booth gardner - Washington Secretary of State
booth gardner - Washington Secretary of State
booth gardner - Washington Secretary of State
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taken <strong>of</strong>fice in January, capping his inaugural address with a chorus <strong>of</strong> “The Sun’ll Come<br />
Out Tomorrow,” the signature tune from the musical “Annie.” Most legislators sang along.<br />
They wouldn’t have Dixy Lee Ray to kick around any more, but everyone wished there was<br />
a Daddy Warbucks. On the campaign trail, Booth had been more cautious about promises<br />
than Spellman, who made a “no new taxes” pledge he would bitterly regret. Spellman was<br />
also sore vexed by the right-wingers in his own party – “troglodytes” he called them. Booth<br />
had a largely collegial new seven-member County Council, but in time he would come to<br />
fully sympathize with Spellman’s legislative travails. During their terms, many exasperated<br />
lawmakers would grouse that both men were wimps. That was untrue and unfair, but they<br />
did have a lot in common. Their Irish Catholic great-grandfathers arrived in Seattle in the<br />
1860s. As their counties’ first executives under home-rule charters, Spellman and Gardner<br />
earned reputations as skillful, honest administrators with the common touch.<br />
* * *<br />
Besides “setting a standard for integrity in public service,” Gardner’s goals included<br />
streamlining Pierce County operations, especially the accounting and data processing<br />
systems to improve productivity, reduce expenses and provide better customer service.<br />
In the world <strong>of</strong> private enterprise, Booth said he’d never seen the likes <strong>of</strong> the county’s<br />
budgeting and auditing functions. They were so complex and confusing, he said, that<br />
any two <strong>of</strong> the three county commissioners in the old government could team up with<br />
the county administrator and budget director and rule with an iron fist. In addition to<br />
providing checks and balances, a modern budget-information system would let department<br />
managers keep close tabs on spending.<br />
The sheriff, no longer an elected <strong>of</strong>ficial, was now answerable to the county<br />
executive. One <strong>of</strong> Booth’s first observations was that he could better deploy his deputies if<br />
he had more clerical help and modern record-keeping equipment. That was also calculated<br />
to improve morale and pr<strong>of</strong>essionalism. The younger deputies in particular were anxious<br />
to remove the taint <strong>of</strong> the extortion-ring scandal. Booth’s popularity took a hit, however,<br />
when he told them they couldn’t drive their prowl cars home. (Reflecting on his first year<br />
in <strong>of</strong>fice, Gardner quipped that in the beginning many deputies waved at him with their<br />
whole hand. “Now they use only one finger.”) The slackers and malcontents weren’t going<br />
to like him, Booth predicted, but dedicated, talented employees “would have a chance to<br />
shine.” One <strong>of</strong> his first steps was to begin a management-training program for all county<br />
supervisors.<br />
* * *<br />
Three state legislators won seats on the new seven-member County Council,<br />
Republican Shirley Winsley and Democrats A.L. “Slim” Rasmussen and Phyllis Erickson.<br />
R. “Clint” Richardson, another Democrat, took the fourth new seat. The other three slots<br />
were grandfathered to the former county commissioners: Joe Stortini, Jake Bujacich and<br />
Joe Vraves. Bujacich and Stortini had opposed the new charter, although Stortini promised<br />
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