The New York herald., 1922-01-01
LAST FEDERALPLAN
MAYOR IN OHIO CITY.
Voters of Cleveland Approve
City Manager Government
to Start Jan. 1, 1924.
EMPLOYED BY COUNCIL
Before Removal, Charges Must
Be Filed and Civil Service
Trial Held if Requested.

CLEVELAND, Dec. 31.-When Mayor
elect Fred Kohler, one time golden
rule" chief of police, takes Office here
tomorrow he will commence the last
term of any Mayor elected in this city
,nder the Federal Plan Government.
BY a vote Of approximately to 8.
the voters at the November election
approved amending the city charter to
introduce the city manager form of
government on January l. 1924. The
amendment also provide that the City
Council shall be elected by proportional
representation from four Aldermanic
districts. from which five to seven
Councilmen will be returned.
Under the manager plan amendments,
this council will apoint manager for
the city who win have complete control
of the executive branch Of the govern
ment. A majority vote of the council
can hire the manager. but in order to
discharge him charges must be preferred
and the manager given a civil service
commission trial if he requests it. The
city cabinet will be appointed and d.
rected by the manager.
Debated Issue In Chicago.
Cleveland Is the largest city in the
country to adopt the manager form or
pTOpOTtlOHNi REPRESENTATION.
Defense of the city manager plan of
civic government on the basis of Mayors
being politicians first and executives
second, and criticism of this same plan
which was declared to have the ''princi-
pies Of aristocracy." were heard In
Chicago last month during Joint debate
on the subject OF 'Is City Manager Plan
Applicable to Our Largest Cities ?" before
joint session of the City Managers
Association with the National Municipal
League.
DR.. A. r. Hatton of Cleveland took the
affirmative side of the question. while
Bradley Hull. also of this city. argued
the negative side. These two were op-
posing leaders In the city manager
campaign hero.
Competent executives will not enter
political campaigns and face the possi-
bility OF being sidetracSed after a short
term, Dr. Hatton contended. He said
that the failure of American cities to
execute the will of the people as ex-
pressed in election issues was due to the
election OF Mayors who are politicians
first and executives second.
Non-PoIiticaI Service.
Municipal democracy cannot complete
itself until we are able to build up a
lTdilSQ. pcTlldilenl, UOI-pOilllCdI eAeCu-
tive service" DR.. Hatton contended
THAT Is impossible as long as the chief
executive must be a partisan and in
order TO keep himself in Office must use
the positions In the executive service to
build up an organization to secure his
reelection. Civil service barriers never
have and never will prove an effective
check to the partisan pressure which the
present system creates"
Tn arguing the negative side, Mr.. Hull
said:
THE city manager plan sweeps us
back to a system we have repudiated.
No matter who makes the mistakes. the
reople finally pay for them and the peo-
PIE have right to make their own mis-
takes. There never was a time when
the party organizations did not control
en- overwhelming majority Of either the
City Council or the legislative delega-
ton"
The present breakdown" in our mu-
nicipal system, Mr.. Hull stated, was due
to lack OF keen interest by the voters,
lack of the right sort of leadership In
party organizations, drifting OF many
voters TO the suburbs and the influence
OF public service utilities.
IL the selection Of the city manager is
left TO n legislative body, rather than
the voting public. Mr.. Hull asserted.
party organizations win enjoy more
permanent control of the city's executive
than they have in the past.