Evening star., 1950-09-21
Fairfax Reform
Group Harmony
Urged by Hirst
Committee Leader
Says Voters Need to
Understand Issue

eIOuPo dONOSoC44lS SOFCA1AL11C41b 1C-
form in Fairfax County was made
today by Omer L. Hirst, chairman
of the Committee for Good Gov
ernment.
The committee is composed o1
representatives of the county's
Federation Of Citizens Associa-
tions, the League of Women Voters
and the Taxpayers Advisory
Association.
Mr.. Hirst's statement follows:
Advocates of county executive
government - unintentionally, we
feel sure-are extending aid ano
comfort to the real enemy of the
people of Fairfax County, the
present unavoidable and undemo-
cratic form of government which
has brought the county to the rim
of ruin.
Need to Bring in Voters.
with the referendum only a
few weeks off, the desperate need
of the moment is work to bring
the voters of Fairfax County to a
clear understanding of their pres
ent plight. Scores of civic groups
-women's clubs, civic associations,
organ zations Of all kinds-are
working against time to let the
people know why their schools
have been allowed to fall apart,
why their services are so miserable,
their ordinances uninforced, their
zoning a farce. There is critical
need for full appreciation of the
fact that the present executive
secretary form will never provide
even a decent minimum OF local
government.
"Yet the committee now formed
to fight for the county executive
plan, instead of joining the move
for needed reorganization, is at
tacking the very civic groups that
have worked for more than a year
to achieve that reorganization.
THE result can only be con-
fusion. What but confusion Of
the voters can come, for example,
from the new alliance of the
chairman and another member of
the School Board with the indi-
Vidual who has been blocking the
county's long-sought school con-
struction program?
Cites Attack on Gardner.
Chairman Fred w. Robinson,
only a few days ago, publicly at
tackled MI. Charles E. Gardner
whose law suit blocks the school
bond issue-aS one of two mis-
guided people who are seeking by
court action to thwart the will of
the great majority of Fairfax
County citizens, and one of two
'obstructionists who are costing
Fairfax County over 81 million
Nov Mr.. Robinson and Mr..
Gardner Join forces to fight, not
the present government that is
responsible for the school debacle,
butt the citizens who have Spon-
sored the move for a government
that might solve the school prob
lem.
THE Committee for Good Gov
eminent refuses to believe that
these attacks are designed to draw
fire away from those groups who
are defending the present un-
democratic form. We believe
as we have said before-that most
of the individuals working for the
county executive form want to get
rid of the intolerable executive
secretary form, and that they are
not seeking merely to stop coun-
ty manager
ITO demonstrate the sincerity
of that belief, we invite the county
executive committee to join with
citizens groups who have been
working for county manager in an
effort to acquaint the voters with
the reasons for their present stu
alton. We invite them, too, to
help point out the factual diff
ferences between county manager
and county executive forms, so
that the people can judge these
forms on their real merits.
Room for Opinions.
ut is not enough just to repeat
that the county manager form
provides for appointment of ad-
ministrative employees by the man
ager, while the executive form
leaves appointive and removal
powers in the hands of the super
visors. 1t is not sufficient to say
merely that the manager form
keeps district supervisors but
elects them at large, while the
executive form retains the present
method of election by district.
"Voters must be led to under
stand hat these differences really
mean. There is room for a range
of opinion on these matters. The
people of the county may well de-
eide to retain the present method
Of choosing supervisors. Ger
tainly those residents who are
satisfied with the present form
and its performance will do so.
But voters must not be allowed
to vote for the present method
without realizing that it will mean
keeping a key element of the form
they now have.
eve, therefore, urge the county
executive committee to help us
explain the critical need for gov
ernment reorganization, and to
help us make clear the honest diff
ferences between the two optional
forms that will be offered in ref
erendum November 7. The groups
working for improvement have
barely time enough to win the
major campaign-the re-organi-
zatlon move - without wasting
their energies attacking each
other.