The Corruption of the City Council
Mayor John N. Nickols of Tacoma is arrested and indicted for soliciting a $10,000 bribe to approve ordinances ratifying city contracts.
TACOMA, Aug. 19—A grand jury yesterday afternoon filed an indictment charging Mayor John N. Nickols with soliciting a bribe of $10,000 for his approval of ordinances ratifying the compromise of a $100,000 dollar suit. He was arrested that evening and released on bonds of $2,000, furnished with W. H. Paulham and Mrs. Nickols as sureties. Three other indictments were filed by the grand jury at the same time: two being against Prier and Oluf Sanders, charged with employing females in a liquor resort, and the third against one of Sanders' female employees. After a short consultation, in which Judge Frank participated, the grand jury adjourned, and was discharged.
“A grand jury yesterday afternoon filed an indictment charging Mayor John N. Nickols with soliciting a bribe of $10,000.”
The indictment of a mayor for trading public contracts for personal kickbacks feels like a recurring motif in the history of Puget Sound governance. Today’s headlines regarding civic integrity and the influence of private interests on municipal legislation echo this century-old scandal in Tacoma.
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