Evening star., 1941-03-30
Brookings Aide Tells
Montgomery How 10
Effect New Setup
Candidates in County
Should Take Stond on
Charter Plan, He Says
By Staff Correspondent OF The Star

By . Staff Correspondent OF The Star
KENSINGTON, Nd, March 29.-
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-
rnendations on the Inauguration of
a 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 League
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
a citizens committee outline a basis
for a proposed charter and that
when the primary elections are held,
candidates be questioned and their
views made public on the proposed
charter plan.
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.
" would like to see in this county
q situation which would enable the
citizens to participate in their own
local government through the
medium of county council elected
In 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 partici-
pate in our county elections"
After citing many departments in
which he feels 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
tAlC ACSAoAdOAFC POl4SS liohllls OONy
but removing from that council the
details Of administering the affairs
of the county" he continued.
I'VE spend more for our system of
public education than on any other
item in our county setup. After we
train these young people, however,
we turn around and select political
appointees 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.