Board of County Commissioners
Named in 32 stories. Back to all names
- Sep 6, 1876The Road Less Traveled: Seattle’s Shameful Contrast with Victoria’s Fine HighwaysIn 1876, the local press lambasted King County’s broken road system, praising British Columbia’s turnpikes as a model for Seattle’s own stagnant development.Seattle, WA
- Sep 9, 1876Grand Jury Exposes Seattle Brothels and Liquor Sales to Native AmericansIn September 1876, a King County grand jury reported widespread lawlessness in Seattle, including indictments for selling liquor to Native Americans, running gambling houses, and maintaining public nuisances.Seattle, WA
- Jan 3, 1877The Transparency Tax: A Seattle Taxpayer Rails Against Red TapeIn 1877, a frustrated taxpayer penned a public letter attacking the County Commissioners for mandating expensive, redundant audits of public records, arguing that government transparency should be an everyday right, not a high-priced administrative burden.Seattle, WA
- Feb 1, 1877The Strange Case of the County's Vanished PropertyA legal battle over the former Collins claim reveals a messy history of county mismanagement, secret land deals, and invalid property sales.Seattle, WA
- Nov 17, 1877The Shadow Ledger of 1877 SnohomishA grand jury investigation reveals that local commissioners were caught undercutting liquor licensing fees, triggering a deeper probe into potential corruption and the misdirection of public funds.Snohomish, WA
- Nov 15, 1883Seattle Commissioners Fight for School LandsThe Board of County Commissioners petitions the federal government to block fraudulent 'coal land' entries on property reserved for public education.Seattle, WA
- May 9, 1885The Saloon at the Race TrackA legal battle over liquor licenses in the Duwamish precinct reveals the limits of civic power when faced with the relentless machinery of the law.Seattle, WA
- Jun 6, 1885The Struggle for Civic Access: The WCTU’s 1885 Fight Against Liquor LicensingA local chapter of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union pushes for a formal transparency process, demanding public notice and character checks for liquor license applicants in early Seattle.Seattle, WA
- Aug 13, 1885The Daily Business of Building a CountyBefore the era of massive public works projects, the Board of County Commissioners shaped the local landscape one road, one bridge, and one 'poor' claim at a time.Seattle, WA
- Nov 11, 1886The Struggle to House the Poor in Early SeattleAs the number of county residents in need grows, officials weigh ending the Sisters of Providence’s long-standing contract for a public poor farm.Seattle, WA
- Jan 13, 1887The Newspaper Monopoly Holding Seattle HostageIn 1887, the Post-Intelligencer exposed a 'printing ring' between rival newspapers that artificially inflated the cost of public contracts.Seattle, WA
- Jul 2, 1889The Great Reconstruction: Seattle Rebuilds from the AshesJust weeks after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, hundreds of laborers mobilize to clear debris and reconstruct the city’s vital infrastructure.Washington Street, Seattle, WA
- Apr 22, 1892Olympia's grand new courthouse rises — without its clockThe tower climbs to 149 feet, but the commissioners have decided against the $1,000 clock, and townspeople are not pleased.Olympia, WA
- Aug 19, 1892Transforming the Valley FloorKing County commissioners authorize a massive drainage project to reclaim 3,000 acres for agricultural use near Kent.Kent, WA
- Apr 20, 1893Chehalis County Hits the Debt CeilingFacing a constitutional limit on borrowing, county officials call for a public caucus to decide the region's financial future.Elma, Montesano, WA
- Aug 2, 1893The Great County Budget Squeeze of 1893Facing a sudden economic downturn, the county board orders sweeping layoffs, but local auditors are digging in their heels.Seattle, WA
- Sep 27, 1893The Shadow Over the County Poor FarmA newly impaneled grand jury is tasked with investigating grave charges of corruption and misconduct at the King County almshouse.Seattle, WA
- Mar 10, 1894A Road Through the Barn: Drunk Commissioners and a Judge's RebukeA Snohomish County road crew moves to cut a highway through T. Larson's house and barn; testimony says two commissioners were too drunk to inspect the route.Arlington, WA
- Aug 30, 1894King County Commissioners Billed Taxpayers for 25,943 Miles—More Than the Earth's CircumferenceA letter to the editor by F. F. Ames accuses the King County board of padding mileage, charging for trips to Olympia, and paying an unauthorized colleague from county funds—violating state law.Seattle, WA
- Jan 5, 1895The Bitter Fight Over Moving Snohomish County’s Seat to EverettSnohomish’s county treasurer appealed the commissioners’ order to move the seat to Everett, alleging a rushed vote count and forged returns.Snohomish, WA
- Jan 21, 1895Blacklisted for Striking, a Railroad Man Vanished—and His Family Was Left to Chop WoodA Seattle charity worker found a mother and three children destitute on the Grant Street line after her husband, blacklisted by every railroad, sailed for South Africa and stopped writing.Grant Street, Seattle, WA
- Jan 26, 1895The Pistol That Wouldn't Fire in a Snohomish SaloonG. K. Friars, chairman of the Snohomish County commissioners, was accused of putting a pistol to Robert Johnson's abdomen in the Gem saloon. Only a bad cartridge prevented a killing.Snohomish, WA
- Feb 6, 1895The Treasurer's Bond Begins to CrumbleTwo surety names vanish from John W. Maple's $400,000 bond, and more may follow as King County waits for its prosecutor.Seattle, WA
- Feb 21, 1895King County's Treasurer Missed His Bond Deadline. Then the Fight Began.Elected treasurer Maple failed to file a legally sufficient bond by January 14, prompting a substitute appointment and a sharp editorial fight over forfeiture, sureties and the public's right to an investigation.Seattle Armory, Seattle, WA
- May 10, 1895The 1895 Plan to Straighten the Sammamish RiverA petition from H. K. Kelsey and forty others asked King County to drain, deepen and straighten Squak Slough, reclaiming 3,000 acres of overflowed land.Seattle, WA
- May 20, 1895King County Commissioners Slash Pay Instead of StaffFacing pressure to retrench, county commissioners cut deputies’ salaries across the clerk, treasurer, auditor and prosecutor’s offices—while Treasurer Maple fought to keep all twelve of his clerks.Seattle, WA
- Jul 10, 1903The Poor Farm InquiryAfter an elderly inmate accused his manager of serving poor food, the county commissioners arrived for a surprise lunch inspection.Walla Walla, WA
- Sep 29, 1903The Price of Education in 1903Walla Walla's school district votes to levy a five-mill tax to cover rising costs for sites, buildings, and teacher salaries.Walla Walla, WA
- Nov 9, 1903The Fight to Bring the Stubblefield Home to Walla WallaLegal opinion finds county commissioners are authorized to donate public funds to secure a landmark charitable trust.Walla Walla, WA
- Mar 27, 1909The End of Reservation SaloonsTacoma’s county commissioners move to systematically shutter all liquor outlets on the Puyallup Indian Reservation.Puyallup Indian Reservation, Fife, WA
- Sep 30, 1909Sixteen Paupers, a Clay-Bed Well, and a Farm Not Fit to Live OnCounty commissioners tour the county poor farm and find cracked fences, filthy bedding, horses bleeding on barbed wire and water unfit to drink. The old place will be sold, they say — but only if a poor farm is worth having at all.Newport, WA
- Jul 27, 1916Benton County Organizes a Road LobbyFarmers, businessmen and all three commissioners met in Kennewick to create a county-wide good roads association—one dollar to join, a seat at the levy table.Kennewick, WA