Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-05-24
THE COST OF POLITICS IN CITY AFFAIRS

of the most complicated and difficult jobs that there is. /
requires the best brains and the greatest ability that can b
found. Millions of dollars are involved and the %prosperit!
and happiness of thousands of people depend upon the sue
cess of the administration. The lesson is brought home tt
Perth Amboy in the report of the finance committee of the
Board of Aldermen making public the result of the lates
city audit.
A city is often lkened to a great corporation. Just a
a corporation has a large number of stockholders who pu
in their money and expect to get returns thereon, so the city
has its property owners who put in their money for the run
ming of the city and who expect to get returns thereon IN the
form of public service and good government. Just as the
stockholders in the corporation pick out a SET of men whom
they deem capable of managing the affairs of the concern, SC
The property owners choose men to manage the affairs of the
city. The difference is, however, that when the stock
holders of a concern pick their managers they do not lei
politics enter into the consideration whereas the property
owners in selecting their men make politics the first con-
sideration. The stockholders of a concern give brains AMI
high class ability the first place; the property owners in a
CITY give brains and high class ability the last place. The
result is that most corporations IRE making money for their
stockholders, while most citie5 are becoming a greater and
greater burden on the property owners with an occasional
expose of such mis- management as is shown in the recent
city audit of Perth AmbJy.
But the corporation goes even further than to elect a
>benrf-pfx dfrecters.. These directors, in turn, employ a gen
eral manager 10 be in direct charge of the plant and the
directors look to hin 10 run the plant economically and eff
GENTLY so that the directors, In turn, may give d Soou IL
count to the stockholders.
Tn MANY cities this same plan is being carried out. Be
sides a city commission who are directly responsible to the
property owners or taxpayers, they have a city manager who
is especially trained in municipal affairs, just as the manager
of any factory is especially trained i'll the line OF work the
factory is engaged in. This city manager has brains and
ability. lie adopts scientific methods and carries out modern
ideas. He keeps abreast with the times, works out his Duc
get and plans his work SO as to give the people the greatest
results for the money they put into the municipality In the
form of taxes.
There is one thing that is lacking i'll a municipality run
by a city manager and that is politics. The city is run on a
business basis and not for the benefit OF some political ma
chine. Hen are employed IN accordance win the aDlhtE
they have. not with regard to their political pull" There
are not so many sinecures and easy jobs to be given Out 10
the Faithful who are unable to earn a living for thenl-
selves, but the taxpayers get efficient government ana there
are no such costly errors in city accounts as Perth Annoy
now faces.
This is serious business for Perth Amboy. With a tax
rate of 4.37 this year and an increase in valuations III tht
bargain, the city now faces an enormous Jump IN next year )
lakes lust to make good the mistakes OF past years due 10 IN
comnetencv on the part of those who have been chosen by
the people to handle the city's affairs. Thus the taxpayers
nav the penalty for permitting politics to supercede ability
in selecting men to run the city government.
There is nothing to be done about 1t, apparently, eAce?'
10 face the music. There is no evidence of crookednesS or
fraud. The shortage is all accounted for. The only answer
gems to be incompetency. But as long as the people per-
sst year after year in putting the same caliDre OIL men u
charge of public affairs they really have no ground ior ma
ing fault. When the people advance far enough to elect a
commission of carefully chosen men who, In turn, VIII hlre
an expert city manager TO run the city government on bust
ness principles and absolutely regardless of politics, thaa
they will have a right to expect efficient government.
Perth Amboy may be said to be capitalized at $3o,52S,-
$50 q that is the total valuation placed upon the real and
personal property in this city; in reality the city is capital
lied at far more than that. If you had, say, $4,000 invested
in a concern whose total capitalization was S3o,OOO,oOO
don't you think you would be rather particular about the
Kind of men YOU voted for to run that concern? You GER
tainly wouldn't pick out a man from the laborinS gang to sill
around the board of directors table or to occupy the gen
eral managers Office. Imagine what would happen to any
= Of our big industries if they should be run in such d
manner. Yet that is exactly what is being done year after
YEA in choosing some of the men who run the citys affairs
Is ii any wonder that a city audit shows deficits of $4,000
or more all Of which must be made up by the taxpayers II
their future budget?
The remedy is in the hands of the people. but thus fal
they have not been inclined to apply it. How much higher
VIII the taxes have to go to arouse the people to action?