Town Clerk
Bold used as a model the technically efficient Birmingham of Joseph Chamberlain and expanded the size and improved the quality of city staff and streamlined its operations. He became a driving force in policy formation, preparing detailed reports for councillors and intervening in council debates. By 1905 some regarded him as the real mayor. Bold is described in the Australian Dictionary of Biography as an advocate of “municipal socialism”:
He and the mayor T. G. Molloy, a kindred spirit, partly convinced and partly tricked the council in 1908 into buying out the Perth Gas Co., which produced both gas and electricity; a costly and controversial purchase at the time, it eventually proved a valuable asset to the city. In 1912 Molloy and Bold also fought hard to secure the tramways company, but were outmanoeuvred and outbid by the Scaddan Labor government.
Read more about this topic: William Bold
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