Jackson Uses City Records to Defend Tacoma's Growth
A city official defends rising administrative costs by pointing to the massive expansion of Tacoma's infrastructure.
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Wherever Republicans gather to discuss campaign issues, L. J. Jackson acts as a handy encyclopedia of facts. At a South Tacoma meeting, Jackson refuted Democratic claims of municipal extravagance, arguing that while office expenses increased, the city's growth necessitated it. He noted that in 1897, the engineer's office had one employee and no work to show for it. By 1903, with the population rising from 35,000 to 65,000, seventeen men were required to manage the construction of miles of new sewers, bridges, and street grading. He argued the administration had nothing to conceal and invited inspection of the city books.
“Is it any wonder that it costs more to run the city now than it did six years ago?”
This debate over municipal spending and administrative growth mirrors modern-day civic arguments about urban density, public works budgets, and the political cost of keeping pace with a rapidly expanding city.
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