Newark post. (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969, 1917-02-28

public welfare nave come 10 reallZe
that municipal government is
strictly business and that the basic
principles necessary to success are
the same in both activities. Broad
", the science involved is that of
economics; specifically, the prin-
ciples are those of organization
and management.
In the past few years, just as
we have seen that the successful
business, large or small, embodies
the highest development of organ
ization and management we like
wise may observe that the more
modern municipalities are adopt
ing and developing the same prin-
ciples.
Organization in city government
is best obtained by commission
form of control; management by
the employment of a City Manager.
The old system with it's politics
and it's complexities is deep rooted
and advocates of the commission
government with a Manager, or
any part of this form are often
held up as idealists and propoga-
tors of the theory and not work.
able plan. Actually, however,
their plan is as simple as their
theory is sound and they have bull
works of indisputable evidence in
the wonderful results obtained by
the Commission-Manager plan in
towns not only as large as Dayton,
Ohio, but as small as Beaufort
South Carolina, and st. Augustine,
Florida. Space does not permit a
recital of the specific changes
wrought in towns under the new
plan, but a summary shows that
out of fifty towns which have
adopted the City Manager plan
since 1914, but three have reverted
to the old Mayor-Council form,
Further investigation shows a long
list of deditional services and i'm
provements rendered at a greatly
decreased total cost to the people.
At this writing, in the knowledge
of the writer, there are fourteen
towns in eight states petitioning
their respective legislatures for
acts which will allow the adoption
of the Commission-Manager plan
A town under this plan of gov
eminent may be likened to a big
industrial corporation; the people
as stockholders elect small COM
mission the board of directors
who administer the affairs of the
communicative business of the
company. through an executive
City Manager;-the corporation
general manager. The whole idea
of the Commission-Manager form
is based on the structure of gOoC
business organization, though with
a different end in view.
The Commission plan in itself i!
not new. We all know that tn,
usual scheme involves the election
of small number Of Commission
ers or Councilmen, each one o.
whom is acting head of city de
partment. Like the Mayor-Counci
plan there is no unification of pow
err, no Capitalization of respons
ibilty or executive authority. A
head of his own department eacl
Commissioner is responsible to NJ
one but the people and they ar,
often not in a position to judge
Each man is interested mainly il
the showing of his individual de
parment. Even this plan, now
ever, is a step in advance Of tn
Mayor-Council plan with it's un
wieldy control and shifting res
possibilities.
Now consider either plan wit
the addition of City Manager
This office is never elective an
the appointment is made by tn
Commission or Council, usually o
an out of town man who has dem
OnSITdJ0u DuSluCSS dlu CASSuei'
ability. He is placed in executiv
control of the entire city admins
tration. Immediately power an
responsibility are centralized. Tn
manager is directly accountable t
the body of men who hired hil
and in turn all of the department
are directly responsible to one ma
who has no though of partie
votes or individual department
His tenure of Office is dependar
not upon elections but upon tn
degree of success with which h
manages the affairs of the tow
and the working force under hi
is likewise unaffected by chang
ing administration.
Several heads are needed