The Commission Form of Government for Cities

The Commission Plan of Government for Cities. BY STATE SENATOR CARL A. BADGER. There is no denying that the government of cities is the one conspicuous failure of the United States. — James , Bryce, American Commonwealth. When the flood of September, 1900, overwhelmed the city of Galveston, Texas, the hopelessness of attempting the rebuilding of the city through the cumbersome municipal machinery then established impressed itself upon the leaders of the stricken city. The council offered to resign, and make way for a small board or commission composed of men especially qualified by training and experience for the great task before them. After some delay, because of legal difficulties, a permanent commission of five members was created and placed in charge of the work of constructing the city anew, strengthening the sea wall, and restoring orderly and prosperous municipal life. This offspring of Mother Necessity proved so successful that the recent well-defined and very general movement in the United States for the adoption of the commission plan of government for cities may fairly be said to have originated with its trial by the city of Galveston. It ought to be said, however, that perhaps the best governed large city of the United States—Washington, D. C.—has for many years been under the control of a commission with extensive administrative authority. The fact that the,municipal expenses of Washington are partly contributed by the national government, that it is the center of official life in the nation, that Congress has direct supervision of the affairs of the district, and that the people have no voice in the choice of district or local offijials, has prevented the commission form of government as established in

THE COMMISSION FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 929 Washington from being a complete test of its adaptability and success under odinary conditions. Next to Galveston, Des Moines, Iowa, deserves credit for the movement for the new form of government. Des Moines has a very progressive, public-spirited group of citizens. These leaders felt the reproach of the extravagance and the inefficiency of the old government, and learning of the Galveston experiment investig ited its operation there, and finally devised a somewhat changed and more extensive scheme for adoption by their home city. The plan a-! tried both in Galveston anl Da M )ine3 has proven a remarkable success, and with modification suited to local conditions has been adopted and is now in operation in about one hundred and fifty cities in the United States. UTAH PLAN. The Galveston plan provides for the election of five commissioners at large. They are not required to devote all their time to the city's interests, are paid only a small salary, and the double election, initiative, referendum and recall are not established. The Des Moines plan also provides for the election of five commissioners at large, who are required to devote all their time to the city's interests, are paid a fairly remunerative salary, are elected by the double election plan (the first a primary or nominating election and the last a decisive election of the familiar type) and has the initiative, referendum, recall and numerous other so-called progressive features. The Utah plan is a combination of both the Galveston and Des Moines plans. OFFICERS ELECTED. Under the law enacted by the last session of the legislature of the state of Utah, the cities of Salt Lake, Ogden, Murray, Logan and Provo will, this coming October and November, choose a board of commissioners consisting of five commissioners in cities of the first class, and three commissioners in cities of the second class. The commissioners are chosen at large, the ward system being abolished. One of the commissioners is called a mayor. He presides at meetings of the board and authenticates ordinances by his signa-

930 IMPROVEMENT ERA. ture. He draws a salary a little larger than his associates, and is supposed to represent the board as its official head, but he has no veto, and his powers, except as otherwise stated, are the same as those of the other members of the board. In addition to the board of commissioners, an auditor is elected. These are the only elective officers, all the remaining city employees, including an attorney and a recorder, are appointed by the board. It was considered best to elect an auditor, as it was thought that by so doing a more fearless and thorough check upon the expenditure of the board would thereby be secured. The remaining officers are appointed, as their services, though highly important, are ministerial, and there will be greater likelihood of the commission selecting competent men than of such men being secured through the present political machinery. NOMINATION. The mayor-commissioner and his associate commissioners are nominated at a preliminary election held two week? before the day of the final election. This phase of the new plan is thought to be very important. It is not intended that there should be a party convention as under present conditions, and such a convention would be absolutely opposed to the spirit and genius of the new scheme. Nominations for the primary election are made by one hundred qualified voters signing a statement that a certain citizen, naming him, is a candidate for a particular office. All the names of the persons so nominated are then placed in alphabetical order on an Australian ballot, without any party emblem or distinguishing mark; it being intended that men shall be selected for municipal officers because of their ability and integrity, and not because of their attitude on questions affecting state or national policy. The sole object desired is a decent, efficient administration of the affairs of the city, and the present arbitrary, non-essential separation of citizens desiring the same ends as far as city affairs are concerned, into antagonistic national parties is foolish and harmful in the extreme. The only person who gains by this separation is the man who is opposed to an efficient and clean local government. At the nominating election each citizen votes for two men

