Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-02-21
Of Proposed
Amendment Augusta
Charter, Soon Voted On

ana frequently do not get mucn more
of the mayors time than they pay for.
At $1,000 salary the mayor would rea-
sonably be required, and could afford
to give the affairs of the city all the
time and attention that it's interests
need. This seems to be wise policy
to adopt, and probably would result
in saving the taxpayers many times
the amount Of the increase in salary.
The mayor is supposed to be the
executive head Of the administration
Of the city's affairs. but unless he has
the authority to appoint and remove.
for cause, the officers in charge of the
various departments he has very little
power over their official conduct and
cannot be held responsible for their
acts. The purpose Of section four is
to make the mayor actually as we'll as
nominally the responsible head Of the
executive branch Of the city govern
ment. A mayor fit for the office
should have this power, and any man
who cannot be trusted to exercise it
honestly, conservatively and in the
best interests of the city is not fit to
be mayor. 1t is no more power than
the President of the United States has
over federal officials, it is the same
power that corporations, great and
small, give their presidents by means
of which they obtain so much more ef-
ficient and economical nagement of
their business affairs than do our
municipalities of theirs. The question
is whether the citizens wish their
mayor to continue, as at presnt, little
more than figure head or would
make him a real manager. With this
increase of power the office would ac-
quire a dignity and Importance that
would attract our best men and make
our people more careful in their choice
of candidates.
Without rejecting on anyone in par
ticular, it is generally acknowledged
| might say notorious-that the great
est waste Of taxpayers money has
been in our highway department. And
for this | am not blaming the COM
missioners of streets, present or past.
We have had, in the course OF years,
all kinds of commissioners of streets
with varying results-frequently un-
satisfactory-though for the most part
they probably did as well as they
knew how. The trouble is the natural
result Of our system.
The construction and maintenance
Of roads has become an art requiring
special knowledge, skill and expert
ence BY our system of having two
| commissioners Of streets whose Selec-
tion depends on political influence
rather than their special qualification
| =
skilled and inexperienced men who
have to learn their trade at the ex-
/ pense of the city, for which we cannot
blame them even though their blum
GERS may be costly. And by the time
one has acquired some degree of pro-
fciency a rival aspirant usually gets
the job for political reasons. and the
wasteful educational process has to be
repeated with the new incumbent. by
having two commissioners we double
our troubles Of this kind. and by
| changing so frequently we have no
systematic plan or continuity of pur'
pose from one year to another in the
| Improvement and repair of our roads.
The purpose Of section five is to in
troduce economy and better efficiency
4 III our nlSIlNdS uepe'i lilielit ~ PoeSiiiS
! ii under the management of one man
who must be a trained road builder,
and the proposed salary Of $4,000 Is
sufficient to command the services of a
thoroughly competent man provided
he can be assured of holding his job
for a reasonable time if he produces
satisfactory results.
| This assurance is found In the pro-
| vision that the appointment Is to be
made by the mayor for the term OF
| three years. subject to removal from
| office for cause only. Will the voters
| exchange our present antiquated. abb
surd inefficient system in the highway
department for modern, efficient and
economical system of management by
adopting section five?
Finally, there are no political con-
siderations underlying this move to
change the city charter. These five
proposed amendments are the result
of the conferences and deliberations
of a number of our prominent business
men in their effort to infuse into the
administration Of our municipal affairs
better business methods.
A VOTER.