Evening star., 1950-09-20
|bdYes, Travis
Debate Fairfax
Reform Issues
Former Cites Coins
He Believes Assured
With Manager

The two new plans. of govern
ment reform to be voted on this
November in Fairfax County were
debated last night before the
Herndon Parent Teacher Associa.
ton.
Guy M. Bayes. president of the
county Federation of Citizens
Associations. explained the adj
vantages he said would come to
the county if the manager form
of government is accepted in a
November referendum.
Lewis s. Travis, a member of a
former county government study
commission, spoke for the execu-
tive government plan. Mr.. Travis
has a farm near Cha1tilly.
Explaining the present execu-
tive secretary form of govern
ment, Mr.. Bayes pointed out
there is not now responsible
head Of government in the
county.
Per Cent of Control.
He said the Board Of Super
visors has direct control. over only
about 8 per cent of the county's
budget of more than $3.5 million.
Ninety-two percent of these funds
are spent by boards and officials
over which the people have no
control through the ballot. he
said. d..
Fairfax County has suffered
from a lack of countrywide think
ing and planning" Mr.. Bayes
said. ''The county manager form,
which differs primarily from the
executive form in representation,
would bring about countrywide
planning and thinking"
Citing two examples of what he
called the lack of the county wide
approach to government, Mr..
Bayes said the Board of Super
visors recently decided to place a
sewage treatment plant in the
heart of residential developments
in the Alexandria area. and that
a change of only % votes could
have killed a recent school bond
issue if voting had been done by
districts.
One Supervisor Opposed.
The only opposing votes to plac-
ing the treatment plant near New
Alexandria, he said, was by the
supervisor from Mount Vernon
district.
"If supervisors were elected at
large" he said, then all mem
bers of the board would have been
responsible to the voters in the
Mount Vernon district"
In the school bond referendum,
Mr.. Bayes pointed out that if this
election had been by districts a
shift of % votes in two rural dis
tricts could have killed the issue
which was voted by more than
3 to l in one other district.
Mr.. Travis agreed that the prin-
cipal point of difference between
the two government forms is the
representation and, deeper than
that, taxation
He said the burden and Incl
dence" of taxation lies on the
landowners. He said the farmers,
though in minority, still carry
the greatest tax burden.
BY electing supervisors at large,
Mr.. Travis said, it could take
away from that minority it's COM
piete voice in government.
Might Add Supervisors.
Mr.. Travis said he thought
there might be an alternative to
the county manager form by add
ing, at later date, number Of
members to the Board of Super
visorS who would be elected at
large. This, he said, would give
the suburban areas a greater
voice in government, but still
would insure representation in the
rural areas.
Mr.. Travis explained that the
November ballot will allow voters
to choose between three govern
ment plans-the present plan, the
executive plan and the manager
plan.
IF you should vote against any
change" Mr.. Travis said, "be
sure to continue to the next ques-
ton on the ballot. For even
though you vote against change,
you still may vote for one of the
reform plans"