Ballard's Council Feud: Mayor and Council Say Ex-Councilman Winsor Let His Own Trial Go by Default
The Ballard city council row continues as the mayor and council answer Thomas Winsor's reinstatement petition, accusing him of selling lumber to the city and then refusing to defend himself.
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 Ballard city council row is still in progress. The mayor and council yesterday filed in the superior court an answer to the petition of ex-Councilman Thomas Winsor for reinstatement. They allege that Winsor was not telling the strict truth when he alleged that he never had notice of the trial of the charges against him, and that he was sitting in the council when ex-Treasurer Keane accused him of selling about $15 worth of lumber to the city, and that he then waived notice and a copy of the charges and asked to have the case set for hearing on February 27. When the trial came off, however, they say he refused to introduce any evidence whatever, though present, and let the case go by default. They accordingly ask for the dismissal of the petition on the ground that Winsor cannot now complain.
“They accordingly ask for the dismissal of the petition on the ground that Winsor cannot now complain.”
Ballard was an independent city until Seattle annexed it in 1907; its council fights are a reminder that neighborhood governance and ethics scandals are not new. The dispute also turns on a familiar question: when does a local official's private business deal become a public conflict?
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.