The Clerk, the Councilman, and the Five-Dollar Standoff
A budget dispute in Richland turns personal when a council member challenges the city clerk's pay, leading the clerk to offer a defiant ultimatum.
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 city council of the town of Richland met Monday evening, Mayor Arbuckle presiding and councilmen Hopper, Jameson, Relton and Hudson in attendance. The bill for the clerk’s salary of $15 was tabled, owing to the fact that Councilman Hopper refused to allow the same, as she contended that the city council had a right to regulate the salary of the city clerk. Inasmuch as she had a bid to do the work for $5 a month instead of $15, she was not in favor of allowing this bill until the matter was investigated further. In a heated discussion, Councilmen Hudson and Relton informed the council that upon advice from a competent attorney, they were of the opinion that once the mayor had appointed a clerk at a stated salary, this salary could not be changed during the term of office for which the said clerk was appointed. Mrs. Hopper was of the opinion that this was an error. Clerk O’Connell then addressed the chair and stated that if a taxpayer would come forward and offer to do the work for $5 a month he would immediately resign in his favor, and further, he would resign on the spot if Mrs. Hopper would resign from the city council and take the position as clerk at a salary of $5 a month. Mrs. Hopper stated that she would like a little time to consider the matter and would announce her decision later.
“I would resign on the spot if Mrs. Hopper would resign from the city council and take the position as clerk at a salary of $5 a month.”
Local government budget disputes are as perennial as the seasons; the friction between austerity-focused council members and the rigidity of civil service contracts mirrors modern debates over municipal administrative overhead in rapidly growing Washington communities.
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