Seattle Common Council
Named in 6 stories. Back to all names
- Apr 6, 1878The Unincorporated City of SeattleIn 1877, a legal crisis regarding Seattle's city charter left the municipal government in limbo, struggling to prove its own legitimacy while 'disaffected individuals' looked to take advantage of the chaos.Commercial Street, Seattle, WA
- Jan 20, 1885The Struggle for Local Control Over Seattle's SaloonsA new 1886 ordinance tightened the grip of the City Council on the city’s liquor trade, imposing strict licensing, background checks, and Sunday bans in an attempt to regulate the chaos of the frontier economy.Front Street, Seattle, WA
- Apr 15, 1886The Laundry War: When Seattle Tried to License Away the ChineseA historic court battle reveals how the City Council once used 'discretionary' licensing to target Chinese-owned laundries, prompting a landmark defense of property rights and constitutional liberty.Seattle, WA
- Apr 10, 1889The City Council’s War on Inflammable StorageNew regulations restricted the storage of petroleum, naphtha, and gasoline, mandating fireproof construction and buffer zones from the waterfront.Seattle, WA
- Apr 19, 1889The Great Sewerage SnafuAs Seattle rapidly expanded, the city council struggled to build a modern waste system, hampered by exorbitant royalty demands from engineers and local political bickering.Seattle, WA
- Apr 28, 1889The City Council’s High-Stakes Plumbing FiascoWhen Seattle hired a famed Eastern expert to redesign its city sewers, they ended up with a costly mess of mismatched theories and local engineering rebellion.Seattle, WA