City Hall's Campaign of Ledger Wars
Republican candidate E. O. Jackson defends the current administration against Democratic accusations of bankruptcy, pointing to infrastructure improvements as proof of progress.
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At a Republican meeting at 1,101 South 25th Street, E. O. Jackson, candidate for city controller, defended the administration's fiscal record. Responding to Democratic comparisons to the prior Fawcett administration, Jackson argued that while municipal expenses were higher, the city was now actually paying down debt and funding interest payments. 'During the past year we have had to spend nearly $20,000 for building and repairing bridges,' he noted. 'During Fawcett’s administration, there was not a sewer laid. Now we are laying sewers and doing work all over the city.' Jackson claimed the opposition was 'knocking the town' to discourage capital investment, insisting that the current administration had modernized city services despite the inevitable increase in costs.
“They tell you that the expenses of the city are nearly double what they were under the Fawcett administration. During that time there was no money paid on the city debt.”
This reflects the timeless cycle of local politics where incumbent administrations justify spending as 'investments' while challengers frame the same spending as fiscal mismanagement—a dynamic still very much alive in Tacoma’s municipal election cycle.
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