Tacoma Council Fights 'Boodle' Printing Costs
Council members allege a monopoly of local newspapers is price-gouging taxpayers for municipal notices.
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This afternoon a member of the city council visited the Tacoma bureau and criticized committees from the Chamber of Commerce for insisting upon strict economy while allowing the city to pay more than double rates for city printing. It was revealed that Seattle pays only 45 cents per inch for the first insertion of city notices, while Tacoma is being charged nearly triple. One councilman stated, 'There is no doubt that the News and Ledger have combined to hold up the city and have done it all along. We propose to prevent it, even if there has to be another daily newspaper started.' City Clerk Smyth noted that municipal printing had averaged over $1,000 per month during the past year.
“There is no doubt that the News and Ledger have combined to hold up the city and have done it all along.”
The struggle over public transparency and the 'boodle' system of city contracts highlights a classic era of municipal corruption in Washington. It mirrors current discussions about how public money is funneled into private interests and the difficulty of ensuring transparency in municipal operations.
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