The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-10-24

 The motion that the board proceed to select an architect at last nights meeting was put forward by Dr: Ed ward r. McGovern, secretary of the board, and seconded by Commissioners | Howard Challenger. At this point Commissioner Lynn w. Wilson rose I to point of order and asked pr. l McGovern if he wanted to take the | and paying out the money when the board had no appropriation with which to start the work.
 Board Without Funds.
 'I have grave doubts if this board could proceed with the election of an al chitect,' MT. Wilson declared. Tine | election means hiring; the hiring means paving out between $54.ooo and s60.o0O. This board has no funds. The charter of the city of | Bridgeport says that no board or de- partnent shall incur any contract | when it has on money to meet that 1 contract violation of this pro- vision means a jail sentence. For many years that provision of the 1 charter was a dead letter. Then came an upheavaI and at gret expense the | city got rid of those violators. Are we l gong ahead and allow that provision to be violated? I say it is out of or propriatiOn to hire. This board will 1 be in serious disobedience to employ an architect. The individual mem 1 bers may be responsible.'
 At this point President Burns ob- | jected and overruled MT. Wilson's Ob- jection. Then MT. Challenger rose and
 said that following the recent meeting l of the finance committee of the Com mon Council he went to City Attorney John A. Cornell for an opinion as to the legality of the board hiring an
 architect, even though the board had | no funds
 The opinion, dated October and produced from the pocket of MT.
 Challenger, says that it is illegal for
 the board to employ an architect if | it has funds but that it is not i1- 1 legal for the board to resolve that this or that architect will be selected to draw the plans for the new high sch Ool, the liability being made de- pendent upon the availability of funds.
 Dr. Alfred c. Tones declared. fol- lowing the reading of the opinion,
 that the resolution would not be bind ing, that it would only be tentative
 and that the board notwithstanding the opinion of the city attorney, had | no right to sign the contract. Conn missioner George B. Clark declared such agreement because he would
 mt have nickers worth of claim | on the board.
 MT. Wilson then declared that the | opinion rendered by the city attorney l stated clearly that the Procedure was illegal President Burns overruled | this objection and proceeded to place l the m otion before the board that the DOaTu Hire an aTCn1lecl, HIS lee IO DS
 contingent upon an appropriation to
 be made later.
 How the Vote Stood.
 The motion was placed before the board and voted on. Following this | verbal vote MT. Burns declared that | the ayes had it. but this was doubted l by MT. Wilson. A rising vote showed
 Dr. McGovernS MT. Burns, MT. Chal-
 lenger and Mrs. Cutting for -he elec-
 ton and pr. Tones, MT. Wilson, MT. Speer and MT. Clark against the cleo 1 ton.
 Preceding the attempted election | seven architects were heard by rna board, each being given 20 minutes. But three architects presented draw | ings and estimated costs, the re-
 mainder giving various reasons why
 the board should choose them ro
 draw the new High school.
 1 Leonard Ashiem was the first archi-
 feet called. He presented the board
 with drawings and photos of schools
 designed by him, stating that he was
 a specialist in school work and that
 he had 23 schools to his credit as vel
 as a number of public libraries an6 1 clared that he now had under ways
 plans for the new $40O,000 West Enc
 Bank, that he designed the South and , | Newfte1d libraries, the Junior higf , | school and other school buildings. 1 MT. Ashiem said that he would cal
 tn William B. Ittner of St. Louis,
 recognized high school specialist
 whose services would consist in study
 ing the educati needs of the , school and fitting the building to it: curriculum. He admitted that he