City Hall's Power Grab Thwarted by Citizens
Tacoma councilmen back down on plan to dismantle civil service after public outcry.
The story, cleaned up
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The city councilmen are beginning to hear from the people on that scheme to kill off civil service and boost their own salaries, and they are apparently ready to change their minds. The exposure of the scheme by the Times caused the councilmen to hear something drop. 'I find the people out in my end don't want this civil service knocked out and they think they smell a mouse in it, so I guess it won't go through,' said Councilman Hawley. The other solons have also heard from their constituents and by the time they get together Wednesday night the only men who will be for the deal will probably be a couple whose terms of office do not expire until next year. Councilman Reed said he is sure the proposed scheme will never go through. 'Personally I am opposed to their amendments. I am not on the committee, but I went to the meeting the other night just to see what they proposed to do,' he said.
“I find the people out in my end don't want this civil service knocked out and they think they smell a mouse in it.”
This 1909 fight over civil service protections and council pay mirrors perennial tensions in Tacoma politics regarding municipal accountability and the influence of 'the machine' versus public oversight. Modern Tacoma still faces regular debates about how to ensure administrative independence while balancing the budget.
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