Evening star., 1950-09-02
Joint Ballot Plan
On Reform in
Fairfax Hit
5-to-1 Resolution
Of Board Branded
Halfway Measure
By james BirchfieId

BY james Birchfield
A resolution by the Fairfax
County Board of Supervisors re-
questing a Joint ballot In No
vemberg referendum on Govern
ment reform today was called an
effort to give county residents
halfway measures.
The comment was made on the
boards action at an unannounced
session Thursday at which a reso-
luton was adopted. to /, to
request Judge Paul E. Brown of
the Circuit Court to allow the
voters to choose between three
forms Of government. Omer Hirst,
chairman Of the Committee for
Good Government, said the action
Of the board should surprise no
one.
In statement prepared by his
committee, Mr.. Hirst said the
move Is an efortsto split the vote
IN the referendum and to give the
people of Fairfax County half
way measures.
Runyon Against Action.
The boards resolution asked
that the people be allowed to vote
on the present form, the county
manager form and the county
executive form. B. H. Runyon.
member from the Falls Church
district, was reported to have voted
against the resolution.
Mr.. HirSt, in his statement, said
the county executive form of gov
ernment goes only half way
toward really businesslike pro-
cedure.
ut gives the county executive
only vague and weak authority to
conduct the affairs which would
become his responsibility. The
county manager form, on the
other hand, sets a straight line Of
authority from the elected Board
of Supervisors on Down.
Under the executive plan, the
81 900 residents of Mount Vernon,
Falls Church and Providence dis
tricts would remain as effectively
1isfranchiSed as ever. The county
manager plan would correct this
in providing the election of super
visors by all the voters of the
county,
Request Made Year Ago.
Harold A. Ward, former presi-
dent of the Federation of Citizens
Associations, said he had asked
the Board of Supervisors year
ago to petition the court for a ref
erendum on government reform.
"At that time, the board said
such a request should come from
the people," Mr.. Ward said. THE
people have petitioned the court
and now it seems strange that
the board must also request for
a referendum.
The boards action In request
ing the joint ballot followed Q
recommendation from the. 21-
member Government Study Com
mission appointed last April to
investigate all possible reform
measures for the county. 't2f
In a letter to the board, the
commission recommended that 0
joint ballot be requested.
The letter stated that by a vote
20 to l the members called for
the joint ballot. ,a
Petition Now Pending.
A petition, backed by various
county civic organizations, nclud-
ing the League of Women Voters
and the Federation of Citizens
Associations, requesting referen-
dunn on the county manager form
alone now is pending before the
court.
Judge Brown announced last
week he would hold a public hear
ing Tuesday to determine the
legality of the petition. At the
same time he announced he would
set the referendum at the Novem-
ber general election if the petition
is in order.
Meanwhile, David Lawrence.
Washington columnist who heads
the Executive Committee of spe-
cial Government Study Commis-
sion appointed last April by the
supervisors. said the commissions
report would be made public to-
night.
The commission was set up to
study all forms of government re-
form open to the county. 1t is
headed by Walter Grain.
Mr.. Lawrence said the commits
sion's report, originally scheduled
to be completed by September Is.
was made ready earlier because Of
Tuesdays hearing.
The two main differences be-
tween the county manager and
the county executive form of gov
ernment are in the powers desig-
mated to the administrator and to
the method of electing members
of the Board of Supervisors.
Under the county manager form.
supervisors from each magisterial
district are elected by all voters
in the county, while under the ex-
ecutive form board members are
elected by districts, as is now the
case.
The county manager form gives
appointive powers to the adminis-
traitor, while under the executive
form appointments are made by
the board on recommendation Of
the county administrator.
Advocates of the manager form
say it is more applicable to a fast
growing county such as Fairfax,
and that it allows the more popu-
louS urban sections greater voice
in government.
They hold that by freeing the
hands of the administrator, more
efficiency can be obtained in gov
ernment.