Evening star., 1950-10-08
Fairfax Voters
Urged TO Back
Manager Plan
Courthouse Group
Seen Promoting
Executive Form

Proponents Of the county man
ager form of government for Fair
fax County issued a statemen
last night supporting their argu
ments that the manager plai
more nearly meets the needs O
the area.
County residents will vote or
three government forms in a ref.
erendum November Z. They will
be asked to choose between tn,
present executive secretary form
the county manager form and the
county executive form.
Edward T. Gibbons, president
Of the county Taxpayers Advisory
Association, charged in a state.
ment that opposition to the man.
ager form is centered with the
court house group" which ha.
always opposed government re.
form.
Taxpayers Group Statement.
Mr.. Gibbons statement follows:
''The time has come in the re-
organization fight in Fairfax
County to lay the cards on the
table where people can see them
With all the thousands of words
that have been hurled in this
campaign, the central issue still
has not been revealed in plain
view for all to examine.
THE only real question which
now faces the voters of Fairfax
County in the November 7 refer
endum is this:
Shall the people regain con-
troll Of elective representation, or
shall the courthouse machine re-
tain their control through minor
ity rule? Specifically, shall Fair
fax County citizens vote for
County Executive Form and con-
firm the futility of their out-of-
balance elective representation in
local government? Shall they vote
County Executive Form and per-
petuate for the $1,000 citizens of
three suburban magiSterial dis
tricts representing 83 per cent of
Fairfax County a form of taxa
tion without representation that
has bred the present school chaos,
and other deficiencies?
COR, shall they vote County
Manager Form and restore rep
resentative government to the
people, because only County Man
ager Form gives an equal vote to
each and every voter; because
County Manager Form, and only
County Manager Form. will pro-
vide County representatives elected
by the majority. who in turn will
give the people of the county the
changes in policy that the majors
ity want. This is the central isslel
Apparently in recognition OF
this fact. we now have been Ia
vored with volunteer advice on
the profound subject Of demo-
cratic representation by the So
called League of Civic Organiza-
tions. This is the hastily con-
structed and newest front for the
same courthouse group and its
camp followers which started out
over a year ago to oppose public
spirited citizens who undertook tc
sponsor improvement in local gov
eminent. This new front for olo
opposition now poses as the de-
fender of a minority. What they
really mean is that they hope to
appease an aroused citizenry by
the sop of a token change through
the county executive form. They
know full well the adoption of the
county executive form would re-
tain the out-of balance elective
representation through which
they have the power to neutralize
the votes of the SO per cent of the
county's residents living in Mount
Vernon, Providence and Falls
Church districts.
Can't Support Executive Form.
1.-THE Taxpayers Advisory Asso-
citation would not lend its support
to any method of government that
ignored the right Of a minority
On the other hand, it long ago de-
cided 1t could not support the
county executive form because il
would only confirm and re-estab.
lish Fairfax County's present out
of-balance representation by dis
tricts. The county executive form
is not only the old systems IA
voritisrn in elective representation
on the Board of Supervisors, but
more of it, as we shall show.
1.-The opposition to County Man
ager form has its newly-founc
experts on the profound subject
of democratic representation. but
this association in it's search fol-
the truth has decided that 1t will
go along with Virginia's origina,
exponent of the democratic proc
ess, Thomas Jefferson. Time after
time Jefferson said and wrote
throughout his lifetime that there
was no substitute for the rule o1
the majority. This basic concept
is supplemented by the fact that
under the County Manager Form
each voter in the county will cast
nine separate votes for his repre-
sentatives; under the present Ex-
Tnxnnvor C+nr+Iae