The Mayor Walks Out in Protest
A standoff over municipal authority and debt forces the resignation of Yakima's top official.
Mayor Nichols called a special meeting of the council Wednesday evening and after a few preliminary remarks invited Councilman Reed to the chair and submitted his written resignation. The document states that because the council did not appear to endorse the views expressed by the mayor in his messages of July 20th and August 3d, he felt he could no longer serve. Believing that incurring indebtedness requires a vote of the people, he concluded he could not consistently remain in office and validate by his signature acts of the council which he considered unauthorized by law. The resignation was accepted by a unanimous vote and Councilman John Reed was elected mayor pro tem.
“I cannot consistently remain in office and validate by my signature acts of the council which I consider unauthorized by law.”
Conflicts over municipal debt and the extent of executive versus council power remain a perennial friction point in Washington politics. Much like today's budget battles, the question of whether a city administration can bypass public referendums to authorize major spending remains a central civic dispute.
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