The Battle for the City Pound
Newly elected poundmaster E. R. Harding faces a standoff as the incumbent refuses to surrender the keys, sparking a brewing council crisis.
By making a demand for the keys of the city pound and other paraphernalia connected with the office upon the chairman of the committee on police, E. R. Harding, elected poundmaster at the regular meeting of the council on October 20, intimated that he would make a fight for the office if the council persisted in ousting him as considered at a meeting Tuesday night. His request was refused and it is understood that the matter may be taken into the courts if the council persists in relieving him of the position. By a vote of 4 to 2 at a special meeting Tuesday night, the council voted to reconsider Mr. Harding's election and the question comes up tomorrow night. Although regularly elected to the position and having taken the oath of office, Mr. Harding has not had the honor of representing the city as yet as poundmaster. Ott McKenzie, the present incumbent, is holding on fast to the office at the request of the committee on police.
“Ott McKenzie, the present incumbent, is holding on fast to the office at the request of the committee on police.”
Municipal power struggles over appointments and city resources remain a staple of Walla Walla politics. This dispute over a minor administrative role reflects how deeply contested even the most mundane local offices can become when factional lines are drawn in the council.
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