The Price of Graft in Seattle’s Sewers
Mayor Ronald accuses the previous Democratic administration of massive financial deception regarding city sewer construction costs.
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 message of Mayor Ronald sent to the board of aldermen last night affords all the justification the people needed for their course in taking the city administration out of the hands of the Democrats. Mayor Ronald gives figures to show that the cost of the sewers is far in excess of the estimates, and has even exceeded the amount of the bond issue. Comptroller Carson permitted a document to go out of his office claiming that the sewers would be finished for $15,000 less than the estimates. As these are exceeded by $20,000, Mr. Carson’s figures were just $35,000 wrong. One error of $10,000 alone is pointed out by the mayor. This is only one of many other deceptions which the new administration will have to contend with. The deficiency will have to be met by the incoming council, and, no doubt, two years hence the Democrats will point to the added outlay as an expenditure incurred by the Republican government.
“Comptroller Carson permitted a document to go out of his office claiming that the sewers would be finished for $15,000 less than the estimates. As these are exceeded by $20,000, Mr. Carson’s figures were just $35,000 wrong.”
Accusations of municipal budget mismanagement and the finger-pointing that follows a change in city leadership are a timeless Seattle tradition. Today's debates over public infrastructure spending mirror this 1894 tension, where the cost of basic services becomes a weapon in partisan warfare.
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