Evening star., 1950-11-02
Fairfax County Needs Change

Fairfax County there has emerged one fact on
which nearly everybody is agreed Fairfax County
needs a new system of government Citizens OF
this fast growing part of the Washington Metro
potan Area should have no difficulty in answer
ing the first question on the referendum ballot
next Tuesday: shall the county change its form
of government" The answer is Yes
The second question finds greater division
of opinion 1t asks the voters to decide which
of two governmental forms, county executive or
county manager, they favor as substitute for
what they have now.
While The Star believes that Fairfax County
long since has outgrown its present governmental
setup, it will not presume to tell the county how
it should vote on that all-important second
question The voters have had plenty of advice
from groups and individuals who have spent
great deal of time in weighing the respective
merits of the two proposed systems. These
groups notably the Fairfax County Government
Study Commission (appointed by the present
Board of Supervisory and the Committee for
Good Government, sponsored by the Federation
of Citizens Associations, the Taxpayers Advisory
Association and the League of Women Voters,
have done highly creditable job in informing
the voters of the advantages of the two systems.
Both sides are agreed that either plan would be
a vast improvement over what they have now.
It is for the voters themselves to make choice
dispassionately and with view solely to insuring
a sound, busineSslike administration geared to
the countys modern day requirements
It is noteworthy that even the Board OF
Supervisors has joined in the cry for change
raised by the majority and minority of the study
commission and by the Committee for Good
Government The urgency of reform becomes
clear when it is considered that although the
county's population has increased 140 per cent
in the past ten years, with startling tranS1or-
nation of many farm areas into thickly congested
residential communities, the county still struggles
under the handicap of a governmental system
designed for rural parts of the State There have
been revisons of the system from time to time
but these have been only patchwork modifica-
tionS.
To replace this archaic structure the study
commission recommended the so-caed county
executive plan, whereas the Committee for Good
Government favorS the county manager plan.
Both plans are alike in many respects, especially
in the field of administrative reform. The county
manager would have more authority than the
county executive But the big difference-and
this has become the hot issue in the campaign
ing-is in the method of electing the supervisors
representing the countys six magsterial districts.
The county executive plan would retain the
present arrangement whereby each district elects
calls for county y-wide voting all six supervisors.
Under the latter plan, the more populous districts
would have more voice in county management
a move not relished by the three rural districts.
The present board and spokesman for one
group have come out for retention of the present
government pending legislative action to author
ize charter form. But the General Assembly
will not meet until January, 1852. Fairfax voters
also should thoroughly understand that unless
change is voted next Tuesday, there will be no
opportunity to vote on either of the rejected
plans for three years. That is the law. But the
need for governmental reform in Fairfax County
is an immediate and pressing one 1t cannot be
put off much longer without serious consequences
for the county as whole and for Its cltlzens
individually The next three years should not
be wasted in waiting for another opportunity
to vote They should be utilized in making
change in government and perfectlng' througn
trial and error, the new form OF government best
suited to this rapidly developing county,