Arizona republican., 1916-04-12
CONSOLIDATION
 ELEVENTH HOUR
 ACT OF SO[ONS

A meeting of the city commission that started out yesterday afternoon with promise of being as peaceful and calm as June Day, resolved it. self into one of the most spectac- ular sessions ever held by the pres ent body. Before adjournment, ac- tion had been taken which may or may not have removed City Auditor Cooper and placed Former State E,x- aminer w. H. Plunkett in his office at half the salary drawn by Cooper. which may or may have not consoii- dated the offices of city clerk and city magistrate at a combined salary of $24OO and which may or may not have placed the finishing touch to the incumbency of the office of city attorney by Captain George D. Chris ty and definitely placed Judge Rich ard E. Sloan therein this latter without even the mention of Judge Sloans name.
 The moving spirit in the nitia tion of all this was Commissioner o. T. Richey, but behind him and ready with their votes were Commissioners Peter Corpstein and Joseph Cope. With a single exception. Richey found a ready second for his motions and in all instances where q Richey motion was put to vote, Corpstein and Cope voted with him. Despite the admonitions of Mayor Young that it was all discourteous to the incom- T surance that he would not only veto every one of the moves or at least fail to sign resolutions if carried. the program went through as though on 9reased ways. Commissioner Mac Bean stood resolutely with Mayor ! Young until he saw there was no use and then he voted for the appoint ment of Plunkett to succeed Cooper as auditor and approved by his vote the reappointment of City Clerk Frank Thomas with the understand = ing that he was to become ex-officio city magistrate.
 The storm broke when after reject ing the protest of Mont Anderson against the carrying out of the con- tract for the paving of West Wash inSton street, promising Mrs. Luke that a committee of the commission would today visit her property and investigate q billboard which she de- clared is a nuisance, receiving q re- port of the city engineer on the es- timated costs of electric lighting and gas plants and canVassing the bal lots cast at the recent city election. Commissioner Richey asked for action on the resignation of City Attorney Christy. His motion was that the resignation. effective May 1. be ac- cepted, but that the commission in so accepting. does not acknowledge and is not to be understood as ad- hitting any rights of Mr. Christy to the office or to any of the amolu - ments thereof since December 15, 1915 This was in line with Mr Richey's contention that since De- cember l5, Judge Richard F. Sloan has been the city attorney through appointment on that date by the city commission. Captain Christy has however. been performing the duties of the office since then and has drawn the salary attached to the office
 There was lengthy discussion of the Richey motion. with the result that Commissioner Corpstein who had at first seconded it, withdrew his sec ond. Commissioner MacBean there upon moved that the resignation of City Attorney Christy be accepted in the form in which it was presented This motion was adopted by foui 10 one vote. Commissioner Richey alone voting against it. IL was ap- parently the opinion of d majority oi the commission that the action of tn, commission in December did not re- move MT Chrsty as city attorney and further that in view of the fact that all the minutes of meetings re- ferred to the presence of City Attor ncy ChriSty and also referred to hin as having been asked for advice a. to various matters usually referred to the city attorney, it was alto. gether likely that the commission has all along, recognized him as tn, incumbent of the office. When tn, smoke cleared away, the only aetioI that had been taken was that of ac cepting the resignation effectiv, May 1.
 Despite this set back, Commission CT Richey proceeded to bring up proposed ordinance providing for th' filling of the offices of city clerk ant magistrate by the same person anC fixing the salary for the joint posi- tion at $2400. one-half to be charged to the city clerk and one-half to thu city magistrate. Mayor Young inter rupted the reading of this measure to state that in his opinion it was matter strictly for the incoming com mission and not one to he taken LII at this time. He said that he would not be a party to any realignmert O the city offices at this time Thi was a matter strictly for his sue cessor He said the retiring officer should show this courtesy to the in coming officers. q will veto any or dinance of this kind" he added.
 The measure was given seconC reading and upon motion of Richey seconded by Corpsten. rules wer. suspended and the measure went {, third reading and final passage. May or Young and Commissioner Mae Bean voted against the ordinance but the other three approved it ant it was declared carried. Before vot ing Commissioner MacBean declared that he had communicated with tn two incoming commissioners an' found it was their desire that no ac