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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1891 | 14 |
| 1892 | 23 |
| 1893 | 35 |
| 1894 | 18 |
| 1895 | 52 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1917 | 1 |
149 stories matching aldermen
- Seattle's Fire Chief Accused as the Council Wrestles a Telephone Franchise and a Paving Bill
Both houses of the city council meet late into the night: charges that Chief Hunt holds office under false pretenses, a twenty-five-year franchise for the Seattle Home Telephone Company, and a fight over who pays for the sick and injured.
- The Great Annexation Fight: Seattle's Borders Expand as Ballard Demands Independence
As the City Council votes to absorb surrounding territories into Seattle's corporate limits, a fierce debate erupts over taxation, representation, and the future of the growing town of Ballard.
- The Alder-men's Secret Handshake
The Board of Aldermen ignored the city charter to funnel a printing contract to a favored paper, prompting a scathing accusation of graft.
- The Aldermen Tried to Keep Public Documents Secret. The City Clerk Objected.
After a bribery accusation leaked, Seattle's board ordered documents withheld. The clerk and corporation counsel said the public had a right to see them.
- Who Gets to Run Seattle's Streetcars?
A proposed thirty-year franchise for the Consolidated Street Railway cleared its first reading at city hall, but fights over fares, paving and transfers were far from over.
- The Aldermanic Walkout
A Seattle city board meeting collapses as council members stage a deliberate no-show to block a printing contract protest.
- City Hall Gridlocked Over Political Appointments
A three-minute special meeting ends in a stalemate as aldermen refuse to confirm the Mayor’s picks for the Board of Public Works.
- Seattle Mayor Ousted Amidst Gambling Controversy
Acting Mayor Sweeney is removed from office in a polarized battle between the board of aldermen and the administration over municipal morality and power.
- The Alderman, the Streetcar Man, and the Offer to 'Make It All Right'
Alderman J. Eugene Jordan answers a St. Louis letter from street-railway manager E. F. Wittler, denying personal spite while insisting that an investigation will expose who tried to buy a vote on the car lines.
- The Cable Company Wanted More Time. Yesler Avenue Wanted Its Double Track.
In 1895, Seattle’s aldermen weighed whether to give a struggling street railway more time to double-track Yesler Avenue—or force it to honor the franchise the neighborhood had bought into.
- The Saloon Turf War: Seattle's 1891 Zoning Scandal
A surprise move by the Board of Aldermen to eliminate limits on where liquor could be sold triggers a fierce public outcry against perceived civic corruption.
- Streetcar Workers Asked City Hall to Mandate 21 Cents an Hour
Seattle’s street railway employees accused aldermen of burying their wage petition after a committee report was declared adopted—then reversed under pressure.
- The Telephone Monopoly Seattle Refused to Break
A national syndicate promised cheap telephones and a rival to Bell. Seattle's aldermen said no, and the city stayed in the Sunset Telephone Company's grip.
- The City Hall Newspaper War
Seattle's Board of Aldermen is embroiled in a heated dispute over city printing contracts, with critics alleging the fix is already in.
- The Night Seattle Fought Over Its Streetlights
A special meeting of the Board of Aldermen turns into a tense negotiation with the Union Electric Company over the terms, safeguards and cost of lighting the city.
- The Battle for the City's Official Voice
Seattle's Board of Aldermen spark controversy as they award city printing contracts amid allegations of collusion and financial favoritism.
- The Mint Saloon Loses Its License—and City Hall Braces for Court
The council confirmed a new police commissioner, reappointed officials, revoked the Mint Saloon's license over loud legal objections, and set Pike Street on the road to vitrified brick.
- The Battle for How Seattle Votes
In 1892, a fierce debate raged in the Seattle City Council over whether to elect representatives by neighborhood wards or at-large, highlighting a recurring struggle for civic control.
- The Battle for the City's Official News Contract
A political struggle unfolds at City Hall as the board of aldermen chooses official newspapers based on partisanship rather than price.
- The City Council’s War on Williams: How Seattle Tried to Fire Its Own Engineer
A bitter power struggle between the Board of Aldermen and city engineer Benezette Williams led to a legislative loophole designed to strip him of his contract, sparking fears of costly lawsuits and stalled infrastructure projects.
- The Midnight Coup at City Hall
A bloodless revolution unfolds as the board of aldermen attempts to oust Acting Mayor Sweeney over a dispute regarding legalized gambling.
- City Hall Under Siege
Mayor Ronald is coerced by a stormy aldermanic caucus into appointing J. M. Wolfe to the Board of Public Works.
- A $100 Bribe and a Lifetime Pass: Seattle's Streetcar Scandal Erupts in the Council Chamber
Alderman J. Eugene Jordan accuses Union Trunk Line president K. F. Wittier of trying to buy his silence—then the board turns on itself.
- The Mayor Moves to Shut the Dives and Gambling Rooms
A sweeping message from the mayor demands that the council revoke the licenses of saloons and music halls where girls sell liquor and gamblers run their games—passed in full by the aldermen even as auditors report a $27,000 hole in the street-improvement funds.
- Seattle’s Acting Mayor Ousted in Mystery Resignation
Dr. Sweeney resigns after a sudden, suspicious removal by the board of aldermen, sparking rumors of gambling influence.
Also about this, in other words
- The Alderman Who Wanted the $600 Job
Leander Miller led the fight against John G. Scurry’s confirmation to the board of public works—because Miller wanted the seat himself.
- The Battle for the City Charter
Seattle's charter revisers spar over whether to maintain a two-house council or consolidate power, highlighting deep tensions over political cliques and mayoral authority.
- City Hall Rejects Austerity Measures
Seattle aldermen block a 15-percent salary cut for city officials despite calls for retrenchment during the economic downturn.
- A City Councilman Fights Back After Late-Night Arrest
Alderman Dr. J. Eugene Jordan demands that his colleagues condemn the ‘un-American’ manner of his recent police apprehension.
- A Mayor's Nomination and the Aldermen Laying Plans to Block It
Mayor Phelps names John J. Scurry to the board of public works, and the same aldermanic combination that fought his predecessor quietly organizes to sink the confirmation.
- A High-Stakes Land Battle in Seattle
Secretary Noble intervenes in a hundred-thousand-dollar timber land dispute involving Michigan General R.A. Alger.
- Seattle Aldermen Kill Scurry's Confirmation in a Jiffy
A raucous 1895 council session turns into a fight over public works, unemployment relief, and a telephone monopoly.
- The Almshouse Arbitration
King County commissioners call upon a committee of prominent citizens to settle long-standing claims over the construction of a new almshouse.