7.8 State and community offices of administration

The Welfare Committee had played such an important role in the life of the colonists that the names of their presidents and village members should be mentioned. The Welfare Committee consisted of a president and two members, who had working for them 1 secretary, 1 chancellery manager, bookkeeper and helper, journalist (and archive keeper), 1 interpreter, clerks for special tasks, 1 surveyor, 1 doctor, 1 veterinarian and chancellery employees according to the budget.

The inspectors of the settlements (colonies) worked under the auspices of the Welfare Committee.

• General Ivan Insov 1818–1845
• Staatsrat Eugene von Hahn 1845–1848
• Baron von Rosen 1848–1853
• Baron von Mestmacher 1853–1856
• F. Islawin 1856–1858
• Alexander von Hamm 1858–1866
• Th. Lysander 1866–1867
• Vladimir von Oettinger 1867–1871

The inspector was the go-between for the Welfare Committee and the district administrations, whose seat for Bessarabia was located in Tarutino. As far as can be established the following inspectors (also called supervisors, Smotritel in Russian): ¹⁾
Mendelsohn, Olofsohn, Kotowitsch, Kossowsky, Tscherkes, Lagorio, Baron von Geismar, Paternowsky, Schulz und Emanuel.

The inspectors Mendelsohn and Kossowsky were not especially like by the settlers. Mutschall gives a fairly detailed report about these colonial officials. ²⁾

Mayors and their Assistants in Krasna (as far as could be determined) Based on mentions in old documents, as extracted by Ted J. Becker:

After 1871 when Krasna received a district office and with its own chief mayor, mayors were no longer necessary. The village then only had the Wolost as administration and no longer its own. The chief mayor handled village administration duties.

Until 1871 Krasna belonged to the district office of Witttenberg/Alt-Postttal (See also 4.8, The Administration) The chief mayors were ³⁾

During the time Krasna belonged to the district office of Wittenberg/Alt-Posttal there were no Krasna colonists serving as the chief mayor.

Since 1871 Krasna had its own district office (until 1918). Eduard Ruscheinsky relays:

The community secretaries ⁵⁾ during the Russian times as determined by Eduard Ruscheinsky:

Under Rumanian government the Primar had roughly the same position as he former chief mayor.

Primars of Rumanian times were:

(As far as can be determined)
At first the community assembly functioned as the most important decision making body of the village. Under Rumanian government this function was in the hands of an elected communal council. The term of service was eight years, but whenever the government changed in Bucharest, which was frequent, the communal council was up for a vote, as well. It has not been possible to obtain a complete list of the composition of the body over the entire length of its existence. Some of the members are known from newspaper reports.

• Die Eureka Rundschau – Das Nordlicht reports on September 12, 1928, that the following men belonged to the communal council of Krasna: Viktor Nagel, Sebastian Koch, Maximilian Hein, Erasmus Schreiber, Johannes Harsche, Lazarus Volk, Adolf Furch.
• According to the Dakota Rundschau of March 28, 1930, Krasna was elected into the communal council on January 31, 1930, with these members:
  Thomas Volk, Johannes Schäfer, Peter Müller, Joseph Wingenbach, Joseph Söhn, Semfor Dirk, Albert Gulewitsch, Korbinian Leinz, Johannes Herrschaft, Valerian Furch, Joachim Boot and Peter Bachmeier
• On the election of January 21, 1931, the following members were elected for the communal council: Eustachius Wagner, Eduard Ruscheinsky, Isidor Leinz, Lazarus Volk, Joseph Neumann, Viktor Nagel and Maximilian Martha. The latter was also elected as the representative of Krasna to the peoples’ council.