The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-03-27

executive authority is lodged in the
whole board onIy-which is Tx hav-
ing five captains to the ship. Under
our old charter the executive authority
is concentrated in the mayor and
responsibility Is definitely located.
Under our new commission form the
president Of the board does MOI take
the place Of the mayor as is supposed
but Is in effect merely the secretary
OF the board-he Is allowed to vote in
it's proceedings and almost nothing
eise-he makes no appointments, no
removals and has nc power OF veto.
All appointments are made by nomlra-
tons and balloting, until a majority
Is reachsd-this must after result in
compromise selections which OF course
are below the standard OF efficiency.
No removal can be made except by
action Of the board as a body. This
Of course weakens executive authority
and invites fractional contest
Each member of the commission is
assigned to a department but he has
no authority and can act only as an
advisor to the board. He can make
no appointments in his own depart
ment and can make no removals. This
differs from the modern charters in
other states. Grand Junction, Colo.
requires that each commissioner
shall be elected by the people for a
particular department. Thus a COM
missioner is selected with reference
to his ability in finance, or public
works, as the case may be-. In Colo
RADIO Springs the power OF appoint
ment and removal is placed with the
mayor who is thus made responsible
for the selections. In Duluth the COM
r1issioners appoint all employees Of
their department except the heads.
The Fargo charter places the re-
sponstbility and authority on no
individual but the board as a whole.
Thus the accepted idea that COM
mission form locates the responsibility
on. individuals is completely reversed
not only from modern commission
forms but from our present charter.
The result may be imagined from
the following illustrations. There will
almost certainly be two factions in
the board of commissioners-three on
one side and two on the other. Each
commissioner will be assigned to a
department as ordered by the
majority. II the commissioner for the
police department belongs to the
minority he will have under him a
chief Of police and every other mem
Der Of the department a~ntagonistic to
him, and independent of him, because
the majority OF the board makes all
appointments, If therefore the police
commissioner is for one policy re-
garding law enforcement and the chief
of police is for an opposite policy
that OF the chief will prevail as he is
responsible to the majority and any
dispute between the chief and the
police commissioner will be decided
by the board in favor of their own
man who naturally stands for their
policy. Thus the police commissioner
instead Of being at the head of the
police department will be a subordin-
ate therein. Now then, the people be-
ing dissatisfied with the police de-
partment policy will evoke the recall
against him for the faults of the other
commissioners and OF the chief Of
Epolice whom they cannot recall. The
same Inconsistency must apply to al
commissioners of the minority. Thus
producing a condition utterly incon,
gruous with either responsibility OIL
efficiency.
J. w. McHose.