Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1922-06-07

cry or chain of restaurants with
out chief executive.
In 1908 the quiet little city of
Staunton, Va, offered its plan for
remedying the defect by advertising
for man to manage its affairs. To
local patriots the reprehensible thing
about this offer was that he might
be an outsider. Though the salary
proposed was less than he was then
receiving, Charles E. Ashburner was
among the applicants. He lived in
Richmond, but Staunton already
knew him.
Some years previously cloudburst
had broken a dam in Staunton. When
the lowest bid made by any contrac-
tor for repairing the damage was
$4,000, one of the councilmen asked
Ashburner, who was then engineer
of maintenance of the Staunton di-
vision of the C. & o. railroad, to give
his idea of the cost according to rail
road standards. His estimate was
S797. The council followed his di-
rections, and the work was done for
$736.
When he undertook the city-man-
ager job Ashburner's friends told
him: "You can't do it. You'll find
you aren't working for one chief now,
but a doubIe-zarreled legislature. The
politicians will hamstring you" Ash
burner is the kind of man who is
aroused by "You can't do it," to
prove that he can. He did it by fur
ther demonstrations of the difference
to the taxpayer between $736 and
$4,000. He paved, he cleaned, he or
ganized, he beautified Staunton for
less than she had been accustomed to
pay for being dirty and disorgan-
lied.
Staunton was thus the first city to
have a city manager, but it was by
the ordinance system; that is, the
managers authority came from an
ordinance passed by the city legisla-
ture. In 1910 lLockport, N. Y, ia
tbered the idea Of the manager by
charter under small non-partisan
commission. 1t had bill to this eff
feet before the state legislature,
which refused its passage. The state
bosses of both parties saw the lurk-
inc danger in it's provisions to the
two-party system.
In 1918, at the time of the flood,
DAYTON. Ohio. was already consider
NO, the commission or city-manager
form as the cure for the usual mu-
aicipaI ills from which she was acute
1y suffering. Floods seem to have
been an inspiration in changing city
GOVERNMENTS. This enc was decisive
for DAYTON. 4 movement led by John
.u Patrerso eliminated in asking
Colonel oCeshals, who had proved
value of centralized authority in
hnilding the Panama canal, to be-
come the autocrat of Dayton for
sos 00O a year. He refused the of
fer H. NJ. Waite, of Cincinnati, was
chosen for $4,000 year. The fail
IRE of the natural gas supply and
tbe consequent raising Of fuel anc
IIobtine costs have given an active
jopposition much ammunition, but
! DAYTON still sticks to the system un'
der its third manager.
What They Say in Springfield, o.
Sprirgfie!d, Ohio, fell in line about
tbo same time as Dayton. 1t asked
! Asbburner to be its manager fol
$4,000 a year, and he accepted. Fol-
ro,,r wears and eight months he work
od for Staunton. He found that moi
, single square in the town was paw
cd. He paved Springfield; he clean
ed up a deficit; he reduced taxes
The Springfield Daily News
which is democratic, said of him upor
his denarture: "The people who die
NOT at first agree with his plans saw
: tbo error of their ways and recognize
+bo wisdom of his course. Spring
f;oId extends its congratulations tt
Norfolk," The "Sun," which is th'
renublican paper, said: HE ha'
piven Springfield a business-hk'
n,anapement. with everything aboV'
hoard with extravaganza curtalied
with all city work thoroughly sys
tematized, and with the city's eN
nenses greatly reduced, and in spit
Of this. the city's program great!
increased He will carry with hin
to Norfolk the best wishes OF ever
man woman and child in the bes
60 ,OOO-city in America"
Norfolk, to which Ashburner wa
rext called at a salary of slO'ooO
vesr. was becoming great spor'
II was afflicted with all the evils o
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