The Mayor's Hypocrisy Exposed
A superior court judge rules that Mayor Ronald's attempt to oust a board member was illegal, fueling local accusations of political cronyism.
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.
Judge Ronald, of the superior court, has decided that the action of Mayor Ronald in attempting to remove Mr. Heilbron from the board of public works was unjustifiable and illegal. The court holds that Mr. Heilbron was never properly removed and that he is still a member of the board. The decision only serves to emphasize the profound hypocrisy of the reform pretensions of Mayor Ronald. From the beginning of his administration he has not hesitated to resort to any extremes to attain a partisan or a personal advantage. To reward his political strikers he did not hesitate to override the charter and do violence to the law. He pretended that a public official should devote his entire time to the interests of the city, and yet he has drawn his salary of $250 a month from the city while he has spent his time in court defending murderers and cross-examining policemen whose duty compelled them to appear against his clients.
“Of all classes, people despise above all hypocrisy and sham reform.”
Conflicts between Seattle mayors and independent public boards are a century-old tradition. The tension described here—between 'reform' rhetoric and the reality of political patronage—remains a staple of Seattle civic debate.
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