City Hall Gridlocked Over Political Appointments
A three-minute special meeting ends in a stalemate as aldermen refuse to confirm the Mayor’s picks for the Board of Public Works.
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The municipal squabble between Mayor Ronald and the board of aldermen over the positions in the board of public works made vacant by the removal of Jackson and Calligan is no nearer solution than when their nominations were turned down. Two more men were made playthings at last evening's special meeting of the board of aldermen, and the nominations of W. P. Boyd and George W. Young, sent in by the mayor for confirmation in place of Jackson and Calligan, were 'tabled' for 'future consideration.' Mayor Ronald has the whip hand of the aldermen in the matter, and by clever tactics can keep his two proteges in office for an indefinite period. On the other hand, his enemies, the wreckers, stunned by the strength of the Republican ticket, find themselves cornered. The aldermen's programme seems to be to stave off action on Boyd and Young rather than leave the ills they have for those they know not of. The meeting lasted just three minutes and was in response to a special call from the mayor. After the meeting, Dr. Sweeney said the board needed time to look into the qualifications of each man and decide their fitness, though it is widely believed this is a delaying tactic to keep the current incumbents in their seats.
“The aldermen's programme seems to be to stave off action on Boyd and Young rather than leave the ills they have for those they know not of.”
The perennial struggle between the executive branch and the city council over administrative appointments remains a fundamental tension in Seattle politics. While the issues of 1893 centered on the 'wrecker' factions and partisan patronage, the underlying friction regarding who holds the reins of municipal infrastructure departments continues to define Seattle's governance.
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