The Great City Hall Salary Slash
Seattle’s city government attempts to force professional board members into six-hour office days, sparking a bitter row over austerity, class, and the quality of public service.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The House of Delegates met last night and took up resolutions regarding the duties of the Board of Public Works. The Judiciary committee presented an ordinance requiring board members to be in their offices for six hours each day and to daily inspect all work being performed by department employees. The minority report raised the objection that the charter intended to have men of broad experience and good business standing at the head of the department. If the majority report were adopted, it would defeat that purpose because no such men could be induced for the small salary allowed to give so much time to city business, to the neglect of their own. After parliamentary fencing, the ordinance was passed. Later, in an informal session with aldermen, the city officials targeted salary reductions across every department. Dr. Jordan moved that board members receive only $100 a month, arguing that if they didn't like the pay, there were plenty of men in the city out of work who would take their places. Despite pleas from those concerned about attracting qualified talent, the motion to slash salaries to $100 per month carried by a vote of 10 to 5.
“Dr. Jordan said if the members did not like the proposition they could resign; there are plenty of men in the city out of work who would take their places.”
This 1892 debate over whether public service should be a 'professional' pursuit for the elite or a low-wage job for the many echoes modern Seattle’s debates on the role of citizen commissions and the high cost of living for public employees. The tension between expecting high-level expertise and the political desire to slash payrolls remains a persistent feature of Seattle’s civic life.
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