The Mayor's Political Purge at City Hall
Mayor Ronald’s controversial investigation into the board of public works reveals deep-seated tensions over patronage and political maneuvering.
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.
Mayor Ronald has concluded his investigation of the board of public works by filing two extraordinary documents with the city clerk. Regarding Major Rinehart, the mayor alleges that city insurance was placed with a company where Rinehart is a stockholder, but concludes that because he acted ignorantly, he is not guilty and may remain in office. The mayor ignores other charges against Rinehart, while simultaneously declaring Mr. Heilbron guilty of being a trustee of a firm that handled city insurance—guilty, presumably, of knowing what Rinehart did ignorantly. Mayor Ronald subsequently removed Mr. Heilbron from office, appointing Mr. J. W. Van Brocklin to fill the vacancy. This effort to secure control of the board of public works for the Democratic party during the approaching campaign will deceive nobody.
“Of course, the assumption of fairness which Mayor Ronald makes when he retains Major Rinehart in office and undertakes to remove Mr. Heilbron will deceive nobody.”
The struggle for control over municipal boards and the use of 'investigations' to purge political opponents remain a standard feature of city governance. This 1892 friction between the mayor and public officials over conflicts of interest echoes current debates about municipal ethics and the transparency of city commissions in Seattle.
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