The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-03-07
MARTIN AS MANAGER
A Very Sensible and Conservative
Letter About the City Charter
from Mayor Anderson

Letter About the City Charter
from Mayor Anderson
Ocala.- March 5, 1921.
To the Citizens of Ocala:
/ have noted in the columns of the
Star communications from Mr.. A. 7.
Thomas and Mr. B. Goldman, relative
to the position of city manager under
the present charter of the city, and
as the matter has taken the proper
tions of an issue in city politics, /
consider it my duty to express my
opinion of the matter as mayor.
Possibly short history of the sit
uation will assist readers in under
standing the issue better. The present
fcity charter was passed in 1917, and
shortly after its passage city man
ager was elected by the city council,
who was the city manager in fact, as
well as in name. His tenure of Office
however lasted only very short time
on account of disagreements with va
rious members of the council about
the management of city business, in
which matters / have understood the
council was more than justified in its
criticism. Since that time we have
had superintendent of the light and
water plant who has been city man.
ager in name only, and has actually
done nothing but manage the city
light and water plant.
Many readers will recall that 4
made the statement upon election to
the office that | was not entirely salts
fled with the present charter and did
rot think that the people of Ocala
were entirely satisfied with it. How
ever, there are undoubtedly excellent
iprovisiors in the charter, and the
framework of the present charter is
without doubt sound
Many people are also aware that
have actively supported Mr.. John M.
Martin for city manager. and my rea-
sons for such course are these:
| l. / wish to test the present char
ter and to determine whether or not
it is practical and workable in all of
its provisions.
2. l am of the opinion that the
Icity manager form of government is
lcapable of saving the city money, and
will result in more benefits to the
citizens with the expenditure of less
money, and az consequence the low
ering of taxes.
8. I consider Mr.. Martin qualified
in every respect to manage efficiently
and economically the business of the
city.
AS to the first of these reasons: In
my humble opinion, there is only one
e method of determining which portions
of the charter are workable and SOUND
and which portions are not, and that
: method is to put the charter actually
| in force for a period Of one year, ant
: at the end Of that time to make de-
cision on the practicability of the
:. charter as a form of city govern
!, ment.
AS to the second reason, | have OBJ
). served, since my connection with tht
: lefty government commenced, that tn,
reason for the excessively high rat'
of taxation and the small benefits re
lceived by the taxpayers for the none!
a so expended has been due not to an!
= deliberate mismanagement, but to in
efficiency in the management of TIT
K city's affairs and the expenditure O.
= the city's money. =.
1t must be remembered that eacl
Il councilman. has his own business t
attend to, and that business occupie
quite naturally the major portion o
his time. Of necessity, and not from
choice, the time which a councilman
/ is able to give to the direct supervis
I ion of the various departments is linn
; tied. Bearing this in mind it is no
to he wondered at that a certain
10 amount of waste has taken place.
: We have business here in the cit
of Ocala with an invested capital o
about two million dollars. The stock
holders are the citizens and taxpay
ersers of the city of Ocala. The boar
/ of directors of the corporation is tn
; city council. The city manager shoul
h be the general manager of the col
, poration business, and the heads {
p. the various departments should occU
o. py the position of managers of til
!, particular departments in which the
function. In my humble opinion the,
is crying need for general maj
ager who will have direct supervise
of every department; otherwise "
have a situation that would not |
ne tolerated in a private business; tn;
y,ris, a two million dollar business, op
IS. rated, managed and controlled by d
rk partment managers and board
m directors alone; the board of directo,
It. Establishing the regulations, control
ge ing and shaping the policy and abs
al lutte control of the enforcement of Il
vo various regulations without referen
P. to each other, and without cooper
W, tion.. Such a policy would of cour
"a be ruinous to private enterprise, al
be has quite naturally occasioned a gre
his waste in municipal affairs.
pa / request every one who has TAX
the time and trouble to read this a
iticle to stop for a minute and consid