The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-08
THE CITY-MANAGER PLAN


 renders pertinent discussion of what other cities are doing. New victories were won for the city-manager plan on election day, Cincinnati adopted this plan by good majority. Municipal ad- ministration had become very unsatis- factory to the people of that community, who by their action demonstrated strong public sentiment for change to more efficient administrative system. Their action is further interesting because it follows observation of the plans success in other large cities which have adopted the more business-like method. Cleveland voted city manager form about two years ago. It has been in effect this year, and has proved generally satisfactory. Its popularity, resulting from its adoption by some three hundred cities and the fm- proved conditions reported by most of them, is indicated by its continuance. Occasionally, because of an unfortunate selection of manager, good results have not at once followed. But that has been no fault of the system.
 Some idea of the rapidity of the growth of the city-manager plan may be obtained by recalling that it was not tried in America until 1908 when 1t was adopted by Staunton, Virginia, then hav- ing about twelve thousand people. A practical engineer was put in charge of municipal affairs. He made good, and L Norfolk, Virginia, with over thousand people. chose Staunton's general man. ager at very much large salary. He made good again, and now he IS serving California city at still larger salary, and has already indicated that he will put the affairs of that city on a business basis. Dayton, Ohio, which adopted the plan soon after it went into effect Tn Staunton, has been efficiently managed. It has proved generally satisfactory to citizens who demand practical results in place of political favoritism. It is sig nificant that only three of the three hundred cities which have adopted the system have abandoned it after giving it fair test.
 While the city-manager plan was until recent years confined to comparatively small cities, the increasing number Of large cities which are now operating un- der this method is significant. It IS be- coming more widely recognized that the size of the city has nothing to do with lthe success of the plan, and that II It will give a small city better government at the same cost, or as efficient govern ment at less cost, its benefits to the larger communities promise correspondlngly larger results. While there are various forms of the plan as modified to meet local conditions, the fact that the maln purpose is the same-to divorce municipal government from politics and put it on a business basis-indicates that sooner or later such cities as Birmingham, whose community development is handicapped bv politics, will be brought seriously to consider the wisdom and benefits of the system. The success which it has met in Cleveland, with nearly million popula- tion. has impressed students of munlclpal government everywhere, and there IS ln- creasing belief that even the greater cities. like New York, Chicago and Phlla- delphia, will eventually acknowledge the wisdom of adopting the manager plan.
 There is nothing extraordinary about the plan. It is surprising that 1t has not appealed more strongly to the patriotism and common sense of city residents every where. It consists in hiring competent man to act as business executive. Munl- cipal government can, and frequently does determine in large measure the prosperity, contentment and welfare o1 the community. All the more surprlslng' therefore. that an important factor m community progress and development should not be more widely recognized and accepted. Under the manager plan the affairs of city are run much as the affairs of a corporation. At least, such ;s the theory, and when divorced from politics, as is essential to it's success the manager plan becomes working agency for the benefit of the citizens, Who are stockholders in the municipal buslness' The intent is to take politics out of city management, or to take city management out of politics. Hiring man for a def mite service and retaining him on hls showing of results will bring better re- turns to the community than electlng him to important positions in the public trust on his hand-shaking ability, and leaving him free to pass the buck.
 ] Sooner or later the city-manager plan promises to come up for consideration by the citizens of perhaps every important municipality in the country, because ot it's good showing where tried. Birming- ham is in part business institution, which pressingly needs the application Of business principles.
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