1 - Ivan Allen, Jr. Digital Collection - Georgia Institute of Technology

'.City Revamp EndorsedWith Ban on 'Spoils'By JIM MERRINERA City Council committeeWednesday approved MayorMaynard Jackson's city reor·ganization p I a n , adding awe a k roadblock against apotential political "spoils system."T;le committee left intact aProXlsed system of n i n e"commiss.iooers" and 'l7 "bureaudirectors" to nm the cityat an estimated extra cost of$299,001) in 1974 and $364,000next year. The fuJ I councilwill vote on the revamp onti·nance Monday.Alter a 3-3 deadlock, theCommittee on the Executivevoted again and aPPrOVed 4-2an am!!ndment to give bureaudirectors set tenns of off lee.However, the mayor caninsistence 01. CoWlCilmanBujdy Fowlkes, the amen(\..ment stipulates that staggeredterms are to be maintained.Most of the present 22 activedepartment heads willlikely become bureau chiefsunci::!r the. revamp. Theirpresent terms are protectedunae-' the charter, but oppo-­nents argued t hat futuremayors, unrestrained by termrequirements, coold wreck theOity by fll"ing political oppone:JtsIDi giving jobs to campaign'Mrlen.Sugarman replied that con.tro.I of the lOp administrato~'joh;: .is essential to "respoosivenessto the chiefexecutive," and denied any intentionfor a spoils system.He saJd Monday the tWI>--still fire a director, subject to thirds vote provision is "aan. ~ppeal to th~ COUl'cil re- reasonable compromise bequJn~ga tWOothlrtls vote to l".veen two getS or values ...override. Under the new .City '!be mayor has never had ancharte.r, . appeals from fired I objection to some form ofcomnusS lOne~ would reqUJ.reonly a majority vote to O\Ier·ride the mayor.The tw()othirds provision resultedfrom a compromise betweenJackson's chief aide,Jule Sugarman, and. Council·man Richard Guthman, whointroduced the terms-of~fice""""""'" LJackson's original revamppac~e, disclosed Feb. 4,would have granted the mayorthe power to fi re the top twotiers of administrators--com·missioners and bureau chiefs-41t will. '!be bureau beadsv;oold h;l.ve no right of appealto the COWlcil or the persomel_d.At pre sen t, departmentheads are protected by stag.gered four-year tenns of office.'I11is system was design.ed to prevent a spoils system-wholesale political firingsby incoming mayors.Although the committee hasbeld five meetings on Jackson'srevamp package tllismonth, the possi ble spoils systembecame an issue just this\\-1!ek. Former Alderman Eve-­rett Millican testified Mondaythat Jacltson's plan subvertsthe spirit of the new cbarterani would gi\"e career officialsless job security than asanitation 'A'Orker.Guthman's amendment pro.vides r 0 r four·year tennsunder uncI.aSlSilied civil servoice for bureau chiefs. At the--1protectioo against arbilrnryaction. "The first vote tied 3--3 withGuthman, Fowlkes and JohnCalhoun in favo r of theamendment and James B"nd,Hugh Pierce and Morris Finley_.Fowlkes urged the lawmak·ers to vote agaJi and anij afloor fight in the council Monday.Calhoun, who sat on theCharter Comm~n,a~gt.:ed.at length for the pro