The Governor’s Power Grab
New executive bills give Governor Roland H. Hartley unprecedented control over state agencies, budgets, and tax assessments.
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.
When the legislature passed the executive bills placed before it by Governor Roland H. Hartley, that official became one of the busiest and most powerful in the United States. The state budget bill grants the governor direct control over appropriations for elective officers, including the secretary of state, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, state auditor, state treasurer, and insurance commissioner. Previously, the governor merely transmitted their estimates; under the new plan, he is charged with preparing their requests. Furthermore, a new tax commission grants the governor’s appointees authority to revise local tax assessments and millage levies. While these laws consolidate power, they also increase the governor's responsibilities, requiring personal surveys of state institutions and rigorous budget oversight.
“The governor will be one of the busiest and one of the most powerful in the United States.”
This 1925 debate over executive overreach and the consolidation of administrative power mirrors contemporary tensions in Washington State regarding the scope of gubernatorial authority. Governor Hartley’s push for direct control over constitutional offices reminds us that struggles over 'who runs the state' are a recurring feature of Washington's political landscape.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.