The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-01-05
Politics
 -M- Passing

taking place next week. You folk would Do shoveled out of office, And probably that would take placl were lt to come to pass that Mayo John S. Monagan and his associate faced the electorate Of Waterbur, on Tuesday next. Thus, the frs zeal effort to install an up-to-dat' system of property valuations il
 Waterbury comes face to face witt public opinion. The majority o people apparently are not SO mucl concerned with Q system as the, are with what the assessment on their own house and lot. That human nature. And nothing tha any individual or political organi zatlon con do will ever change it However, there Is this to it here il lvVaterbury--people are now awar of the fact that assessments ar, something more than mere tag oi which a municipality hangs a ta' rate. Maybe if they had displayed similar interest some years ago wher a similar revaluation program wa started under Mayor Frank Hayes today there'd be nt or i'll feeling over hike! in assessment figures.
 The calmest figure in the cur-
 rent tempest is Assessor AldrO
 Jenls. Upon him Is being visited
 the wrath of a pOpulace. He IS
 blamed for everything. He is the
 object of scOrn, criticism, vitu-
 peratlOn, and what have you.
 And Assessor Jenks is handling
 his situation beautifully. He is
 not taking 0ffense at any names
 hurled in his direction; he is not
 dOdging any brick-bats; he is
 meeting as many taxpayers as is
 humanly possible. He is, however,
 pointing out that he Is the ad-
 ministrator of . new system which
 is being established in Waterbury.
 He is willing to listen to reason
 in regard to the figures placed on
 local property, not by Mir. Jenks
 0r his assistants, but by & conn
 pany of revaluatiOn appraisers,
 recommended to the City of Wa
 terbury by a special committee of
 city officials and public citizens
 and hired on the strength of such
 recommendation to do thorough
 job of revaluing all property. The
 new Assessor may not fight 1t out
 all winter and summer on a cer-
 tain figure placed on g piece of
 property, but he certainly will
 fight 1t out on the means and methods emplOyed-the yardstlck which is universal in the city
 and will not pass over one and strike heavily at another.
 Other than that things are pre- normally along the political 'ront. Mayor Monagan's board ap- were much as predicted md resulted in few changes in his official family Retirements galore Ire piling up in both police and fire departments, with a scattering throughout the general govern nent. The new Retirement Board, headed by Col. John H. Gilbert treasurer of the Chase Brass and Copper Company, has its work cut put for 1t in the next few weeks. AS ! matter of fact it's initial meeting his week was concerned not mere Iy with organization matters, but action on retirements, etc. Where IS the old Retirement Board usual- " met only on call, the new one will probably be as active as the municipality's major boards with :heir two or more meetings a month.
 There seems to be lot Of ap-
 prOval of the promotions made
 recently in the Fire Department.
 The advancement of Martin J.
 Campi0n to the position of Chief
 after his years as Deputy; the
 advancement of Francis Scully to
 . Deputy's job and that of 'Dick"
 Sheehan to a similar post, as well
 as the many others made during
 the past few days brought forth
 much cOmmendatfOn, particular
 IarIy i'm the department concern
 ed as in all cases the advance
 mentS were well-earned and the
 recipients were firemen of known
 ability and years of service. Like
 wise, the tendency to favor veter-
 ans of World War H for appoint
 ment to both the police and fire
 departments is getting good pub
 He reaction. Some of the appoin-
 tees, according to commissioners,
 are fine example of young man.
 hood and will certainly be
 credit to the respective depart
 ments when they step forth to
 give service to the city.
 Once again the age-old question If one tax for all properties re- gardless of improvements or serv- Ices given is raised by the current ruckus over assessments. Once up- on a time Waterbury, like great many other cities, had more than one tax district: There would be the main one embracing the entire township on which a tax would be levied; then there's be 8 smaller district within the bigger one on which a larger tax would be levied Tor those residing in it would be get- ting the full benefit of streets, side walks, lights, sewers, drains, schools, stc. Gradually cities did away with the overlapping tax district and es- abolished the one tax But there are still the districts which are without police service, unless specifically re- luested, sewers, sidewalks, aid-out streets, lights, etc. The tax is the Ian1e for the man who lives in this ,ection as he who lives right in the center of the town. But there's where assessments should recognize l difference in environment and a pretty good case for such residents Is established when they approach the assessors office.
 Mayor John Murphy's retire.
 ment to private life in New Haven
 was accomplished without much
 fanfare. The Democrats of the
 Elm City will undoubtedly have A.. ..Anw& nln nwar fn hnVild mn their