The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-01-13
RICHLAND EDITOR
AGAIN NAMED CLERK
NJ d. O'COnnell is Appointed by
Mayor Arbuckle - Council
men Make Objections

tho CITY council of the town of Rich
land met for its final session with Ma
vor Geo. Arbuckle in the chair and
the following councilmen in attend
once: Herschel Jameson, Phillip Shire
man and j. M. Breithaupt. At the
close of the regular routine business,
all bills submitted being allowed by
Tho council, the motion was made to
adjourn to make way for the incoming
body of aldermen.
Roll call showed Mrs. c. d. Hopper,
svd Relton, Abe. Hudson and Hersch-
81 Jameson to be present, Albert
Weidle absent. On motion made by
Mrs. Hopper, Hershel Jameson was
elected chairman of the council by ac-
clamation This was a particularly good
selection as Mr.. Jameson is the only
man on the board who has had pre-
vious experience and was the logical
candidate for the place.
Mayor Geo. Arbuckle Immediately
made known his appointment of COM
mittees for the ensuing year: Finance
committee, Jameson, Relton and Hud-
SON; fire and fire limits, Relton, Weidle
and Hopper; police, Hudson, Jameson
and Relton; streets and bitches, Wei
die, Relton and Hudson; Cemetery,
Mrs. Hopper, Hudson, and Jameson;
assessment and taxation, Jameson,
Hudson and Hopper; printing, Hop
per, Weidle and Jameson; public i'm
provement, Jameson, Hudson and Rel
ton; board of health, Hopper, Jane
son and Hudson; city clerk, M. D. o.
Connell; pound master, M. P. David
son.
Quite heated discussion was en-
tered into in regard to the appoint
ment Of the city clerk. This is the
only office under the city government
which carries with it salary, in this
case $3.50 per year. Prior to the meet
ing Of the council two bids had been
submitted to Mayor Arbuckle for this
Office, those of Mrs. C.. S. Gibbs and
Mrs. Jos. Roehl. According to the
Mayor neither of these ladies were in
q position to take the office on ac-
count of the fact that they will leave
town shortly for other parts to make
their future homes.
On the mayors appointment of M.
D. O'Connell as clerk, Mrs. Hopper
Immediately submitted a bid from
Rev. G. w. Hoy. Mr.. Hoy offered to
perform the duties of the clerk in a
satisfactory manner for the sum of
$50 per year and provide an adequate
place to meet together with light and
heat. This would be a saving to the
taxpayers of $12O per year and this
was put to the mayor to decide. A
heated argument followed in which
Mr.. Arbuckle seemed to take the view
that no matter what the saving to the
city would be, that the Office of city
clerk must be held by a taxpayer.
Precedent shows that former city
clerks had not always been taxpay-
ers and nothing can be found in the
city ordinances to show that the clerk
must be tax payer and Mrs. Hopper
took the stand that inasmuch as Mr..
Hoy's bid would mean saving of $12O
year to the city, he should be ap-
pointed. A request by the mayor for
opinion of the city council gave sgd
Relton an opportunity to voice his
idea that taxpayer should have the
job, while Councilman Jameson stated
that he was fully in accord with Mrs.
Hopper's view that the man should be
appointed who would save the town
the most actual money, provided it
was shown that he was capable of TAX
ing care of the office in a competent
manner. Mr.. Hoy made short speech
in his own behalf, stating that he had
never solicited any Office, did not want
any, and only allowed his name to be
used as he felt that in this Office he
might be Of some benefit to the COM
munity. The discussion simmered
down to the issue of whether or not
the mayor considered it better policy
to appoint clerk who was taxpay-
er at $3.50 year or one who was not
at $50 year. He stated that he
would leave the appointment OF Mr..
UConnell stand until he had thought
the matter over and that if a tax pay
er who was competent would come for
ward and offer his services for $50 a
year he might consider it. According
TO ruling of City Attorney Moulton
the mayor informed the council that
It was not necessary for them to con-
nrm his appointment of clerk, the mat
Ter lying entirely within his jurisdic-
ton.
Phillip Shireman, who runs the To-
cal poolroom and barber shop brought
up the matter of keeping his place OF