The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1919-02-14
new CHARTER
DISCUSSED BY
State EXPERT
sAg s-. ~ M / U.xA l#
ELK0 THEATER


That was an. interested audience
; ii the Elko last night to hear p. y.
Bennett Of St. Paul, secretary OF the
Minnesota League of Municipalities,
speak on enthusiastically man
aEer form Of city government. Mr.
Bennett is also head Of the executive
aommittee on research Of municipai-
ties of the University Of Minnesota.
He was introduced by President Rob-
1nson of the Commercial club. a. 81 !
q Mr.. Bennett likened 4 Gorporate
municipality to corporation for
carrying on business. he citing the
d people 81 the city as stOckh h0lders.
the ave proposed commissioners as
the board OF directors and the city
manager as the general superintend-
aI1t or manager. He recalled the
control OF q city's schools, where the
voters elected the board Of education,
they to engage the superintendent 70
manage the school affairs. He spoke
81, the Commercial club, Its member
ship, Its board Of directors and It's
employment Of a secretary whose
duties were to carry cut the instruc-
tfons Of the directors, stating that a
city manager occupied the same rela-
" I1OA IL tHO C1Ly 10 NAo
the Commercial club secretary.
II f.! Should Cost Less.
AS to cost of the commission form,
he, asserted the expenses Of operation
should be lower or the service to the
people should be increased. In MAX
ing appointments, the speaker took
~ police department. He said 1t
would be the duty of the commission
ia examine candidates for members
of the force as to their character and
ability, how many needed. The first
year they would draw stated salary.
Il their first year was satisfactory
they should receive slight raise.
Equipment should be taken account
of by inventory and everything as
certained as to proper protection of
the general public The fire depart
men would undergo the same pro-
cess. He also spoke in relation to
any contemplated improvements,
that the people had the right to ad-
dress the commissioners and sug-
gest any ideas they might have there
to, that the books of the commission
were always open, to all interested,
and that the city budget for the en-
suing year was always open to the
public. City financial reports to be
made monthly: -".
81 What Pipestone Did.
Pipestone was among the first
cities in the state to adopt COM
lnfssion-manager, form and Mr.. Benz
nett asserted that the first six months
report showed that the city water
pipes had been cleaned, something
unheard of before. In the first six
months, he said, the floating debt of
the city had been reduced $1,000,
: the lighting system improved, for the
reason it was the, city managers
. business to do it as instructed. mo
committee Of city council can do
the work of man on the job de-
clared Mr.. Bennett. ~
Postmaster Ritchie asked if city
manager form was similar to that OF
a board of education and the reply
was "Yes"
. C. N. jacobson asked whether the
city manager could discharge officers
appointed by the commissioners and
the reply was mo" that the city
manager could control his own ap-
pointments and those whom ne
might employ.
Qualifications For Office.
! 1t also developed that member of
the commission must be a property
owner Of the city and have been A
resident of the city for period of at
least Eve years, the hardest qualifica-
tfons Of any candidate at the present
time.
The speaker discussed advantages
OF the proposed city form from the
standpoint Of constant study and per
sonal observation and investigation
Sand cited city after city, as examples
of city manager form of control ad-
ministration, including Galveston,
Tex, Dayton, O., large eastern cities,
and cities in Minnesota.
At the close of his remarks, many
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