City Officials Accused of Profiting from Municipal Contracts
An editorial warning that Walla Walla's local government may be violating state law by trading public contracts for personal gain.
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.
At Vancouver, four members of the city council will probably be arrested for selling goods and materials to the city contrary to the laws of the state of Washington. The law plainly says that no city official shall sell any goods to the municipality or be benefited in any way directly or indirectly from such sale or from any contract, and upon conviction of the offense, they may be removed from office and otherwise punished. There is a similar law relating to school directors. Both statutes have been ignored in Walla Walla under the present machine administration. It remains to be seen whether or not the people will approve the policy of making a public office a private snap.
“It remains to be seen whether or not the people will approve the policy of making a public office a private snap.”
Conflicts of interest and the 'privatization' of public funds remain central to municipal politics. The editorial highlights a perennial struggle in local government: the tension between public service and the personal financial interests of those holding office.
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