The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-03-23
Politics
 -M Passing

andidacy for the gubernatcrial nomination on the Democrat ticket " Chester A. Bowles last Satur- lay at Q Federated Democratic Nomen's Club luncheon in New Haven more or less indicated here'll be a battle when conven- lon time rolls around. This can D deduced from the fact that there Ire at least three top candidates n the Democratic field seeking Jwo positions. They would include, n addition to Mir. Bowles, former state Labor Commissioner Joseph Tone and Lieutenant Governor Snow. The latter will prob ably be quite content to be the par- ;y's senatorial candidate, but ale 'eady there have been positive as- Iurances of support for MT. Tone for governor by various party leaders. That means the National Stabinzer, MT, Bowles, nas Q task at hand selling hirll- self to both leaders and prospec- live delegates to the state conven- ton. Of course MT. Winchell has oeen insisting for months that MT. Bowles would resign to run for governor of Connecticut, but 1t Isn't as easy as that.
 Senator Brien McMahOn hasn't
 taken a positive stand against
 MT. Bowles or for MT. Tone.
 There have been claims that he
 doesn't see eye to eye with the
 federal official, but that's not
 hard to understand, what with
 conditions as chaotic as they are
 in Washington. It may be that
 Senator McMahon will wait to
 see what sort of reception the
 Bowles "fc,ler" gets throughout the state h>fore committing him.
 self definitely to the candidacy
 of any individual in the party.
 However, you can rest assured
 that both the senator and all
 other party leaders want candi-
 dates in the Democratic fold
 this "-" who will win votes. They
 don't want to relinquish the hold
 they now enjoy on state and na-
 tiOnal offices. In fact they look
 forward to picking up few ad-
 ditional ones, what with the Re-
 publicans faced with the job of
 replacing Raymond F. Baldwin
 as the gubernatOrial candidate
 and JOsenh Talbot as the Fifth
 District Congressional candidate.
 Down in Bridgeport there Is more or less dispay in the ranks of the Socialist administration of Mayor Jasper McLevy. Its king pin in the financial set-up is about to retire to private life. City Controller Perry w. Rodman, whose exploits in the past 12 years have attracted as much attention as have those of Mayor McLevy, has resigned and will leave office on April l. The resignation was handed to the mayor some time ago-February 27-but wasn't made public until March IS, probably because the mayor and other officials hoped they might be able to persuade MT Rodman to reconsider, He stated that his health Is not too good and that he desires to "re- nair some of the financial inroads which these years in office have made on my personal atfairS' There are some of those who be: lieye that without Rodman 1t will be a difficult matter for tAe Mc- Lew administration to maintain the rigid control that has been kept for l2 years over departmen- tai expenditures, as well as ne numerous enterprises into which MT. Rodman carried the office or controller.
 Where does COst-of- living ad-
 justments begin and end? That's
 a question that perplexes . great
 many people. In wage adjust
 mcnts - industrial, mercantile
 municipal, .-.H 0thers-there has
 heen a line of denarcatlOn. Bee
 low the line adjustments were in
 order; above it they seemed to
 be out on the theory that per.
 son getting, say . S6.oOO annual
 salary, could absorb the Aacreas-
 ed cost of living better than a
 man in . lower salary bracket.
 There was arguing over this here
 in Waterbury when city officials
 made the c0st-Of living adjust-
 ment of $500 permanent this year
 for all but officials whose sAlar-
 les were set by charter. However
 thcse officials were granted
 temporary cOSt-Of- living adjust
 ment. Down in New Haven Li-
 hrarian Lindsey Brown, who once
 held a similar position in Water
 bury. maintains that when .
 mans scale of living Is tuned to
 S5,OOO and he experiences cost-0f-
 living increases of some % per
 cent he has the same difficulty
 as anybody else.
 New Haven has 70 officials whc failed to receive a cost-ol Living adjustment during the past u years. All of them were among the group of employees who contriout' ed a percentage of their salaries for relief purposes back in the sos. That's the point that was brought up here in Waterbury, too at the time the adjustment dis cussion, This subject could ot argued all night and day without coming to a meeting of minds But there are many who will agree with MT. Brown in his claim that you can't change standards or hv- ing overnight, which any mar would have to do if his income doesn't keep pace with the increased tempo in living costs. It's easy tt say that large salaries cover multitude of expenses, but TOT tunate persons who have progress sed up the ladder of increased In come know that with this advance has come a proportionate advance In expenses.
 Bristol is in the midst Of a per"
 sOnneI and salary study which
 may eventually be the backbone
 Of . lob reclassifcatiOn system.
 Waterbury officials would Ike