Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-11-26
ORIGIN And Theory Of City
MANAGER Plan E;s+ 4s2 %s: e ssHs i: 5%s

" - = ~
gin and Theory Of the City Manager
Plan" delivered recently before the Sec
ond annual meeting of the Texas league
Of muniripalitic- by Prof. Herman q.
james, director Of the bureau of municipal
research and reference Of the University
of Texas.
at j. nearly fifteen year. ago since our
state came into the lime light IN matters
Of city government with the adoption Of
the commission form of municipal govern
ment in the ncighburing city of Galveston.
The enormous interest manifested m this
new city government and the rapidity with
which IL spread to the cities in this state
and other states of the union are matters
Of common knowledge. They furnish con-
elusive evidence of the fact that commi~-
sion government met n real need IN the
Improvement of municipal affairs and the
testimony from nearly I'll commissioned
governed cities today. however brief their
period Of experiment may have been. l.
that the city government has IN many re-
spccts improved a. compared 10 IT. condi-
tIon prior 10 the adoption Of this ncw form.
The advantages claimed by hc support
ers of this new form Of municipal GOV
ernmcnt over the old mayor and council
form may be- briefly summarized IN the
words. simplicity and GENERALIZATION Of
authority and responsibility
"Wlthin the last few years there has
come another important innovation into
our system of American city government,
called the city manager plan and the RI
pidity with which this newest experiment
j. being taken up throughout ihe country
compcl> u, a. students of municipal prob
lens To investigate into its origin, history
and possibilities.
The ETY. of Siaunton, Va, took the mi
tiative IN installing an officer responsible
to the elected governing body Of the city,
who should be- in charge of the admini~tra y
tive work of the municipality. This office
was called il the ordinance which provided
for his appointment a general manager.
This was the beginning ia 1905. The city
Of Staunton retained the mayor and coun-
cil n it, governing body because II was
unable under the Virginia constitution Ia
change it, form of government 10 the com
mission form although that was desired by
the advocates 81 an Improvement IN the
Staunton city government.
Little was known of this first venture
IN the field Of city manager and il wa-
not until 1912 that the city Of Sumpter,
:. G., adopted 4 commission government
with a city manager and advertised IN the
newspapers of this country 4 vacancy of
such "A nature. that much attention wa~ a.
rected 10 this latest experiment.
Ia 1911 the board IT trade Of Lockport.
New York, IA m effort 10 improve the
government Of that city, introduced into
the New York legislature a hill authorizing
commission government with n city man
ager Tor cities of the third class IN that
state. This bill, which came 10 b. known
a. the Lockport Bill. failed of adoption
bat II came to hc the model on which other
cities Interested in the city manager idea
based their charter provisions.
Since the widely advertised adoption ii
the plan IN Sumptcr II has spread TO other
cities of the North and south. the largest
and most influential of which waS Dayton,
OHIO. Owing 10 it, size and To the cam.
palrn Of publicity connected with the new
charter. Dayton came 10 bc regarded a.
the original or M least the modern city
manager city. Each month the lit ~
cItle~ which have adopted the city manager
plan has increased.
Texas here again. ~ IL the ease ~ com.
mission form Of government. = taking IN,
lead. While the city manager plan did
not originate IN Texas. a. did the commi~.