Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1918-03-07
LIE COMMISSION FORM
The City of Alma is ready for

The City of Alma is ready for the
commission form of government, II
any city ever has been, and it is ex-
pected that at the April elections the
city council will submit to the cleo
tors, the propositions of "A commission
form and of electing a charter COM
mission of nine members to revise the
charter of Alma.
Alma has been growing most rapid
~ and has certainly outgrown her
poor business methods of paying her
mayor and her aldermen a mere pit
lance, and then expect these men to
90 to the council chamber night after
night, after business hours, and give
good service TO the city.
1t cannot be expected that the pal
try fifty dollars will be any induce
ment for hustler to want TO serve
the city as either mayor or alderman.
Further, it is not expected.
1t cannot be expected that business
men of this city, elected to the coun-
Gil, will waste a great deal of their
time attending to the various affairs
-of the various committees to which
they are appointed, as the demands
of their business are too great. Their
business expands with the growth of
the city and demands more time. 1t
follows, logically, that it is the city's
business which will suffer.
1t cannot be denied that Alma is
growing so rapidly that many things
need to be done here. A lull in mu-
nicipal improvements for two years
has made the need the greater, and
although the council has had many
extra sessions, it is still buried in
work, a greater part Of which will not
be gotten out before the council goes
out this spring. 1t has had so much
work on its hands the past two years
that it has jumped from one thing to
another hurriedly, in order to get
things done. Mistakes have been
made No use denying this.
They came more through a desire
to do, than through incompetency and
ignorance, or possibly through the
fault of any one man or any one set
of men. We are not fixing the blame.
Under the commission form of gov
rnment Alma would nave a man. who
is an expert at his trade of city run
ming 1t would become easier to get
things done There would be one re-
sponsible head, and no shifting of bur-
dens from one shoulder to another, or
of backing up and letting someone
else take the lead in a particular mat
ter. There would be man who knew
his business from the ground up, who
made it study, and would know
what to do when certain propositions
came to him, without the necessity of
referring them to committees, TO be
tabled, perhaps, when action was
needed.
1t would be the means of getting re-
suits.
The city manager would be respon-
sible to a group of commissioners
elected from the people of Alma.
1t will mean the revising Of the
charter of the city, getting all ordi-
nances down to a working basis and
not have any of them go fiat when
cases were being prosecuted.
If Alma's council submits the prop
osition to a vote Alma will vote for
these charter commissioners in April.
Nine good true citizens will be elected
at large. Good judgment is needed
in their selection and in their election
that the charter may be what it should
be. The highest type of citizen is
needed, one who will work without
any pay, and not men who may be
only vote getters.
This done, Alma will be ready to
get on a business mans dress and do
business as it should be done, and
should easily be able to save the
salary of her manager.