The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-05-28
Keller SAYS
CHOOSE LOCAL
CITY MANAGER
City Attorney Advocates APP
pointment of Local Person
in Case New Form is Voted
In Here.
URGES BUSINESS RULE.

A new element was introduced into
the campaign in favor of the adoption
of the city manager form Of govern
ment when Will w. Keller. city at
torney, advocated the appointment OF
a local man as city manager in case
those favoring the new government
are triumphant in the coming election
on June IA. Attorney Keller address
ed community meeting at the South
end hose house Friday night.
Mr.. Keller stated that he was not
in favor of importing man unfamiliar
with the conditions as they exist here.
He stated that he believed that there
were competent men in the City of
Richmond who could handle the mu-
nicipal affairs here in the most salts
factory manner were they given the
power and cooperation commensurate
with the city manager form of gov
ernment.
Sees Competent Rule.
He maintained that the Indiana law
provides the machinery for an efficient
government and. with the system of
election from the city as a whole, guar
antees the election of five competent
five men of ability easily could be
found to run for commissioner as a
civic duty, and that he constant
wrangling now prevalent would be
eliminated.
The condition that the municipal
light plant got into last year was due.
to some extent, he said to a continual
passing the buck" policy pursued by
council on the one hand and the board
OF works on the other. He maintained
that the action of the council in try
ing to abolish the board of works dur
ing the recent past, has been an admit
ted failure of the present system and
an approach towards the commission
form.
Eliminates Poloties.
Mr.. Keller stated that the new form
would eliminate politics from city af.
fairs, and showed further how politics
had brought about inefficiency and
mismanagement in many cities. He
stated that in the olden days when all
the mayor had to do was to wear a
plug hat. and the council regulate the
paths the cows would come home on,
and the hour the curfew would ring,
the present system of municipal gov
eminent was adequate. But now the
city is a business unit instead of a
town. and should be run in a business
manner, he stated
He dwelt on the platform adopted
by the anti-city manager orga nization
and stated that ii miSrepresented sew
eral things. The matter of machine
rule as referred to in the platform
was scoffed at by Mr. Keller, who
stated that under the present system
ha Iol
city manager would have. He pointed
out the numerous offices appointive
by the mayor. the board Of works, po-
lice commissioners, chief of fire de-
partment. health board. park superin-
tendent, dairy inspector market mas
ter, meat inspector, city engineer and
city controller.
Challenges Statement
The commission has the letting of
all contracts on competitive bidding,
he stated The statement that the
federal system is the best yet design
ed was challenged, and the cases of
Terre Haute and Muncie, where for
mer mayors have served terms in pris-
on and returned to boss the city
through politics were sighted.
Several features Of the law were
read designed to clear up debated
questions. All ordinances are read
three times, on separate days and pub
lished in the newspapers before thev
become effective "a 6a. = all tfei,
passage. In case of an emergency all
the commissioners must vote in favor
of the measure. The budget system,
and other features designed to make
the law fair to all concerned were
pointed out.
Expenses Same.
Expenses of administration would
be virtually the same according to
the speaker. Some Offices are elimin-
ated and others put in, making the
cost balance
An open forum meeting was held in
the high school building at which Pro-
fessor Harlow Lindley answered the
questions and explained the Indiana
law. He emphasized that the new
plan would guarantee a real democra-
cy and eventually mean a savings to
citizens of the city. John j. Johnson
presided at the high school meet
ing
Several meetings were held in homes
in various parts of the city at which
discussions of the proposed measure
we're held.
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