Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The Common Council in 1888

Scouring through newspapers from 1888, I discovered this list of Common Council standing committees. 

  
It's interesting to compare these eleven committees with the eight committees that exist today. The Finance, Fire, and Police committees continue to exist 125 years later. The Burying Ground, Lamp, Public Buildings, Street, and Water committees have all been merged into today's Public Works Committee. Of the other 1888 committees, there is no longer a Ferry Committee because the Rip Van Winkle Bridge eliminated the need for a ferry, there is no School Committee because the school district is now consolidated, and there is no Poor Relief Committee although the poor are still with us. Surprisingly, there was no Legal Committee in 1888. The other committees of today that did not exist in 1888 are Youth & Aging, Arts, Entertainment & Tourism, and Economic Development.
COPYRIGHT 2013 CAROLE OSTERINK

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