Olympia’s Mayor Resigns to Save a Disputed Election
After a contested municipal election, Mayor Horr says he will step down on January 5 so successors can be appointed—and asks the outgoing councilmen to do the same.
In order to avoid all doubts as to the validity of the recent municipal election, Mayor Horr announces that he will hand in his resignation on the evening of January 5th, and expects the outgoing councilmen to do likewise, in order that successors to the offices may be appointed. This is commendable.
“In order to avoid all doubts as to the validity of the recent municipal election, Mayor Horr announces that he will hand in his resignation on the evening of January 5th...”
In 1891, Olympia’s remedy for a clouded election was mass resignation and appointment rather than a recount. The episode rhymes with modern fights over election certification and lame-duck governance: officials choosing process over power. It also shows how small the capital’s government was, where a mayor’s personal announcement could reset city hall.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.