The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-04-04
W AN IS ALDERMEN. IN FUTURE ELECTED. FROM CITY AT LARGE.
Wilkinson Thinks AIdermaniC Plan Has Great Advantages Over Managership
 System

Many Birmingham citizens feel indebted to The Age-Herald for pro- viding means of expressing their disapproval of commission form of government said Judge Horace c. Wilkinson yesterday The general sentiment of the people seems to be that change Is desirable, that the present form of government must be abolished At the same time there is diversity of opinion al to wheth- CT we should return to the alder manic plan or adopt the so-called manager plan for this city.
 When we speak of the aldermanic plan. many think 1t means a return to the old board of aldermen con sisting of 32 with all the alleged criticism to which they were subject. This Is not necessarily true. There Is nothing to prevent the city from being divided into 5 wards. with an alderman from each ward, and a mayor at a reasonable salary to run the city,
 Provide 16 Wards.
 'With East Lake. Woodlawn, Avondale, East Birmingham, Ensley, Pratt City. Vivian, Graymont. North A'Ai iiiAA a iieAiha " toN iNbh aiiu Asiy epli each constituting a ward. and the old city proper divided into four wards. we would have a council of l5 members with every section of the city represented. A law could be easily passed requiring the alder man from each ward to be elected by the voters of the city at large. This would eliminate ward politics in a large degree, and at the same time insure representation to every section of the city. With mayor a salary of $6.0O0 per year, a man. ager would not be necessary and the city would get rid of the expensive commission that is costing in salary alone S26,0o0 per year.
 Tt IS a waste of money to provide a s150 900 or S2o,000 per year manager for Birmingham. We can get just as able men for s6,0O0, as we can for S26.000. A big bushes man that has an established business, that makes him S2O,O calibre, is not going to quit that business to enter politics. He will stay by his business. No matter by what name we call the of ficial that runs the city, the fact still remains that it is political job.
 "No salary should be attached to the office of aldermen. Attaching a salary to that office only encour- ages the professional job hunter to seek it. If no salary is attached to the office of alderman, with liberal rrovisions for referendum and recall. and election by the people of the en- tire city the professional job hunter ceuIu not afford to hold it. As rule the job hunter deos not want a place that has no compensation attached to it.
 Good Men without Salary.
 q take it that we have more abil- ity on the board of education that pays no salary, than we have on the commission that pays handsome salary. There will be enough big men and women in Birmingham to fili the places on the council. with oue compensation, just like the pa frfotie citizens serve on the board of education Even in the old city council, the complaint was not or lack of ability. but that the ability was not used for interest of the clty. This charge was very greatly eXag- gerated and used as campaign talk hv certain politicians that wanted d job at a salary that they would not take if the salary was not attacneo to the job. It is certainly reflec- tion on those who charge the old administration with graft, that not one member of l. has ever been in- dicted and convicted for the offense. If it was hair as bad as some made out it was there should have been more diligence in the enforcement of law
 "In a city in Florida that has manager from Ohio the report comes that there are no competent men in Florida to fill the municipal posi- tons, and that practically all or them are filled by Ohio friends or the manager. Birmingham wants ncne of that kind of government.
 with S6.00o mayor and board of Is aldermen. this city will save s1OO, 900 in the next five years that will be squandered in salaries If the present plan Is not abandoned. That amount of money will do a whole lot of Improving. The Age-Herald Is to bo congratulated on starting some thing"
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