THE COMMISSION FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 931 for each office to be filled. And the two persons receiving the highest number of votes for each office are declared nominated, and their names, and theirs only, are placed on the ballot for the final election. ELECTION. It will thus be see a that the ballot for the final election in cities of the first class will contain the names of twelve candidates, two for mayor, eight for commissioners and two for auditor. And m cities of the second class there will be four less names on the ballot than in the cities of the first class. This will make an ideal short ballot, one on which the voter can concentrate his attention, and a splendid opportunity will be afforded to eliminate the unfittest. Before being elected, a candidate will have to successfully pass through two election tests—the preliminary or primary, where his name will appear among the names of all persons nominated, and a final or decisive election, where he will be opposed by but one candidate. Certainly the voter will understand just what he is doing when he casts his ballot at t;:e last election; there will be no scattering votes; the attention of the voter will be fixed, concentrated on a very simple question—a choice between two candidates for each office. As in the case of the primary ballot, no party emblem or designation will appear on the ballot for the final election. The character, the ability of the candidate, should be the only consideration influencing the voter. ELECTION EXPENSES. Within thirty days after the election each candidate is required to make a sworn statement of the amount expended by him to secure his election; if he does not do so, his office thereby becomes vacant. The law should have gone further and specified in detail the purpose for which a candidate shall be allowed to expend money, and should also have placed a definite restriction on the amount which a candidate shall expend to secure his election. Unrestricted expenditures, both as to purpose-; and amount, breed corruption and give the man of wealth an unfair advantage over men of limited means. ORGANIZATION OP COMMISSION. The officers elected take office on the first of January succeed-

932 IMPROVEMENT ERA ing the date of election. Immediately after qualifying, the board of commissioners meet and assign to each member of the board a particular department of municipal activity. The statute gives a name to each department, but does not, except in the most general way, indicate the duties of the department, it being intended that local conditions and personal fitness shall govern in the assignment of the duties of each commissioner. The names of the departments as stated in the law are as follows: 1. Department of public affairs and finance. 2. Department of water supply and waterworks. 3. Department of public safety. 4. Department of streets and public improvements. 5. Department of parks and public property. ■ Each commissioner has direct charge of and responsibility for the affairs of his department. The board has the final and absolute decision of all matters, but will naturally and normally depend upon the commissioner in charge for first-handed and complete information as to the affairs of his department. The law provides that there shall be at least four meetings each week, one of which shall be at night. All meetings at which any person other than a public officer is present shall be open to the general public. It is also provided that each matter on which a vote shall be taken shall first be reduced to writing and the ayes and nays recorded, and at the end of each month a complete summary of the work done and an itemized list of all receipts and disbursements shall be published in pamphlet form and distributed free to the newspapers and to all persons desiring copies. It is also required that at the end of each year there shall be a complete audit of the city's finances by a non official and competent auditor. It is intended by these means to secure complete publicity and authoritative information as to all municipal affairs. ELECTION OFFENSES. Very extensive provisions are found in the law prohibiting the giving of money with the intent that it shall be used directly or indirectly to secure votes other than by legitimate means of pursuasion and argument. It is also made an offense to attempt to

