The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-03-13
HERE'S MORE ABOUT
MANAGER
STARTS ON PAGE |

number 10 bear the title OF mayor
He would receive $500 a year and
would b authorized. with the con.
sent Of the council. 10 tAks charge
Of the police department in case OF
riot - but otherwise his functions
would be purely tltulAr.
Tho entire administrative brunch
Of the government would be intrun;.
ed TO a city manager. who would be
employed by the city council az
suitable salary and who would be
subject to dismissal By the council
al any time.
Under tho city manager. the ruu.
niclpai government would b. divided
into SIX departmsnu,-iaw. safety.
finance. welfare. works and utilities
the directors Of which would te mp.
pointed by tho city manager. subject
TO dismissal at will. The directors. IN
turn. would appoint tho superintsnd.
snts Of the several division. into
which each department. with tho s1.
caption OF Inv. would b divided.
Lesser municipal employee would
b appointed by their respective au.
perin;sndsnts. subject to civil service
rules.
There would be thros civil service
commissioners, appointed by the city
council for thres,year terms, who
would servo without salary. Tho
commissioners would appoint an eff.
cienuy expert and a secretary, tho
latter 10 act as chief examiner, Civil
service employees. under the proposed
charter. may DO removed at any tltna
by tho officials who appointed them.
but may appeal 10 the civil service
commission. Tho commission invos.
ugatea and makes a report. with roc.
concentrations, 20 tho city manager.
but tho Atteris decision IL final.
Tho city manager plan" says r.
l.. wi.nir. secretary OF tho Municipal
league. "is comparable 10 our present
school system. Tho people cleo, tho
school directors. who decide on and
define tho policy OF the system. Then
tho directors appoint n superlntend.
ent. who carries out this policy.
COUNCIL NAMES
CITI MANAGER
I'm tho snme way. under the
city manager plnn. the people
would elect tho city councllmen.
who would decide on and define
the policy Of tho city. Then tho
eouncilmon would appoint man.
ager, who would carry out this
policy.
1T might also be compared 20
tho operation OF big corporation.
The stockholders--who. I'm this in.
stance, represent tho voters--eleot
n board OF trustees, and the trustees
adopt n policy nnd appoint gen.
eral manager 20 put Il into effect.
tits simply question OF con.
centrating responsibility putting
the city on more Of business. and
less Of n political basis.
And We certainly need such n
systcm. Remember. Seattle. for It's
size, has the most valuable public
utilities Of any city In tho country.
Experience has proved that tho
city manager plan can be put into
offoctual operation. II has boon
adopted by 400 cities in this coun.
try--nnd enc OF them, Cleveland.
is twice tho slzo OF Seattle.
Tho Municipal league is brond.
minded on tho question. wo don't
say our proposed charter Ii Ideal
we know II isn't. But we want tho
city TO try something In that gen.
ernl direction we're convinced TINT
II would be OF tremendous benefit
10 everybody.
SAYS NEW CHARTER
is MUCH NEEDED
And then there's one thing moro
oven II the charter revision com.
mlttoe doesn't agree on N.tho CITY
manager plan, tho city will still be
better off than II Ia now, As former
Mayor Caldwell pointed out on his
retirement from office the present
charter has been patched no lcsa
than a score OF times. So whether
tho city manager plan wins or not.
Seattle would benefit greatly thru