The Failed Recall of Benton County Commissioners
A political movement to unseat local officials fizzles out as residents and neighboring papers dismiss the effort as unnecessary discord.
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.
The recall bomb which a few Prosser politicians had hoped to explode under two of the county commissioners has evidently developed a wet fuse. It is apparent that except for the few men who originated it, the recall propaganda has few, if any, supporters in the county. The White Bluffs Spokesman, in commenting upon the recall news item which appeared in the Spokesman-Review under a Kennewick date line, says, 'nothing doing.' Briefly, this expresses the opinion of the other newspapers in this end of the county. The Benton City Herald notes that the people of the Benton-Kiona section are satisfied with the work of Commissioner Bash, and suggests the recallers 'forget it.' The movement allegedly stemmed from a road contract dispute in the Finley district, but since the contract was let before Bash took office, the justification for the recall appears thin.
“The recall bomb which a few Prosser politicians had hoped to explode under two of the county commissioners has evidently developed a wet fuse.”
Recalls and political infighting have remained a staple of Benton County civic life for over a century. The frustration expressed here regarding 'needless expense' and 'discord' mirrors modern debates over the cost and impact of frequent local election challenges.
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