The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-01-27
Politics
 -M- Passing

lA AAN8 CQAuAlAAl AApCAAkAOAlC0 lAAG AlAAAAC OA | Atty. Richard J. Smith Q week ago, but his residence in Fairfield county | would seem to eliminate him com- pletely from the picture, if by any l chance he might be personally in- terested. Likewise the same factor | would seem to nullify the Hartford Times proposal that the appoint ment 90 to the venerable and ener- getIc James L. McGovern of Bridge | port, termed by the Hartford paper | as the recognized leader and spokes- man for Connecticut Journalism who has devoted a mature lifetime to the study and analysis of public ques- ttons." The name of J. Francis Smith naturally has occurred to many as an ideal replacement for his close friend and political ally of many years standing, but presumably MT Smiths name would be anathema to present Democratic state leaders. But there is such a thing as public opinion entering into the decision, If the outcome is finally entrusted to gubernatorial appointment. and public opinion might swing convinc- 1nely to the local man, If the time game.
 It may be the intent of leaders like Democratic State Chairman Adrian Maher to force this issue into . special election, hut it's doubtful if actually he or any others want to go to that extreme. To be brutally frank almost any Democrat nominated would take drubbing at a special election. The strategy of Democratic leaders may be, of course, tO cOerce Gov. Baldwin to agree, even before he is SO notified that he can, to select . Democrat for the vacancy, who will be agreeable to them. That's good politics. but there are too many good cards in the governors hand. But the public holds the best hand and even the governor knows that.
 Down in New Haven, though, where Mayor John Murphy ana Public Works Director John Golden presumably know a lot of what transpires within the party leader ship of the state. the request has gone out for dual election-one to elect a senator and one to elect probate judge. New Haven is faced with the latter problem through the death some time back of the Hon John L. Gilson. The saving in such n plan would be considerable to New Haven and there is no reason why Mayor Murphy's plea shouldn't be heard. The mayor mentioned fig- Iire Of $6, 600 as the saving by doubl- ing yp on elections. Actually 1t would be more than that for there arc also to be figured the costs to the in- dividual parties and the candidates involved.
 As yet there has been no rush to file Waterbury bills In the General Assembly. There was a sprinklinE this week-SOIne by requests and some, particularly those of Senator Pat Wallace, designed to improve the lot of the wayward yOungster or the boy or girl who might be on the brink of going delinquent.
 Next week should tell the tale as ahe headline for filing bills Is Fri day, Feb. 2. No so-called admin
 istration bills have appeared as yet; . considerable number of
 them are known to be in pfepara-
 ten, such as charter changes rec
 Om@nended in various audit re-
 ports to make practice and charter
 conform. And there are said to
 he others that city officials feel
 are required to permit more effi-
 clent operation of city depart
 mentS.
 Apparently the only pension bills to be heard by legislative commit tees this term, affecting the city of Waterbury, will be those pre- pared by the special commission and that offered last week by the police and fire departments, which makes several changes in sections of the commission bill. Inquiring here and there it's difficult to find out who the proponents of the commission bill will be. Chairman c. Arthur Dubois believes that the board was dissolved on January IS by the very wording of the act creating it. On tho cities and boroughs committee, which will hear the measure. is Rap Arthur Tanner of Woodbury, who was also a member of the commis- sion. Mayor John g. Monagan has given the impression that his duty was simply to receive the commk- sion's report and to pass the pro- posed pension bill along to the leg 1slature. All of which leaves it's defense apparently to the taxpayer, who needs some such measure as this for his future protection.
 There has been a lot of com
 ment heard on Mayor MortenSen's
 plan to give Hartford a city man.
 ageP form of government. A
 month or 50 ago the mayor stated
 that he would not be a candidate
 to succeed himself. Now he k
 AgitatIng for q change in the
 form of government and has in-
 tereSted various clvio leaders in
 the same. A bill proposing such
 a change, which would only fOI-
 low . public referendum, Is now
 before the legislature. What irkS
 some political observers is the
 faet that when he stated he was
 taking himself out of politics
 Mayor MOrtensen did not publicly
 espOuSe the cause of the city man
 aeer form of government. If the
 proposal does 90 to the voters a
 good bet would be that it would
 be defeated just aA soundly as
 it was here in Waterbury six years
 sgs.
 Meriden is seriously considering naming it's new high school in honor of Francis T. Maloney. It would bt c fitting tribute Add similarity a1 names - Dr. Edward J. Finn oi fA A A l..