The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-08-31
CLAY WARD ALDERMEN
NOT EXEMPT FROM LOT
lOw-AIembers for Long and
Short Terms.
RULING BY CITY ATTORNEY
Tie Says That rullcr's HoId-Ovcr
Term Should Not BE Guarantee
for Long Terms for Paul and
Mitchell.

Mitchell.
Clay Ward and the division of its
aldcrmanic rcpi, sentatiou into long
and short term 'rsu viii present a nice
legal problem to the new Board OF
| Aldermen. The question will come NJ,
| FOR settlement at the Organization
| meeting tomorrow night. and so far
no animation has been given as to how
| IT viii bc settled.
The problem arises from the fact
| that Clay Ware alone this year hau &,
hold-over memi er OF the Board. Alder
! man Fuller " % was elected in 1912
for n term of our years. 1t ha. been
| pointed out = = with ono short-tcrm
member and tWo long-tc members.
Clay Wards r presentation In the new
| Board would D.. exactly what il would
! have been h9l there been no cOnsoli-
! datiom OF " rds and that. therefore,
there is no need for change
! Under ore mary circumstances, sin
! Aldermen age elected every two years
! for four-ycsr terms. and no question as
to long and short terms enters. The
| recent cousti idation of the eight wards
! into -four. d Hcver. has. by "A process OF
IdoVctailiug me terms OF louE and short
| term mcmtI rs in each composite ward.
| made nc"ct AIRY thC election of eleven
new Aldcij en-. who. with thc one hold
| over Iu.wyer, will be divided into two
| Glasses who will serve two years
/ and sin vho VIII serve four years
The Citv charter. after requiring
| that tho Soard OF Aldermen shall con
sist of u 90 members from each ward
/ 10 be elected every four years. de-
| scribes tie manner OF determining the
/ LONG ana short terms. as follows,
! Upon the assembling Of the MEM
bers o, the Board Of Aldermen. 20
elected, they shall he divided into two
/ equal classes. 10 be numbered by lot
/ Tho TEN of service Of the members
. Of the drst- class shall expire with tina.
D OF The .cmbers OF the Common couu-
/ ell at ne first election after the pass
/ age OF this act. and the terms of ser
vice a. the members OF the second.
| class hall expire with that OF the
members Of the Common Council elect
I eel II the second election after the
/ pa saage Of this act. and this ai,crna-
! tion shall continue. So that Onc-half
/ OF the members of the Board of Alder
men nay tie chosen every two years.
For tho purpose of determining the
/ terms OF the eleven new Aldermen
who II take Office Tomorrow the re-
cent lection bears the same relation
/ 10 The charter as the first election af-
/ ter Tho charter went into effect Five
/ OF tho new Aldermen, although elected
I for foLr-ycar terms, Will. as the re-
suit - the drawing, have their terms
! cut - two years.
! tiN IS ONLY WARD
/ TO HAVE VACANCY
In the election OF 1912. shortly after
/ the ,pnsolidation. Clay Ward alone had
/ e vacancy in the Board of Aldermen.
| I'm tie other three newly-crcated COM
Z p0S.ir wards. the vacancies that would
/ hay occurred in the same election had
/ bee dllcG by Aldermen having two
Inoi years 20 serve in the wards which
We, merged and which lost their
idcl tity.
THO result OF the circumstances Just
rcc!tcd was that In the recent election
each ward had TO elect It's full quota
OF 'hrce members except Clay Ward,
! WHOA elected only two. since II already
had a hold-over member in Alderman
! Fuller.
IN an oral opinion. City Attorney Pol
lard has held that Alderman Pullcr's
holdover term In no way altered the
general situation. and that at the
organization meeting the four wards
" III have to determine by lot which
shall have two long-term members and
QUO short-term member. or vice versa
The fact that Clay Ward. through ex-
r8ordinary circumstances. has inner
ited n short-term member. the City At
tOrney held, should not guarantee two
long terms to the two Aldermen elected
br that ward in the recent election.
These. he said. are bouIfd In the inter
=.
AXE their chances with the rest OF the
cid in landing long terms.
After the four wards have deter
rAncd by lot the number OF short and
long term men each shall have. the
f, members of each ward will draw lots
among themselves for the long and
short terms assigned to their. wards. In
the case OF Clay Ward. Alderman Fuller
will be eliminated from the ward draw
ing, since he is already short-term
member, having only two years more
TO serve. If Clay Ward is assigned
only one long term member. Aldermen
Paul and Mitchell will draw lots for the
long term.
To eliminate Clay Ward altogether
from the interward lot drawing for
long and short term positions. in the
opinion Of City Attorney Pollard, would
amount to stacking the cards against
tho nino other new Aldermen. The
nine men would then have to divide
among themselves the four remaining
the nine would be cut to two years
with Clay Ward forced to take It's
chances with the other wards. six long
term positions would be open to eleven
men, and five members out OF tho whole
field of eleven would stand to have
their terms shortened.
The City Attorneys opinion. II car
ried out, Will materially strengthen the
chances Of the Madison. Lee and Jcffer-
son Ward members TO land long terms
In the language OF the race track, "a
4? TO shot is longer than II to C
shot" and the same rule OF chance oh
tains in drawing for long terms on the
Board
The charter appears to contain no
provision which contemplated an emer-
gcncy such as has arisen, ana is vague
as to the procedure that should be fol-
lowed. Assistant city Attorney Auder-
son has expressed informally his belief
! that Clay Ward .hould not be forced
Mo participate in the lot-drawing, and
hat It's representation In the Board
already properly constituted Of one
ort-term member and two long term
.mbers.