The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1916-03-03
Reply Made to Mayor Brumby's Card
of Last Week on City Wafer and Liqhts

Mayor clay ana Mayor Black, the
Board and Council he'd several Joint
meetings to consider the affairs of
the Board. In 1914, and again
November l, 1915, the Board had a
careful statement prepared from their
books showing exactly the financial
condition of the Board. This was
done prior to the purchase of the
kennesaw Paper Company's light
ing plant.
Mayor Brumby says, 1T is rumor-
ed that this department is in the
neighborhood Of 100000 in debt"
Why should Mayor Brumby spreai
''rumors" when he knows exactly
how much the Board is in debt, and
has been told so repeatedly? So far
as we can learn, practically all the
'rumors' Mayor Brumby refers to
were started by himself and assidu-
ously spread by him.
Mayor Brumby says, Il have made
= " navy lllCpC bOOhS
audited. The effort that peeyed
him was as follows
Without bringing the matter I'D
in the board meeting, or having dis
cussed it at any meeting of the Board
although the Board had met several
times, Mayor Brumby, on his own
responsibility, hired an auditor to
audit the books. The chairman OF
the Board very promptly declined to
allow this auditor to touch the
books
The mayor is only one member Of
the Board, out of five, AMI has no
more authority than any other mem
Der. This is both the law and the
rule Of the Board-a majority rules,
just as it does in council.
Mayor Brumby's only explanation
of his conduct in trying to have the
books audited without bringing the
matter up with the Board was that he
thought he had the right to do it.
Since Mayor Brumby claims to be so
long on law, he should have known
that one member of any board or any
council has no more authority than
any ether member, and that ma
jcrity Iples; especially that no one
member should attempt to exercise a
right GU when it would cost sew
cral hundred dollars to do so. This
is the LEGAL side of the case. As
to the PROPERTY of one member of
a board attempting to exercise such
authority without consultation with
the other members, we leave the pub
lie to judge.
Mayor Brumby assumes that he
knows more about business matter.
and more about law than all the
other members of the Board com
bined, and more than all the other
men who have served on the Board
IN the past, including the different
mayors and members of council He
IAay think he knows more, but his
business experience, we think, is
hardly such as would Justify the
average citizen in agreeing with
him, without careful investigation.
Mayor Brumby evidently wishes
it understood that he is not in har-
mOny with the Board of Lights ana
Water Works Speaking of "rumors'
we might add that ut is rumored"
that he is not entirely in harmony
with the council that was elected
at the same time he was If this is
correct, the entire membership of the
Board of Lights and Water Works
and large majority Of the council
must be very much wrong, since MAY
or Brumby is on the other side
Each citizen of Marietta can de-
eide for himself who he thinks il
right and who is wrong We do not
propose to discuss this in the public
prints or elsewhere. This proper'y
DtlOuSS W Tue ClJ1LeIS VI MdIIctId,
and it is the duty of each citizen to
investigate and form his own con-
illusions,
The Board OF Lights and Water
Works has held Two Joint meetings
with the present council, Mayor
Brumby being present at both meet
ings Everything pertaining to the
business affairs of the Board OF
Lights and Water Works was fully
discussed and a complete financial
statement made to the mayor and
council. Both meetings were hel1
prior to the publication Of Mayor
Brumby's card, and he could not pos
sibly have been in ignorance of the
affairs of the Board, as he claims,
when his card was published. Every
member CT council knows this to be
true
We have served the city as faith
fully and honestly as we could for