THE COMMISSION FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 933 secure votes by the promise of appointment to any municipal office or the giving of any public employment. FREE PASSES. The law prohibits the receiving by any officer or employee of the city of any free pass or any service from any public service company or corporation at rates lower than those offered the general public. This is the first law in the state of Utah checking in any degree the admitted evils growing out of the pass system. While all will agree that it is desirable that those who hold public office shall have the greatest facilities for traveling for purposes of securing information necessary to enable them to intelligently discharge the duties of their offices, yet public servants should not be under obligation to public service corporations for so-called "courtesies" in the way of special privileges. The law also prohibits in the most sweeping and the strongest terms any officers or employees being interested directly or indirectly in any contract, work or business, the expense, price or consideration for which is paid by the municipality. INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM AND RECALL. The foregoing, in brief outline, is the commission plan of government for cities, as enacted by the last session of the legislature of the State of Utah. It will be seen that this plan has the double election features of the Des Moines plan, but otherwise largely resembles the system established by Galveston. The most noticeable departure from the Iowa plan is the absence of the initiative, referendum and recall. As is well known, by means of the initiative the voters of a municipality are enabled to enact an ordinance without the action of the board of commissioners. A designated number, usually twenty-five per cent, of the voters sign a petition for the passage of a proposed law; the law is sent to the board of commissioners, and if the board fails to enact it at once, the question is placed before the voters of the city at a special or at the next general election. If a majority vote in favor of the proposed law, it becomes a law just as though it had been passed upon favorably by the board. By the referendum the actions of the board are in a similar manner repealed or sustained.

9tf4 IMPROVEMENT ERA. The recall enables the voters of a city at any time to compel an elective officer to submit to a vote by which the question of his continuance in office shall be determined. These are new methods of enabling the people to keep the reins of government in their hands at all times. There is a widespread discontent with our present system of electing men to office and not being able to check or restrain them during their term. Some people are afraid of the trusting of large powers under the commission plan to the small board of commissioners without the constant check of the initiative, referendum, and especially the recall. As stated before, Galveston has none of these safeguards,and has found the new plan an entire success. Des Moines has the recall,initiative and referendum, but has not found occasion in three years to use them. In Utah we can well afford to give the commission plan of municipal government a fair trial without these Iowa features, and if they are found desirable, no doubt subsequent legislation will provide for them. ADVANTAGES. The advantages claimed by its supporters for the commissioner plan of government are that the machinery of government is greatly simplified and the responsibility of officials thereby made certain and enforceable. As it is today, the tendency is for the executive to insist that the council should act, the council transfers the responsibility to the board of public works, the latter to the city engineer, and he passes on the duty to a committee of the council. Under the commission plan, the commission has complete power and complete responsibility. By a division of duties into five departments the primary responsibility is fixed on a single individual. Efficiency has marked the service of the commission whenever it has been tried. Economy has always followed efficiency. Des Moines was plucked from extravagant inefficiency in municipal affairs and enabled successfully and economically to commence an extensive system of public improvements solely because of the increased efficiency and economy of her commission. The restoration of municipal government to the confidence and loyal support of the citizens is also an immense benefit of the

THE COMMISSION FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 935 new plan. The doing away with the ward system and the compelling of each commissioner to face his whole constituency makes less possible the election of an incapable or corrupt official from a small and more easily controlled district. The whole city is equally affected by and is therefore equally interested in the vote of each commissioner, and every citizen should have an opportunity to express his choice for each commissioner. The present plan cultivates the habit of each councilman sacrificing the interest of the whole city, other than his district, if he can only thereby get what his district wants. The evil of deciding local problems, largely those involving ordinary business considerations, light, cleanliness, sanitation, sewers, water and good order, by the yard stick of national politics is absurd. It enables the men who care nothing about good government, and who march under any banner to secure their corrupt ends, to turn the tide of battle their way. Citizens who require clean, efficient, law-enforcing government divide on national party lines and fight each other, while those who are opposed to the interest of both, and are the common enemy of all, carry the day. Economical, efficient, clean government should be the result of the establishment of the new plan. It deserves the loyal support of all citizens desiring a betterment of municipal affairs. Salt Lake City, Utah. Elder Alfred J. Gowers, Jr., writing from Woodstock, South Africa, says that the work of the Lord is progressing in that distant mission. The elders are enthusi" astic in their work and are doing what they canto preach the gospel of Christ in that region. The four elders laboring there at present are shown in the picture herewith. From left to right, sitting: Mission President John S. Sagers and Elder Lide Chapman, both of Basin, Idaho. Standing, back row left to right: Alfred S. Gowers, Jr., (mission secretary) Nephi, Utah; Elder Gottlieb Blatter, Idaho Falls, Idaho.