The Surveyor’s Stalling Tactic
King County officials struggle to remove a surveyor accused of administrative misconduct as he leverages legal loopholes to keep his job.
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 case of County Surveyor Ames, whose peculiar methods of transacting business caused the county commissioners to institute proceedings looking towards his removal from office, still hangs fire in the superior court. It is said that a decision has thus far been delayed by the persistence of Surveyor Ames in interposing technical motions and taking advantage of every legal device for postponing action. This is all wrong. Mr. Ames should not quibble. Serious charges have been made against him. If they are true, he is not fit to hold a public office, and the sooner he steps down and out the better it will be all around. If they are false, he should court rather than avoid a hearing and a decision. He may be able to hold his office for a few weeks longer by securing delays by quibbling motions, but he will certainly lose such popular support as he still has.
“He may be able to hold his office for a few weeks longer by securing delays by quibbling motions, but he will certainly lose such popular support as he still has.”
Local political accountability remains a persistent challenge in Seattle, where administrative disputes and slow-moving legal processes often leave civic roles in limbo. The newspaper's frustration with 'quibbling' legal tactics echoes modern-day concerns about transparency and the time it takes to resolve ethical breaches in county governance.
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