| fusion in the Des Moines plan be-
| tween the responsibility of the in
dividual commissioners and that of
| the commission as a whole.
cit provides basis for better dis
cipline and harmony, sinasmuc,h the
| City Manager cannot safely be at odds
| with the Commission, as can the Des
sMoines Commissioners in their capa-
! city as department heads, or the May
| or with the Council in the Mayor-and-
| Council plan.
''It is better adapted for large cities
| than the Des Moines plan.
| I'm very small cities by providing
| the services Of one weH-paid manager
instead of five or three paid commits
| sioners, it makes possible economy in
| salaries and overshadoWed expenses
salaries and overhead expenses.
''It creates positions membership
| in the Commission which should be
attractive to first class citizens, since
| the service offers opportunities for
| high usefulness, without interruption
| of their private careers"
| The Committee on Commission
| Government making this consists of
! Richard S. Chi1ds, Secretary National
! Short Ballot Association, chairman;
| Professor Charles A. Beard, Columbia
| University, Professor William Bennett
| Munro, Harvard University, Clinton
Rogers Woodruff, Philadelphia, Dr.
Ernest s. Bradford, Washington, D
| c., author of Commission Govern
| mont in American Cities