The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-01-26
City Lost 5000, 900
 For Failing To Act
Adoption of Charter Commissions Report Would Have Effect Saving, Claims Good Government
 President in Annual Report.


 year, as most of our actions have been well reported in the local newspapers. However, do want to say that the enthusiasm of your board of managers and ofii- cers has never wavered. Over 20 meetings of the board were held and the average attendance has been unusually high.
 A year ago your association had no definite plan. It only knew that there must be e better system than the "spoils system" under which We were living. After near ly six months of study and search your board finally came to the conclusion reached by the 1880 Waterbury charter commission, namely; that the city manager form of government that was do- Ing SO well in most of the 476 cities and towns that have 1t, was the thing to recommend to the consideration of the voters. This 1880 proposed charter was studied and Q few changes were made to bring 1t up-to-date. The most im- portant change was to use propor- tional representation as the means of electing the council, as by this method 1t has been found that the people have the best chance of making their wishes known. So you see your association is not backing on entirely new charter but Is profiting by the work of the 1880 charter commission and now doing what should have been done then. If at that time all of us had supported the work of Francis T. Reeves, L. P. Sperry, Patrick Healey and Edwin Northrop, the city of Waterbury might have saved Ave million dollars.
 One Object
 For the months ahead your aS- sociation has only one object, It wants the legislature to approve the city manager charter, which 1t has prepared, subject to Q ref- erendum in the spring. You and all of the voters of Waterbury will have the final say. Your board looks forward with confidence to the decision Of the people of our city. We are not afraid as we know they will make the right de- cision when given c chance.
 There will be hearings by the legislative committee in Hartford on your charter bill. We want you to watch the newspapers for the date of these hearings so you can attend them. Ask your local sen- ators, MT. Culhane and MT. Egan, and your representatives, MT. duastaferri and MT. Mahaney, to fight for your bill SO that all Wa terbury voters can express their wish on this subject.
 Tn the immediate future your association hopes to let Waterbury know more about this efficient method of city government. It wants everyone fully informed of It's advantages. It wants you and all other interested citizens to talk about the city manager system to your friends and neighbors. If you do this, you will have done your duty.
 We hope you will support the mass meetings that your associa- ton expects to hold. The next one is scheduled for February l3, when Walter J. Willard will speak on the advantages of P. R. in a city man. ager charter. We will have just as many meetings as you will sup- port.
 Defeatists!
 I have saved for the last what to my mind seems one of the most important things that your asso- citation has accomplished. A year ago the average man and woman in Waterbury had a defeatist atti- tude. Many of them said 1t was impossible to do anything about out city government. The politi- cal machines had us in their clutches and there just was not anything we could do about 1t. The individual citizen felt that he was helpless.
 Your association has changed this. It has shown that banded together the citizen can make himslef felt. It has shown that the voters can control the politi- cal machines and that they will vote for honesty in government. The force of your association is causing the wise politician to stop and listen. For the first time your association has given the people of Waterbury a strong, virile organization to work for the interest of all and through which all elements in our city can unite on a non-partisan basis and to forward to better things.
 In closing, I want to humbly acknowledge all of my deficien- cies. I want to express my ap- preciation of all of the loyal sup- port which has been given me by the board of managers and all of- ficers and committees. Without this support I would be lost as am not fitted for his job either by desire CT temperament. With such support and enthusiasm your association cannot but he . great force for good in this community.