The City Hall Scandal: A Contractual Nightmare in 1887 Seattle

In the midst of the warmth of the Ninth Street discussion, Mr. Kelly, who took no part in it, stood up tall and quiet and stated that he had ascertained that street auditors had a sense of privilege. A long committee report had been published in the papers, in which Mr. C. A. Mason had attacked the report of the Committee on Streets and Public Property. Mr. Kelly argued that the committee report was true and that Mr. Mason's statements were false. The council members debated the financial failures of the Ninth Street improvement project, where contractors had walked away from the work midway through, leaving the city in a mess. Mr. Carroll noted that the city's contractors were essentially a facade, and the real contractors had failed, leaving other parties to manage the chaos. The prevailing opinion among the council members was that the city should hand the warrants over to the creditors and let them look to the contractors for their pay. Mr. Kelly remarked that the city had already held the warrants long enough, and the laborers who were owed money should not be made to suffer for the city’s poor oversight.