Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-12
CHANGE BODY
FACES DIFFICULT TASK
Meets to Devise Municipal Scheme
Which Will Answer Demand
for Efficiency.
CRY OF 1912 is RENEWED
Reformers of Three Years Ago Re-
lied Upon Administrative Board
to Free City's Business From
Politics, but Slogan Is Live Again.


Politics, but Slogan Is Live Again.
With the first business meeting of
the Council Charter Change Commit
tee on Thursday night of this week the
city of kichmond sets sail again on
the choppy sen of governmental re-
form which il travcrsed in 1912 when a
similar Council committee. after nu-
merouS SittingS and conferences
evolved Il modernized charter providing
for an Administrative Board
Three years ago, as now, the task
the charter rcformers set themselves
was TO devise more centralized adj
ihiniStration OF the city's business to
reduce political interference, and TO
promotes general efficiency. To this
end the committee recommended the
creation of an Administrative Board of
I'VE members elected at large without
regard 10 ward lines, and tho cutting
III half or the number of city wards.
thereby providing n smaller Council.
me plan. was adopted 1t hns been
tried less than three years. In thar
tiine the Administrative Board has sue
ccedcd In winning tho confidence of
SONS cltizens. who look upon it as n
lnittee system of administration. and
In convincing others that it is n gov
ernmental failure. The objection 10
made that instead Of CORRECTING tho
abuses of political interference. It has
iossered and developed n healthy ro
litical machine of it's own bchinJ vbir,,
II mas intrcnchcd itself
DEMAND EXPRESSED EoR
GREATER EFFICIENCY
Again. there is abroad in the civ.
me ucmand for greater administrative
entcihecy' coWpleter divorce between
me h'nnlcipal machinery and politics lie
n ,,',na, obviously those who de-
tba ote iorm VIII not be satisfied with
mo retention Of the present admits
.ratlVe plan. Tho Charter Change Com
hittce VIII begin Thursday night With
difficult order to fill.
Sounci!man Jones, chairman Of tho
committee, has outlined n so.c,,ind
departmental PLAN" which will nroh.
no,,, He brought to the attention of the
o't,i''il'ee at its first meeting II bears
u Close resemblance to the RoItimoro
iorn or government, which. undnr ~, -
leadership of Mayor Preston Inc ~
coInpiished much. but which Is froni,.
thems elves '''''oreaAs
,,a me central idea of this plan is =
ment and removal, rcsponsibIa 81
81 10 the people The Mayor unan
ms plan. is virtually the man,cnr
t inc city. BY him are appo;nted ana ".
40 arc responsible the heads of tho
nnhlIo i.y departments. law, finance
1919 service. public welfare. nnhIic
safety and public utilities.
JONES PLAN GIVES POWER
10 DEPARTMENT H.ADS
me Jones plan groups the var,o,,.
c!.S activities under five or sjx a.
.'iiieht heads who, with the Navo-
autnlnister the citys business TJ,o
disposition of the minor offices is ~,
.''e,iaL The heart of the scheme l..
Mayor and the appointment nv b;rn ~
nv or SIX powerful department. heads
me council Is retained but II lie ,
ptuitiE legislative body. It elects police
justices and minor officers.
me mere are important differences
s,o, cen ms scheme and the commits
SION manager plan or Dayton, O.. tho
nave in common the idea OF ono su
prone executive authority in mo
Jones plan the Mayor, elected by tho
people. and in the Dayton plan the
BUSINESS manager. appointed by the
commission OF five--to whom are III
rectly responsible the heads of tho five
or SIX municipal departments.
Staunton. the first city in the conn,
Try TO adopt the city manager idea.
makes It's manager responsible to n
mayor and council elected in the old
way; such a plan. it would appear.
would fall short of privding com
plcte divorce between the manager and
politics. Much of the same objection
could he made to the plan of elcctinc
an aN-powerful mayor by the people,
since there would be the standing in :
ccntivc to pandcr to the public in order
70 secure reelection.
COMMITTEE WILL CONSIDER
MANY PROPOSITIONS
The Dayton plan. which provides for
the appointment of the city manager by
commission Of five who are elected
by the people and servo for nominal
pay. breaks the connection between the
manager and the electorate. and in this
way seeks to correct political pressure
While the Jones plan will go before
the Charter Change Committee with thu
prestige gained through it's extensive
publicity that has been given it. 1t Is
believed that the committee Will cxer-
else n wide degree of choice In adopt
ing any Of its provisions. IT is not al
| together improbable that 1t Will incline
TO the commission manager plan as n
moro direct way Of attaining the re-
sponsible business administration that
Is being demanded.