The Taxman Cometh: A Seattle Pioneer Defends His Reputation
Prominent settler George Kinnear clarifies his position after appearing on a list of delinquent taxpayers for street improvements.
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 Intelligencer publishes a list of delinquent grade and street improvement taxes in which my name appears as follows: George Kinnear $122.20; Kinnear & Brawley $145. The last item is an assessment on a lot on Washington street, in which I am one-fifth owner. When this assessment was due, I was ready and willing to pay my share; I told the City Attorney I was willing to pay my part, but a portion of the others wanted me to wait until they could investigate the fairness of the assessment, which they wanted to do. The other item of $122.20 is an assessment on lots lying between Tenth and Twelfth streets, on Washington street. Washington street between Tenth and Twelfth has never been graded. The west portion of Washington street was graded, but this part was not—only a sidewalk laid down on the rough ground, all being in the same assessment district. I do not consider it fair to pay for improvements not made, but am willing to pay for the sidewalk, the only improvement made, if I knew what it was. I have promptly paid all my other grade and street taxes, amounting to over $2,000.
“I do not consider it fair to pay for improvements not made, but am willing to pay for the sidewalk.”
Public disputes over who bears the burden of street and infrastructure improvements are as old as Seattle itself. While the dollar amounts have changed, the tension between property owners and municipal development costs remains a central theme in local governance.
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