The Boss and the Mayor: Allegations of Graft in Walla Walla City Hall
The Evening Statesman launches a blistering campaign attack, accusing Mayor Hunt of illegal business dealings and cozy backroom deals with local bank executives.
The Union claims every charge brought against Mayor Hunt’s official record has been refuted, yet not one has been. Official records at the city clerk's and school clerk's offices prove Mayor Hunt violated state law by selling supplies to the city and school district, signing warrants in his official capacity to pay himself in his private capacity. It is also a matter of official record that his administration secretly compromised taxes assessed against national bank stock, effectively gifting the banks over fifteen hundred dollars. This settlement was secured through the influence Cashier Burford holds over the Mayor and councilmen due to financial obligations to the Ankeny bank. Furthermore, City Attorney Blandford provided evidence that the Mayor drew up specifications for the Worley flume to benefit his own foundry, causing an infringement of the Allen patent at a cost to the city of over seven hundred dollars.
“No one can successfully dispute the fact shown by the official records at the city clerk's office and the school clerk's office that Mayor Hunt has violated the laws of the state by selling supplies to the city and to the school district.”
This 1903 campaign piece highlights the perennial struggle of 'pay-to-play' politics and the revolving door between private business and municipal government. The accusations of cronyism regarding city contracts and bank tax breaks reflect a long-standing civic anxiety about who actually owns and operates Walla Walla's local government.
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