New Britain herald., 1922-05-06
THE OBSER YER
Makes Random Observations
 On the City and Its People

AS'S SoFAS
 that he would rather have a tean
 composed of good sensible player
 than one composed of brilliant stars
 stars bring gray hairs to the head O
 every manager, Likewise, they ire
 quently cause gray hairs to grow or
 me head Of mayor If he happens tc
 have chosen them for his family
 While IL is too early to make pre-
 dictions, 1t seems safe Judgment
 that Mayor Paonessa Is avoiding, as
 far as possible, appointing commis.
 sioners who are known to be tenn
 peramental in private life. So long
 as he pursues this course, just SC
 long will he have peace.
 It will be recalled that a great | deal of Mayor Curtis unhappiness | during the early part of his regime
 was due to temperament. particu-
 larly on his part. No prima donna
 ever was more temperameptal pol | itically speaking of course, and as a
 result the mayor and his family got
 along like strange cats in a dark | attic. It helped wreck his adminis- l tration because when he began 10
 dismiss commissioners right and | left he made new enemies The I possibility of such a situation is
 something that every mayor must face However, it looks as if there
 would be little display of tempera- 1 ment in city hall during the present
 administration.
 No time should be lost by Mayor Paonessa in fixing the blame for the condition of Arch, Main and East Main streets during the past week, the pavements on all three thorough fares being torn up in sections si- multaneously. Business men and oth- CTS who have occasion 10 drive ve- hices along the streets mentioned felt that they had been imposed upon by someone whose judgment was at fault and they did not spare any words in expressing their opinions.
 It was pointed out during the week that the fire department would be seriously handicapped while respond ing to alarms. Chief Noble keeps close watch on the condition of all streets and it would be necessary for him to order a detour, no doubt, if alarms came from sections ordinarily served by these three traffic lanes. To risk sending costly fire apparatus over any of these routes would be to invite broken aXles and perhaps injury to the firemen.
 Owners of private automobiles par ticularly were annoyed by what ap peared to be a senseless procedure. It was freely predicted that the city would face numerous bills for brok- en springs. ...
 There are a few thousand people in the city who would like to get a real explanation of the situation | from a responsible city official.
 Criticism of the mayors course in ignoring the city charter when select | ing his board of health is heard even | from democrats who feel that he has laid himself open to attack sfrom re- publicans in the common council. The | charter states plainly that at least | one member of the health board l shall be a plumber. Mayor Paonessa has seen fit to overlook this on the ground that it does not square with present day requirements His claim that it is not in keeping with the situation now existing may be true, but he has committed an error in try ng to interpret the spirit of the law.
 If it were possible for every execu- tive to make laws to suit himself ,lare would be no use for charter or for ordinances. Chaos would re- suit. During each successive admin stration we would have new code of regulations, a new method of ap- pointing commissioners and new if such laxiE were permitted to be- come custom, the politicians would wax fat.
 Mayor Paonessa says that he in- ends to have the charter amended 10 that it will not be necessary for lim to appoint a plumber to the board of health. Perhaps such ,ourse will be a wise one, but until he law is amended, the mayor should .onform to it, just as he wants every ( ,ther law-abiding citizen to do. His ction in failing to appoint plumb F to the board is nothing to become Harmed over, but he should remedy ,is mistake.
 And while the little hammer is { working we'll, what about the way ). F. Curtis places his own interpre- { ation on the state statute relative to n itemized account of campaign con- { ributors. If the law provides that