The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-12-08
REAL LIVE CITY
MANAGER TALKS
Ell. I'll. Sherer, Glencoe Ex-
ecutive, Addresses Dan
islh Brotherhood.
MANAGEMENT NO MYTH
Fact Illustrated Plans for Cor
p0rate Management Have
Passed Experiment Stage

>Kenoshans assembled in the Danish
Brotherhood hall Tuesday evening had
the advantage of looking upon real
city manager, hearing city manager,
and even the privilege of pinching
him to see if he were alive, were they
so inclined. For H. H. Sh2rer, man
ager of the city of Glencoe, ILL.,, APP
peared as guest of the Danish Broth
erhood society, and gave talk on the
city manager plan Of government
Sherer's talk was illuminating, but his
presence was even more so, and shed
about a pervasive light, illustrating,
the fact that the form of municipal
government under discussion was not
something misty or untried, but an
actual experiment now being worked
out in number of American cities.
Sherer looked the alert successful
young business man, and from his ap-
pearance might have been judged to be
a rising captain of industry. Instead
he represented, as he explained, the
new way Of running city with an
executive and executive plan, and
new way of spending intelligently
the peoples money to the end Of bet
.ter szryice for all.
TIL 2casion took the form of an
informal supper at ten o'clock in the
banquet room of the hall, following
meeting of the lodge. Arthur M. Neer-
gard presided as postmaster and in
PRODUCED the speaker of the evening,
City Manager Sherer as well as G. H.
Goodman, who assisted in presenting
the subject of the manager plan.
Ladies Make Good Managers.
The supper was preceded by ,sur~
prise to the gathering in the form of
drill given by the Danish Sisterhood
drill team, commanded by Captain
Carrie Tanck. The drill, which had
many intricate numbers, was flawlessly
carried out and beautifully executed.
~ am sure" said Mr.. Sherer, as he
opened his address, chat every woman
present in this room would make
good city manager, judging from the
exhibition which we just witnessed
this evening. Perfect attention to de-
tail was shown, and that attention to
detail is one of the main requisites
Of a city manager. His life is full
and never dull, and once he has mas
tered and laid out the details with
which his desk and life are crowded,
there are always a hundred more de-
tails springing up. There is always
some one who wishes to reach him
about a. sewer, or new road or bridge,
or with some plan or other, and he
never has time to put on carpet slip
pers and lie down with his feet up in
the air, contemplating the blue smoke
rings he omits from his pipe, not while
the telephone lines are in operation, and
some one can reach him over the wire.
Three Kinds of City Government
"Now, there are three different ways
in which a city may be run. One way
is through the aldermanic system, by
means of mayor and a common coun-
Gil. This kind has been described as
an organization having a cohesive
power for the purposes of public
plumber. The trouble with this system
is that the aldermen have been put
into Office by partisan election, a sys-
tenn which does not make for the gem
eral good. One word is apt to reap
more benefits than another depending
on whether they have for alderman
smoother politician, the more suave
talker, who secures a larger service
Continued on page 81