Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-03
CITY BUSINESS MANAGER

Clarinda, Iowa, is one of the pioneer
American cities in the adoption OF the
city.business- manager plan when ~
proving to be the remedy for the al
most criminal manner in Whlch tue
business of most cities in the natloli
is administered. Clarinda has a man
ager who has been handling the
municipal business for over a year
and in that time the city has made
such rapid strides that the plan eau
be called a distinct success.
Clarinda has city council such as
ia authorized under the Iowa statutes,
hut the mayor and councilmen draw
merely nominal pay and meet once
month The business manager IS ap-
pointed under the provision or the
law that empowers the mayor TO
name 'street commissioner, healtn
MUSICIAN, marshal and other OIL
GERS" The business manager is the
"other officer" in this case, and Ne
takes the place Of the street commi ;s
sfoner and most of the town OFFICIALS
that are usually appointed: n VA
linda. the manager is paid $l,ooo a
year, which is less than 1t "oalo eoss
to hire the men whose places unuei
the old plan, he fills. The Dig SAVING
however, comes in the business au.
ministration which results. ne gives
his entire time to his work ana must
t'make good" for he is, subject 10
instant dismissal at the discretion Oh
the council. Temptation 10 pay
politics is removed from him ana ms
nnIy concern Is to give the town the
same kind of service he would IL Gil
gagged by a private corporatlon'
The town is his plant, as 1t WERE
and he is the manager, SUBJECT oniV
to the owners. His blanket commls'
sion makes him city clerk, street CON-
missioner, cemetery sexton super.
visor of the fire department, OF the
waterworks, of the, lighting system
Of the repair department, cnlel OF tne
bureau OF complaints and OF munlcipal
contracts. He hires the help tnat Is
necessary to assist him in the perform
ance of these duties. He alone is
responsible and he cannot sadie ms
responsibility off on another omcial.
Thinps must be done right or the
neonie know who is to blame. Inc
town Is, run on business basis.
The town was skeptical when the
scheme was first put into operation,
mt there are few who are not ardent
annnorters of it now. One citizen
safd when asked about the plan:
.While our business manager IS un-
der the guidance of the city council
vet he has the power to perform Ger
iain new work and employ all Gay
Iaborers. whom he pays good wages
and then sees that they do good
dav's work. When they are not
needed. they are laid off. Our plan
surely discounts the commission form,
"a the city gets his entire time ana
ehould he fail, he can be discharged
any day without a recall and an eS-
nensiye election afterwards. Our plan
cannot help but be practical, provided
the right man is secured: Another
man said: Before Clarinda voted on
the question of whether or not to
adont the commission form govern
ment she had tried the business
manager plan for year, and the de-
cisiye vote (about six to one) OF the
business interests in favor OF the busi-
ness manager plan, was therefore not
an experiment or guess So
When a citizen hears commits
sloner or city councilman proclaim
how he would like to stop certain
abuses but cannot, on account Of
others who have power similar to his
own. those citizens will do well to look
into the city manager plan and see II
the solution is there.