BOOTH WHO? - Washington State Digital Archives

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