The City Hall Clean Sweep
Mayor Ronald's municipal 'reforms' see a swift firing of city staff to make room for Democratic appointees.
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 board of public works, with Mr. Van Brocklin acting instead of Mr. Heilbron yesterday, made a clean sweep of the offices directly under its control. An omnibus motion declaring all the offices vacant was carried by a vote of two to one, Major Rinehart voting against it. Of course, this was done in the interest of municipal reform alone. It is not done in order that party service may be rewarded. It is not done in order that a Democratic political machine may be built up. Of course not. It only happens that the new appointees are all Democrats. This must end the non-partisan pretensions which Mayor Ronald has avowed so loudly since his election. He claims to have been elected as a reform candidate, and his idea of reform is to put Republicans out of office and Democrats in.
“Of course, this was done in the interest of municipal reform alone. It is not done in order that party service may be rewarded.”
The rhetoric of 'non-partisan reform' masking patronage is a perennial fixture in Seattle politics. While the parties have shifted, the suspicion that new administrations use efficiency as a cover for clearing out the old guard remains a constant in local civic life.
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