Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-10
STENoGRAPHIC REPORT
Continued from Page Five)

YOU consideration by my distinguish
cd colleague, Mr.. Winter. l repeat
il: The question for this House to
determine is not by referendum
whether Auburn wishes the present
charter, but whether she shall have
the form of charter contained in
House Doc. No. 81, or not. OF course,
if the city of Auburn has the form
as proposed in House Doc. No. 81, she
will lose her present charter: l UNDER
stand that; but the question Tor US 10
determine here is whether the form
of charter as proposed in House Doc
No. 81 is a proper form of charter
for the citizens Of Auburn.
This present bill provides that the
affairs o fthe city of Auburn shall be
turned over into the hands OF
Mayor. The amendments to the pres
emf charter have been discussed in
the public press. and with your per-
mission / will read to you q few ex-
tracts from those comments. Let us
see just what the amendments
amount to, that is the amendments
to House Doc. No. 81.
First they give the mayor a vote
and a voice in the city council A
GOOD idea, possibly inessential, but
willingly agreed as fine.
But what kind of a voice and vote.
Hear what a holler this new Mayor
can have in the City Council. He
can appoint every administrative and
department head. EVERY ONE of
them. He has the power of high and
low decree. He can name every de-
partment and administrative head
Nothing like this ever was attempted
before in any city in Maine. 1t means
that he would be more powerful than
any other mavor that Auburn ever
had. And if it came to pass where
h happened to be of one mind and
the City Council happened to be of
another mind in regard to choice or
said DEPARTMENT and administrative
heads. there would be a deadlock and
we should have no department or adj
niinistrative heads as happened in
exactly the same form of appoint
ment and confirmation in Lewiston.
in the old days when the Mayor ap-
pointed the Police and the Aldermen
had the power to confirm them.
Several times conditions have arisen
in Lewiston police that if applied to
all administrative and department
heads would have stopped the entire
business Of city"
second. this so-called amendment
of the City Charter makes the Mayor
the chief executive of the city. He
may or may not appoint a City Man.
ngcr. What q lovely. indefinite affair
the city would be. He may have the
city manager idea or he may not, as
suits his Royal Highness. He may
himself be city manager. He may
have no manager. He may manage
or not as he please. He may exercise
discretion as it is called"
This sounds we'll; but where does
il lead us. Where if not back again
into the old pitfalls of political man
agement. This Mayor to be elected
by popular vote. In short, we are
electing in one man, all appointive and
all discretionary, and all business
power. through political parties"
In short, we favor the retention of
the City Charter and hope that the
Legislature will not open it's ears to
this appel this year. Give us at least
Two years more of peaceful pursuit
of the better and better Auburn with
out the annoyances of political in
tr"sion AID subsection of all city bust
ress to he question of being a good
fellow and being able to supply the
votes
Now. gentlemen. the question re-
ours to whether this House Doc No.
a tn ho 70
the people of Auburn. Upon that
question, there came from the city
of Auburn to a hearing during this
session of the Legislature in this very
room, four carloads of the represen-
tative citizens of my city, taxpayers
of my city who came here to protest
to this Legislature that they be let
alone and be allowed to 60 about
their own affairs under their present
order The proponents of the mea-
sure presented their case. They Of
fered what purported to be a large
number of petitions presented to the
Legislature; those petitions were Of
fered to the committee, but they did
not bear the stamp of having been
properly received before this Legis-
latur. find no fault with that. but
they have never been introduced here
for the consideration of this House.
but were presented to the committee.
1t was said that they represented
something like 1900 names. That is
certainly good many names to be
appended to petitions. Against that
was presented a petition of 1900
names demonstrating against THU
act of the Legislature. In other
words. there were something like l.
500 for the bill, and something like e.
: 800 against it. And these people from,
my city came here in person to this
Legislature. and sat in this room. and
by their presence and by their voices
protested against this change in their
charter.
Now. gentlemen, do these peopIe
come here and say that any emer.
gency exists as reason why this
charter should be changed? Do
they say that the public affairs OF
our city have been conducted so that
any scandal has resulted? Not al
all. They make no reference to that,
Let me tell you. gentlemen, it is
something Of which a person might
well be proud, to live in a commun.
ity such as ours, with tax rate OF
lhVty mills on a dollar, with a tax
ior petierments, such as sprinkline
eS<sxvr 49,. a