The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1919-03-19

TOR THE Information oe eliikcns thcrt Is prinsed
~ this isH1t o. The Herald. the text Of Hnusc
Bill No j5a, a. amended. which " now a law
aud Which pncTcscs q new charter for the City Of
Albuqtrquc We respectfully advise all citizens to
Rad 81 carefully aud thpuphffuiiy. n viii require
car,fui Thought 20 understand the documcnf
Atpuqncrqa~ has > compefen, city government,
nue trpvIazK rapidly toward the kind Of results that
Al ofus degire. Il i working under a charter that
has so'ne defects Those dsferIf have caused no
tronbit Tor the city or rs authorities up % this time.
The uHiy trouble caused b. he defects has been 10
a 's"'ied number Of persons Who hrrc pcrniascd IN
Worrying about them and what they might do TO a.
under certain Hypothetical conditions.
TIE new charter bnl was drawn. We believe
with the best Of intentions, for the avowed purpose
Of correcting defects IN the present charter We are
unable ~ determine whether those defects are or
arc WI c~orrccfcd ia the new document. We arc
digrosed % believe that they are not.
u = certain. however, that the proposed new
charter provides a new form Of Government for
Albuquerque; being, Ia effect, q return 10 the Alder.
manic fora with . city manager added thereto. Also
there arr points Of conflict and possibilities Of con-
fusion in the new document which prumisc to prove
Tar more productive Of complex aud continuous
grief than can possibly arise frnm anything IN the
charter under which we are now living ia peace
and with fair promise Of prosperity.
"a viii be notel that the proposed charter pro-
vides that Albuquerque shall be governed by live
commissioners instead Of BY three; that the city
shall eventually be divided into districts. prcsnm.
ably I'VE m number. and that candidates for the Of
hee 81 commissioner shall be- nominated from zach
OF The five districts. who shall run az large. Tx.
cept that for the Immediate future only two addi.
tional commissioners shall be elected, who shall be
nominated and elected AT larrr and who shall
serve Tor five years from the date 81 their Election.
u n To be presumed, although she proposed charter
DOES not 70 state. that The dislriciing shail not be
done until the terrls Of the present three commits.
soners expire.
Out of the 1--WE commissioners one il 10 be elect.
ed mayor. lie Is to be the cxeertive head ~ the city,
while the city manager is TO continue as a sort OF
rencra, Manager. Thus. until the terms Of the three
present commissioners hnve expired, we would con.
Time under the commissions manager form Of gov.
ernmeni, having Eve commissioners instead " three.
Thereafter we would return 10 what would amount
10 the aidermauie form, except that with live com.
nnissioncrs, representing five wards. we would con.
tmne 70 hire a city manager al a salary. provided
the nre wariS could agree on a man for the job.
II u in conneefion with the disiricting aud
nomination Of district commissioners that there apr
pears ia be confusion in the proposed charter.
Section ] OF Article ?, after providing for dis.
trieting the city for The purpose OF selection" OF
commissioner, bat without. specifying the number
"f districts, Sass that Zone commissioner shnil be
selected from each district who shall run ~ large
an the city IN order that the said city may have u
representative form OF government. - Just how this
procedure y 20 insure q more representative form
OF government than We now have j. not made clear
for consider Section . Of the Same article. which
says.
Any qualified voter shall be eligible to any
elective Office aud may have hs name placed apon
the official ballot by fixing with the city clerk . sse
q statement Of his proposed candidacy, - etc. Ia
oiher words, any number Of men who wish to run
for commissioner have the right 10 do ~. from an,
gwen district and Il might EASILY result that, aiveu
a large number Of candidates, a minority Of al the
voters might elect all of the commissioners from the
same district, Il being provided that al candidates
run 90 large
section 4 OF the article provides that THE elec.
tive officcrs Of the city shall consist Of five commits.