The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-08-07
DR.. A. C. ZONES ON
The new CHART Err
To the Editor of The Farmer;

mission Charter is a creation of the
Republican administration and is de-
signed by them to perpetuate them
selves in office and he given unlirn-
tied power. This, of course, is sbso-
futely untrue. I say 'of course" be-
cause the same committee that drew
the Five-Commissioner Plan Charter
drew that OF the Manager Plan
and was not dictated to in any way.
whatsoever as to the contents of the
charter. If the present administra-
ton Is to perpetuate itself in office, it
must do so by having a majority of
all the votes cast and the officers can
do nothing under the new charter that
they cannot do under the old, it be-
ing chiefly a matter of method and
form.
| For 80 years, with a few, modif1ca-
tons, the city of Bridgeport has been
governed by charter that demands
the administration of its various de-
partments by boards composed of cit
liens who, as rule, have no training
or knowledge of the department to
which they are appointed, and also a
board of aldermen elected from the
various districts. The citizens ap-
pointed on the administration boards
are either business or professional
men and give a few hours, one or two
/
Of the business sof that department.
| OF course there are occasions when
they give more time than this When
they have been on the board long
enough for their judgment to become
valuable, they are replaced by some
one else appointed by new admins
tration. This same condition Of af-
fairs obtains with the beard of alder
men in their committees on streets
and sidewalks, sewers, lamps, ordi-
nances, etc..
With this charter we have the pri-
maries which few attend except those
| politically interested, the conventions
where the slate is previously made
up and the majority vote yes; the
election where we have a choice of
but one candidate for each office from
| each party, and, after the installa-
ton of the officers, the same ineff1-
Gent machinery to operate. the BUSH
ness of the, city,
This criticism is no reflection on
the citizenship Of our city but merely
Illustrates the natural results that
must follow where Individuals are
asked to work under inefficient meth
| DDS.
For a number Of years in the past
the advisability of adopting new
charter has been seriously consider
ed, as it was realized by many Of our
LEADING citizens. that the form and,
method of handling the business ar
fairs of our city was o1d-fashioned,
and not in harmony with advanced
business methods that have grown to
1 really scientific attainments. When
| the first charter committee was APP
| pointed by the mayor. several years
i ago, to consider the formation OF a
fnew charter, the City Manager Plan
had then been adopted but a short
time. and it was the Judgment of the
committee that, as the five-commis-.
sioner plan had been longer in use it
would be wiser to adopt il for the
tpresent, although, in their Judgment
of the committee that, as the five
commissioner plan had been longer
in use 1t would be wiser to adopt it
for the present, although, in their
Judgment, the City-Manager Plan
possessed the greater possibilities for
high efficiency. 1t was, therefore,
upon its recommendation that the
city voted toy adopt the Five-Com-
missioner Plan Charter.
At the present time 81 cities are
being governed by the City Mana ger
Plan. and the present charter COM
| mittee, from investigation and study
of the subject, has been forced into
4 the belief that this charter, now be-
fore the people for their considera-
ton, is an Improvement upon the. one
presented to the electors last fall
1 No form Of charter can guarantee
lgood government, but the new char
ter to be voted upon next Saturday
permits Of a much higher degree Of
efficiency in properly managing the
affairs Of our city than any other form
that is in vogue at the present time.
Men must have the proper tools to
work with If the best results are to
be obtained. we believe that the
foundational principle for good gov
Il eminent is the Capitalization of re-
lsponsibility. If authority and re-
Isponsibility is placed upon an in
diyidual and he is held strictly ac-
countable for the work assigned him,
a very high per cent of men will
and responsibility is divided among a
number, everybody's business. be-
comes nobody's business. and we have
inaction and Indifference.
The chief difference between the
charter voted upon last November and
the present one is this; the former
chatter provided for the election OF
five commissioners who were to be
paid salary of FIVE thousand dollars
apiece and they were to adinister and
run the several departments Of the
city. The chief objections found were
that Mn the history of many of the
commission governed cities 1t became
quite political contest for the sal
aries involved and considerable log
rolling among combinations Of the
commissioners themselves developed
to expend undue amounts in certain
departments while other branches OF
the service would suffer.
In the new charter the five COM
missioners are elected with practically
no salaries to act as a board OF direc-
] tors, but are not to personally direct
the workings of any of the depart
ments of the city. They will hire a
: manager who will take complete
charge of all the department and who
in turn, will place at the head of each
department a salaried man to assume
the responsibility for the efficient
. management of that department. The
charter has no recall on the business
manager because he is an employee OF
the city and should not be handi-
: capped by such threats from any dis