City Hall Showdown Over Suspended Police Chief
Acting Mayor Miller faces a public outcry and political embarrassment after failing to produce charges against Chief Jackson.
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 late acting mayor and his supporters suffered a setback last night when Miller had to admit he was not prepared to present charges against Police Chief Jackson. Although Miller had previously suspended the Chief 'for cause,' he refused to go on record at the commission meeting, leading to a tense scene where the Chief defied anyone to bring charges of wrongful acts to his face. Chief Jackson received loud cheers from the crowd as he defended his record. Mayor Ronald, presiding, rebuked the crowd for their vociferousness but supported the demand for an immediate accounting of the charges. Miller's inability to substantiate his suspension suggested that the attempt to remove the popular chief was politically motivated, leaving the acting mayor looking vacillating and ill-prepared.
“I defy any man on earth to look me in the face and say I have done any wrongful act.”
Political theater, investigations, and public distrust of municipal authorities are timeless Seattle staples; this episode of a Mayor vs. Police Chief battle feels plucked from a very familiar local playbook.
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