The Old Mayor and the Revolving Door
After cycling through three police chiefs in three months, 80-year-old Mayor A.G. Hopkins has been forced out of office by the city’s business leaders.
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.
Following a short but colorful administration, the resignation of A.G. Hopkins, Mayor of Aberdeen, was last week filed with the city council to take effect immediately. Albert Phillips, president of the city council, succeeded to the office and took over the duties. The mayor’s action follows his removal of Chief of Police Harry Allen, the third chief the city has had in the three months of Hopkins' regime. Allen’s removal caused considerable comment which resulted in a meeting called by business men who suggested that Hopkins resign, stating that because of his age and the strife and turmoil that had centered around his administration, that it would be best for the city. Hopkins is nearly 80 years old.
“Because of his age and the strife and turmoil that had centered around his administration, it would be best for the city.”
Local governance in Washington’s timber towns has always been a high-stakes, personality-driven affair. This 1926 struggle over police leadership mirrors modern tensions between municipal oversight and the influence of powerful local commercial interests in city hall.
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