City Hall Rejects Austerity Measures
Seattle aldermen block a 15-percent salary cut for city officials despite calls for retrenchment during the economic downturn.
The attempt on the part of the board of aldermen to reduce the salaries of city officials by a horizontal cut died in the board last night. The finance committee reported favorably on Dr. Jordan’s ordinance to reduce salaries 15 percent, but it failed to pass. Six members were present: Messrs. Carle, Jordan, Cram, and Miller voted in favor, while Messrs. Stocks and Ingram voted against. As it requires five affirmative votes to pass an ordinance, the measure was defeated.
“He thought the city officials should bear their proportion of the burden these hard times.”
Debates over municipal austerity versus the cost of living for public servants are a perennial fixture in Seattle politics. This 1893 fight highlights the tension between fiscal conservatism during economic busts and the actual needs of city governance.
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