Seattle Board of Public Works
Named in 8 stories. Back to all names
- Apr 3, 1892The Political War Over the Board of Public WorksIn an era of civic growth, Seattle's Board of Public Works finds itself in the crosshairs of city legislators, sparking a debate over the role of expertise versus political patronage.Seattle, WA
- Apr 27, 1892The Mayor vs. The BoardMayor J.T. Ronald rejects a city ordinance, clashing with the Board of Public Works over who controls the schedule of the city's executive branch.Seattle City Hall, Seattle, WA
- Jul 18, 1892The Water Superintendent’s Public FeudSeattle’s Water Superintendent fires back at claims of mismanagement, launching a sprawling, finger-pointing defense of his department’s books.Seattle, WA
- Feb 20, 1894Seattle’s 'Reform' Government Promised Clean Streets and Low Taxes. Two Years Later, the Bill Came Due.A furious 1894 editorial accuses the Democratic city administration of breaking every campaign promise—keeping Whitechapel open, protecting gambling, and cutting day laborers while salaried officials kept their pay.Seattle, WA
- Feb 20, 1894The Water Department War: Seattle’s Ex-Superintendent Says the City Burned $15,000W. E. Wilson takes his successor to task over pumping-station costs, missing pipe miles, and a board of public works appointment he calls the reward for fiscal failure.Seattle, WA
- Jul 10, 1894Seattle’s Rotten Sewer System Needs ReplacementCity Engineer R.H. Thomson warns that downtown’s decade-old wooden sewers are a 'menace to the roadway' and proposes a major overhaul.Seattle, WA
- Mar 23, 1899The Day Seattle Died (And Didn’t): A Telegraphic BlunderA faulty cable connection and a panicked operator convinced the world that local industrialist John Sherman had passed away. The resulting obituary was so lavish it nearly became his own biography.Seattle, WA
- Aug 14, 1899The End of the Chain Gang in SeattleCity officials move to retire the practice of using prisoners for manual street labor, shifting to rock-breaking in a bid to deter professional tramps.Seattle, WA