Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-01-16
CITY COM MISSION GOVERNMENT
NO Iy-ERr.DERIt > ,x.S,,S

OKLAHOMA CITY. January l5-If
YOU are an employer you know how
hard 1t is 10 fire any one and how
much harder TO keep the pay roll from
growing AT an alarming rate 10 re-
ducc and keep down tho pay roll OF
city Is just about four times a. hard.
let tina, Is what the commiss ioncrs 4.
OKLAHOMA City rave done. with a di.
rectness md lack of ceremony which
~ very characteristic OF thai city
Al an early meeting OF the new com
MISSION. one OF the members moved
thht the 1--WE clerks in the auditors
once -. reduced to three Another
one wanted TIA. seven clerks in The
water department reduced 70 four So
each OF the commissioners moved a re-
Huciion in his own department. ana
the proposals were voted on In a bunch
III twenty minutes the pay roll or ok
!ahoma CITY was cut in half, and the
people were saved good many thou
sand dollars year.
I'M" actual economy In government
- Oklahoma Ci'y's chief claim 10 dis
tinction. and il is a v,.ry considerable
one. IN every tmin!ssiom government
campaign. economy. efficiency aud
honesty have rccn held up as the
blessings that commission government
would bring. In most OF the cities
that have inado tho change. adminis-
trations have become more efficient and
more directly responsible to tho people,
but very few OF them have actually
saved monc:, aud still fewer have ma
tcrially reduced the number OF city
employees. The city hall pie counter
- too ancient IN institution In Amer
lean town life 10 be easily uprooted.
Put Oklahoma City IS Young. and tra-
hitions are nothing to her. She abol-
ished the pie counter at n swat
How Commission Is Formed.
That same Independence % tradition
ana daring dir"ctness are characteristic
OF the Oklahoma CITY charter through
out II cmhodicn all the newest wrin.
klcs in commission government. The
commission congists OF a Mayor ana
four commissioners, elected ut large.
Tn" Mayor r"ts $4,000 year ana the
commissioners $4,000 each which is
pretty good pay for such positions in
town or G5.o0o The Dcs Moin"s plan
OF II free all primary. in which any
body could run for nomination. Was
adopted. This j. followed BY al cleo
ton. I'm which the candidates are tho
two who received the highest vote for
each office, making field Of ten, from
which five are elected.
Machinery by which the people could
recall any member Of the commission
AZ any time is provided. The people
are also given power to initiate laws
and To require The commission to refer
any OF it's laws to them for approval
or rejection whenever they desire. The
claim or the friends OF the initiative.
referendum and rcca!l-that they make
public officials nj all times responsive
seems to have been justified In OKLA
homa city. The people have been
well satisfied with the government they
have not used The weapons which
President Wilson once called the gun
behind tho door"
Oklahoma City employees are also
under a rigid skill service system. The
commission appoints civil service
board. hut has no administrative con-
troll over IL. Anybody who wants a job
with the city goes before the board and
takes an examination. The board Ger
titles n list OF the compctents TO the
commission. and whenever anybody is
appointed TO Job il must he from this
list. The comIliss ion has no power
to appoint any che else. Neither has
I the commission power OF removal OF
city employees, except on charges pre-
ferred before the civil service board,
and after the board has sustained the
charges. If the board finds the charges
not well grounded. the employee can
not be discharged.
J0b-tiivinE System Forgotten.
Heads OF departments and certain
| other officers are excluded from the
civil service by tho charter. These are
! tho private secretaries to the commits
sioners. the corporation counsel. the
chief of police. tho superintendent of
the water department, the city cnGi-
| neer, the city clerk. the auditor ana
/ tho treasurer. As a result Of the civil
| service the old system by which city
| officials parccled out the jobs TO the
| faithful has been abolished. In fact,
| the operation OF the civil service board.
| together with tho busincss-llkc admin
| istration OF city affairs. has been 50
1 successful that the former job giving
| system has been practically forgotten
| by the people % the town and aban-
! doned by candidates as n method OF
| getting elected
When the commission took Office II
!, found an antiquated, imperfect system
| OF accounting In operation. II was not
rare for bills against the city to he
paid twice. The new system makes
such thing impossible. and gives the
J city. for the fret time. daily know
| ledge OF what il is collecting ana what
| 81 is spending.
The commission effected saving OF
about $4,000 the irst year Of it's work.
This saving was effected. not 10y cur
| failing the municipal services or slow
Ing up on improvements. but ~by get