City Council vs. The Mayor
A public power struggle in Farmington ends in a legal defeat for the town council over street expansion plans.
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 town council of Farmington, composed of F. J. Hayfield, Joseph Schnurr, C. R. Evans, J. H. Taylor and C. A. Peairn, has had a little trouble as to a matter of public policy with M. W. Belshaw, mayor of the town. The matter came up as a mandamus case before Judge McDonald in the superior court Monday, when Mayor Belshaw came off victorious and the council was turned out of court. The trouble arose over the council, by unanimous vote, agreeing to purchase from Hutchinson Bros. for $220 a building standing at the west end of Main street in Farmington, in order that the street might be extended. Mayor Belshaw refused to approve the deal and would not sign the town warrant for payment for the property. The council, as a public body, brought an action in mandamus to compel him to sign the warrant. The matter was argued Monday afternoon, E. K. Hanna for Mr. Belshaw and W. J. Bryant of Colfax and J. D. Leuty of Farmington for the council. The defense asserted that the council was not the eligible party to bring the proceeding, and that Hutchinson Bros., as the only party aggrieved, if anyone was so, were the only ones who could properly do so. The court turned them down and threw the matter out of court.
“The defense asserted that the council was not the eligible party to bring the proceeding.”
Local government infighting over land acquisition and public spending remains a perennial issue in municipal politics. The legal question of standing versus public interest is a classic civic dispute that still dictates how towns develop their infrastructure.
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