City Council Faces Backlash Over Secret Salary Hike
Tacoma politicians attempt to abolish civil service and quadruple their own pay while blocking the popular commission government plan.
The politicians in the city council are attempting to push through a scheme to boost councilmanic salaries from $25 to $100 a month, while simultaneously moving to abolish civil service. The charter revision committee rushed through the plan, which also aims to reduce the number of councilmen from 16 to 9, though not until next year. The move is seen as an attempt to head off the commission plan of government—which includes the recall, initiative, and referendum—and to cement their own political machines by filling department roles with allies rather than qualified civil servants. Business men and local improvement clubs are expected to mount a significant protest against the secret committee meeting attended by councilmen Hawthorne, Doud, Hankin, Wilkeson, Hawley, and Reed.
“They want the money all right, but don't want to have to work. The idea of devoting their entire time to the city was squelched in short order.”
Public trust and the mechanisms of local government were flashpoints in 1909, much like today. The fight over 'commission government' was a progressive-era push to increase democratic accountability, mirroring modern debates over how much control voters should have over civic operations.
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