Seventy gets tough on patronage, calls for elimination of costly elected row offices

The Committe of Seventy has just called for the elimination of six elected city government positions - the Sheriff, the Clerk of Quarter Sessions, the Register of Willis and the three City Commissioners - a group of little-known but politically important public servants who head offices that perform relatively mundane municipal tasks, such as organizing elections, and processing court documents and wills.

The non-partisan organization makes its case in a 56 page report titled "Needless Jobs." The header pretty welll sums up Seventy's view: that there is no need to have elected officials performing these functions, that the jobs they perform can be easily transferred to other city units, and that doing so will save money and reduce patronage.

See the report below.