Kessler v. City of Seattle

Citations

• 93 Wash. 192
• 160 P. 423
• 1916 Wash. LEXIS 1178

Syllabus

<p>Municipal Corporations — Employees—Discharge—Civil Service —Change oe Charter. District health and sanitary inspectors not under civil service at the time of their appointment, and continued in the performance of their original duties without further appointing, are not affected by a change in the city charter requiring vacancies to he filled and additional employees to he appointed subject to the civil service.</p> <p>Same — Employees—Discharge—Reducing Number — Civil Service. A city has power to reduce the number of city employees in the interest of economy, and the courts will not review the appointing power in making a selection among those equally efiicient and retaining those longest in service.</p> <p>Judgment — Res Judicata — Identity oe Issues. A judgment setting aside a discharge of a qualified sanitary inspector under the civil service while unqualified persons were retained, is not res judicata preventing the city from reducing the number of employees by ordinance, in the interest of economy, and the appointing power from making a selection from the qualified persons in service.</p>