The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1914-03-19

will accept the office as a stepping
stone to something higher; but that
Is the man you don't want. A con
scie..iious man will neglect his own
| bus'nefs to serve his town; an un-
conscientious man will neglect the
towu bLsiutS SIS lv serve himself
Neither OF these men are proper
town officials; because the town has
no right to the unpaid services OF
the conscientious man who neglects
his own affairs and the other fel-
low who neglects the towns affairs
ought not to be elected.
What's the answer? How shall
We set along without this horde of
careless, unfit and inexperienced
men who fill our town offices from
year to year? What shall we sub
stitute in place of them so as to get
tho best service and reduce the pub
lie business to the basis of a mod
Ca manufacturing or mercantile
plant? The answer is the TOWN
MANAGER FEAN.
Out of the graft and mismanage-
met of cities has grown the City
Manager Plan Of government which
doe away with Common Council
me-, Aldermen and various com
mittees of city councils which have
nearly always mismanaged public af-
fairs. And here in Manchester you
have not been content with elect
ing fifty officials to run your town,
but have asked the Legislature to
divide up your town into two or
three incorporated villages and in
these you have elected a lot more
officials who manage these parts OF
your town until you have here near
er a hundred than fifty officials to
run a business that one man can
manage and control to much better
advantage and at less cost. Isn't 1t
so?
The city manager plan is this.
The mayor and a board of three
directors are che sen each year; per-
haps cleerk and treasurer, then
the mayor and the three directors
select some qualified expert as a cit.
manager He need not be, and |
seldom is, a resident or taxpayer OF
The city; but he is an educated ex-
pert, skilled engineer and competent |
business man who has had a special |
In governmental adminlstra
ion and who knows how to build
'treets, sewers, sidewalks, run the
schools. care for public property,
-egulate the city's finances. operate
he water department and do all the
hlngs that are ordinarily done by
'our so town or city officials, The
ity manager Is responsible to the
mayor and directors who appointed
I'm and TO no one else; he holds
.ffice just as long as he satisfies
his board, he can't be influenced b /
nybodyi he can Z be hurt by any
Iody's Influence who don't like
i'm, his business is solely TO trans /
ct the business OF his city In I
gaay to secure the very best re- ,
ults from a business viewpoint and
t the least expense TO the taxpay-
T.; he must show where every
oilar OF public money is expend- :
d; he must show results eommen- I
ura,e with that expenditure. or !
lse HIS JOB is gone
The mayor and the directors tell
be city manager what streets to im-
rove, What work to do. what a
mount Is TO be expended for the
ahools. etc. and then they watch
in do the work. He knows his n
is dependent npon the .
cord he makes. lie has been thor :
aghly educated 10 his profession. c
g has no other business; the In a
nence Of Mr. A. or Mr. b. does
OF effea him. he stands solely
,r the mos; exact application 10
10 business Of the city Of the q
ost modern business methods, ard Il
iat's all there il Of r. Il