Evening star., 1941-03-30
Montgomery
Reform Steps
Are Outlined
Brookings Official
Urges County to
Study Charter Plan
BS 6 Staff Core
Of The Star.

By E Staff Core of The Star.
KENSINGTON, Md, March %
In his first public address since
publication of the Brookings Insti-
tuition report on the government Of
Montgomery County, Lewis Merriam
last night outlined specific recon-
mendationS on the Inauguration Of
proposed new form of government
for the county.
Mr.. Merriam. who headed the in
StitutiOn staff that made the study,
told the executive committee Of the
Greater KenSingtOn Civic Les cue
that the form of government now
in operation in Arlington County,
Va, is similar to the plan recon-
mended for Montgomery County.
The procedure he recommended
for Montgomery County would IN
clude an extensive period of study
until fall. He then suggested that
citizens committee outline basis
for a proposed charter and that
when the primary elections are held,
candidates be questioned and their
| views made public on the proposed
CndrJer pIdn.
Petition Should Be offered.
! He said that it should be made
certain by proponents of charter
plan that candidates favoring the
proposed form of government are
/ entered in an election contest. A
petition for a referendum on the
charter plan should be circulated
and, if approved in the referendum,
a charter board should proceed to
draft the plan in the manner out
lined in the Brookings survey.
/ Mr.. Merriam criticized the present
! system of legislating for Montgom-
cry County.
| The Legislature is meeting at
! Annapolis" he said I'VE don't know
much about the bills affecting Mont
gomery County that are mixed up
with hundreds of other bills af-
fecting other parts of the state. We
will not know what has happened
until long after the Legislature has
adjourned.
II would like to see in this county
a situation which would enable the
citizens to participate in their own
local government through the
medium of a county council elected
in a non-partisan election.
Political AppointeeS Named.
with Montgomery County situ-
ated next to the Nations Capital,
there are many Federal employees
residing here who are barred by the
Hatch Act from participating in
partisan politics. There is no rea-
son why many of these high-grade
fellow citizens should not particle
pate in our county elections
After citing many departments In
which he feels a greater degree of
efficiency could be attained. he said
the Board of County Commissioners
is administering technical and pro-
fessional duties
That is what caused us to sug-
gest an elective council to represent
the legislative policy making body.
but removing from that council the
details Of administering the affairs
of the county" he continued.
1--WE spend more for our system of
public education than on any other
item in our county setun. After We
train these young people. however,
we tul,' around and select political
appointe,s for the positions in our
government and for the most part
they are not from the educated
group"
A membership meeting Of the
Kensington league will be held We'd
nesday at pm. in the Kensington
Junior High School at which an
other member Of the Brookings staff
will be asked to speak. President
Washington I. Cleveland announced
today.