Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-04-24
Reform in City Government.


The question: els the city manager plan
good thing?" WAS answered by CITY
Manager Ashburner of Norfolk, Va, IN n
yay that seemed to convince large pro-
portion of the members of the Chamber
IF Commerce. Rotary Club and kiwanis
Club. who had gathered To hear hlm at q
recent luncheon But If n city manager
charter is considered as a practical pos
sibility for Wilmington, that is not the
only question to bc asked. of equal I'M
portsnce is: "Can we get it, And, since
anv change is costly and disturbing
Would il he worth the trouble?'
When IL comes to the question: Can
we yet it," the outlook for city manager
charter here is not at present very bright.
Formidable opposition would come from
the partisan forces now IN the Saddle,
which would be sure to oppose any change
that might throw them out OF power \
striking warning of this opposition was
the row of empty chairs about City Man
acer Ashburner at the luncheon. The
City Council had been invited. but only
one member was there.
Ii ie true that the 200 cities which
have adopted the city manager form OF
government in the last dozen years have
all done il in the face of these forces.
But the movement for change has always
been fred and driven by popular dis
approval OF the existing city government
The advocate of a city manager charter
for Wilmington has reason to lament the
general satisfaction with the present
scheme of things.
As to the question: Would il be worth
while?" an illustration of the benefits Of
eliminating party politics from city adj
mini.tration, which Mr.. Ashburner claims
accomplished by the city manager plan,
arose lately in Wilmington. William p.
Bancroft wrote to Mayor Taylor and
State Senator Robertson, then opposing
candidates for the mayoralty nomina-
iion. and asked them to disregard party
considerations in appointing members of
the Board of Health. Neither could prom |
Ice TO do so. Both spoke Of desirable |
change In the charter, evidently referring |
to a clause which would prescribe the |
representation of majority and minority |
parties on the board.
In other words, these men, experienced /
in public life, admitted that under the /
present system the mayor is forced by I
the claims of the party which supported /
him to put party first in making his ap- /
pointments, unless he has the protection
OF law which prohibits selection from |
one party alone. But such a law would |
only substitute one restriction for an
other. If the city manager plan really /
abolishes national party lines from local
government, as Mr.. Ashburner says it
does, city manager could pick the best
men to serve the city, regardless of what
primary they attended.
Another statement of Mr.. Ashburner's
is very much to the point. 'You can not
get good government" he said. simply
by adopting charter" This, at first
view. would seem to minimize the benefits
Of the change But in reality the argu-
ment is all the other way. 'The secret"
Mr.. Ashburner continued, sis that every
nan IN Norfolk has come to regard the
city's affairs as his own" Whether the
.ity manager plan won or not, fight for
! new charter, which gave city govern
nent thorough airing, would be a good
hing. 1t would arouse voters who at
present know little of the city's affairs
md care less, to a keener sense of what q
,ity has to do and what their response
,ility Is in seeing that it is done well.
AZ any rate. the subject is well worth
thinking of As a charter amendInent-or
lew charter-would be necessary to such
radical change, nothing to this end can
,e done until the legislative session of
e2l. Meanwhile, let interested citizens
.ive thought to the present evil conditions
n municipal administration, and consider
what remedy should be applied. The
plan, with or without the city
has been urged Also, 2 smaller
,ity Council with enlarged powers. So
81 us give thought to these propositions
nd 10 others that may promise TO bring
ood results