Show Showing Us the Way ay It is important news not just to residents residents residents resi resi- dents of Ogden but to the people of oC Salt Lake City and Utah generally that Ogden voters at a special election last Friday approved establishment of a council council city city manager form of municipal government The favorable vole vote was substantial substantial for to against against- although it is surprising and a bit disturbing disturbing disturbing dis dis- dis- dis to see such little interest shown by Ogden voters in a matter of great importance to them Only about a third of the registered voters turned out to decide this question Nevertheless the city manager plan carried and come next November when seven new councilmen will be elected Ogden will have a new form of government government govern govern- ment with a city manager assuming the executive responsibilities and the council acting as a kind of supervising board of oC directors City management government is of course not v. ne new It has been tried by cities large and small all over the country for many years with varying degrees of success Students of government agree it is no cureall for the ills of municipal administration but they contend that properly operated the city manager form of government is more efficient and less costly than any other Experience with this form of government govern govern- government overn- overn ment in a number of our smaller Utah cities Vernal and Richfield Richfield Rich Rich- field has been good Tooele for example has had such a form of government for more than a quarter of a century century and and officials and people swear by it But there has been no experience with city manager government in a large city For that reason Ogden's experiment is of oC special interest to the people of Salt Lake City and to the people of Provo and Logan too Ogden may well show us the way to better city government We Ve hope our neighbor city to the north does We Ve congratulate her people on taking the city manager plunge and wish her every success in the venture |