the charter: a history The Committee of Seventy THE CHARTER: A HISTORY CITY GOVERNANCE PROJECT THE COMMITTEE OF SEVENTY Copyright October, 1980 The Committee of Seventy, Philadelphia. PA This publication is solely the product of the Committee of Seventy. The research from which this document was prepared was conducted by the Committee of Seventy through its "Practicum" Program. Acknowledgment is gratefully made to The Pew Memorial Trust and The Samuel S. Fels Fund for their generous support of that program. Further acknowledgment is made to the Pennsylvania Economy League for its cooperation and assistance. Table of Contents PREFACE..................................................................................................................................vii CHAPTER ONE THE PRE-HOME RULE CHARTER ERA I. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................1 II. LIFE UNDER A POLITICAL MACHINE................................................................1 III. EARLY REFORM EFFORTS: RUDOLPH BLANKENBURG……………………... .3 IV. THE 1919 CHARTER....................................................................................................3 V. THE FIRST STEP TOWARD HOME RULE................................................................3 VI. PORTRAIT OF A BOSS: WILLIAM S. VARE............................................................4 VII. THE DEPRESSION. , .....................................................................................................4 VIII. A CHARTER REFORM MOVEMENT FAILS, 1937-1939 ..........................................5 IX. THE FINANCIAL CRISIS REMAINS...........................................................................5 X.WASTE, PLUNDER, AND NEGLECT...........................................................................6 XI. REBUILDING PLANNED. .............................................................................................6 XII. THE POST-WAR SPIRIT OF DILWORTH AND CLARK. ...........................................6 XIII. MAYOR SAMUEL AND THE COMMITTEE OF FIFTEEN. ………………………....7 XIV. THE COMMITTEE OF FIFTEE'N UNCOVERS SCANDALOUS PRACTICES. .............................................................................................................7 XV. THE FOSS SUICIDE........................................................................................................8 XVI. THE JUNE GRAND JURY...............................................................................................8 XVII. SCANDALS AND SUICIDES CONTINUE. ...................................................................8 XVIII. CIVIC GROUPS ASK FOR STATE LEGISLATION....................................................8 XIX. THE PASSAGE OF THE LORD HOME RULE BILL. ..................................................9 XX. THE GREATER PHILADELPHIA MOVEMENT AND THE APPOINTMENT OF THE 1949 CHARTER COMMISSION. ……………………….....9 XXI. OBSTACLES ....................................................................................................................9 XXII. THE PUBLIC HEARINGS.............................................................................................10 XXIII. INFLUENCES ON THE CHARTER COMMISSION'S DECISIONS……………….. 11 XXIV. THE CAMPAIGN ................................................... :....................................................11 XXV. CONCLUSION...............................................................................................................11 NOTES ...................................................................................................................13 CHAPTER TWO A HISTOJ{Y OF THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE BRANCHES, 1920-1951 I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................17 II. THE MAYOR. ......................................................................... …………………..18 III. COUNCIL ..............................................................................................................19 IV. ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF GOVERNMENT. ..................................................20 V. THE COMMISSION FORM..................................................................................... 20 VI. THE WEAK MA YOR-COUNCIL FORM............................................................... 20 VII. THE CITY MANAGER FORM ...' ............................................................................ 21 A. Powers and Duties of the Mayor. ........................................................………21 B. Powers and Duties of the Council................................................................... 21 C. Powers and Duties of the City Manager. ........................................................ 22 D. Advantages of the City Manager Form. ......................................................... 22 E. Disadvantages of the City Manager Form. ..................................................... 22 VIII. THE STRONG MAYOR-COUNCIL FORM............................................................. 23 A. Powers and Duties of the Mayor. ........................................................………23 B. Powers and Duties of the Council................................................................... 23 C. Powers and Duties of the Managing Director................................................. 23 D. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Strong. Mayor-Council Form……23 IX. DEPARTMENTS, BOARDS, AND COMMISSIONS……………………………….24 X. THE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM AND PERSONNEL WITHIN PHILADELPHIA DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES....................................... ..25 XI. THE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM AND THE QUESTION OF A PERSONNEL DIRECTOR...................................................................................…25 XII. THE CLASSIFICATION OF CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES…………………26 XIII. CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………...27 NOTES..................................................................................................................…28 CHAPTER THREE A FINANCIAL HISTORY OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, 1920-1951 SECTION ONE I. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................... 31 The Basic Operation of the 1919 Charter Budgetary System. ……………………….31 II. PRE-DEPRESSION PROSPERITY.................................................................………32 A. A Description of the Times ............................................................................ 32 B. Capital Improvements: How They Were Financed......................................... 32 C. Capital Improvements: The Beginning of the City's Problems ……………...33 D. Economic Factors and the Exhaustion of the City's Borrowing Capacity... 33 E. Consequences ..................................... .........................................................33 F. Conclusions ...................................................................................................34 III. COPING WITH DISASTER: OFFICIAL MANAGEMENT. ..................................34 A. Current Expenses Financed from the Capital Fund. .....................................34 B. The Mandamus Technique............................................................................34 C. Recapitulation ...............................................................................................34 D. Attempts to A void the Loss of Borrowing Capacity....................................35 IV. COPING WITH DISASTER: PHILADELPHIA'S FINANCIAL OFFICIALS,1932-1939.........................................................................................35 A. Mayor Moore vs. Controller Wilson.............................................................35 B. Financial Administration Under Mayor Wilson............................................37 V. RECOVERY AND THE FUTURE.................................................................... 38 NOTES .................................................................................................................. 39 SECTION TWO I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 40 II. BUDGET PREPARATION................................................................................... 40 A. A Description of the General Process. .......................................................... 40 B. Estimation of Receipts .................................................................................. 41 C. Debt and Liability Management.................................................................... 42 D. The Capital Budget. ...................................................................................... 44 E. The Mayor's Budget Preparation Activities................................................... 44 III. BUDGET REVIEW............................................................................................... 45 A Description of Council's Role. ....................................................................... 45 IV. BUDGET ADMINISTRATION............................................................................ 46 A. A Description of the General Process. .......................................................... 46 B. Disbursement of Funds.................................................................................. 46 C. Collection of Funds. ...................................................................................... 47 D. Pre-Audit and Post-Audit.............................................................................