The Daily Alaska empire., 1944-07-19
to your asIE ESTEONS
 About the City Manager Plan
QUESTIONS and ANSWEl ity manager plan?


 to determine policy and to hire trained man as chief admn
 the the" a ss %s plan differ fro" the and The manager plan superior because mie organization whereas the commission form sets up five more little and makes possible expert executive saddled with political obligations. Why does the city manager plan work better? has shown It simple understood by the voter It makes elections practical thereby facilitates partisan @ administration It centralizes responsibility
 More than 600 About 200 others have variation of it. More than 100000 Americans live communities which have the 5 ""vassr What sias R,sn are these communities
 They with populations hundred Cincinnati @ with a population of half million one out of every G. Is the plan growing rapidly?
 adopted plan the pca American form of and considered this
 
 What has been the of the cities having this form Almost uniformly reports citizens well satisfied Consistent improved and reduced have been 8. Why manager of appointing
 Whenever an administrative executive elected his office thrown into politics Men who not all qualified will seek the p0Gn because it n has good salary In ofde to be @ elected eyem manaers will do That means appointments patronage council it make he must make good record hold his job
 Will not the plan result auocrc by the instead of democratic government?
 Quite the contrary Democracy consists in controlling public of cers necessarily in eIecting them that democratic which tie people the control The most effective the people their public offices choose representative of citizens he counc with
 
 sentative can be relied to keep check what he doing and ,o fire him any time he is unsaisfactory
 residing in city which adopts the plan not an out -oown manager likely to be cut of touch with local sentiment?
 The city council composed as it of local men and women carries its The problems all cities similar from administrative standpoint, Hence the office for he has nothing do with the policy of the community entangemen that arise inevitably from residence in city He identified with no faction political party and has obligations which might lead him grant avors special privileges His freedom make decisions of local influence mate acquaintance with the community Witness school super mendent or head of hospital The positions are parallel Because all other forms of city government attempt to elect of executives the basis of intimate examination of their qualifications unconused with questions of their local political strength In older forms of city government jobs distributed I2. much are city managers usually paid:
 Salaries from of $2638 in cities with popua on less than 5000 of $l2e57 in cities 100000 The lowest highest ls Why jobs not distributed under the Primarily because manager d o the @ basis of merit fer The manager looks his must therefore qualify as trained municipal executive keep out dp this he has to have and the job who well qualified His opportunity for advancement dager salary efficient administration the city he is working
 Quite the contrary Since of the basic principles of the manager plan the appointment municipal employees by merit administration of civil service is usually far effective than under any other form of government l5 city adopts the plan what will happen the universal practice is retain every employee willing to earn his Most employees delighted at the change since they longer have of their salaries political election the administration office So long the employees their satisfactorily and of politics, their jobs safer under the plan l6 Will not the build political machine out of the employees?
 retention election and cut off all chance of his promotion a bigger job another city IT, What city officials elected under the plan? The best policy only the members of the city council ideally the proportional voting The council appoints appoints all department heads and other administrative employees. council politicians they appoint manager who will do their bidding?
 Certainly representative the city they council the election the responsible the voters the of the However the experience of most cities is that high grade councimen chosen.
 
 under other forms of government?
 When councilman does not take much time interfere with their business representative citizens induced office Under the old only the afford the time necessarily involved the Furthermore manager plan with electng the council divocng from local elections the machine be elected The fact that possible also makes high cabre The position of councilman becomes of dignity responsibility and honor
 20. What the a city?
 cities which retain the office the the membership tuar head of the city and usually emergency powers nteprets the the people leadership policy.
 2l. have Invariably been well satisfied Comments labor