1920 Calgary municipal election
Election in Alberta, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1920 Calgary municipal election was held on December 15, 1920 to a Mayor and six Aldermen to sit on Calgary City Council for two years, and two Aldermen to sit for one year. Additionally a Commissioner, three members for the Public School Board and two members for the Separate School Board were elected.
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December 15, 1920
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There were twelve aldermen on city council, but six of the positions were already filled: Frank Freeze, George Harry Webster, Annie Gale, and Fred Shouldice, were all elected to two-year terms in 1919 and were still in office. Both Samuel Hunter Adams and Issac G. Ruttle resigned their positions as Aldermen to run for mayor.
A number of plebiscites were held, all requiring a majority to pass.
The election was held under the Single Transferable Voting/Proportional Representation (STV/PR) with the term for Alderman being two years and the Mayor being one year.[1]
Background
In the 1920 election for mayor, Adams ran against his only challenger, and fellow alderman Isaac G. Ruttle. Adams and Ruttle were both friends and agreed to spend only $100 during the election, $50 for advertisements in the Calgary Herald and $50 for advertisements in the Albertan. During the campaign both candidates would travel together as Adams did not have a car, and alternated who would speak first at each event. Eventually both candidates broke the agreement to spend only $100 with Ruttle placing advertisements between films in one of the City's theaters, and Adams countered with a $25 advertisement in the Market Examiner. Adams won the election held on December 15, 1920 with approximately 60% of the vote and assumed the role of Calgary's 21st Mayor on January 3, 1920, serving until January 2, 1923.[2]
Results
Mayor
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion Labor | Samuel Hunter Adams | 5,249 | 65.33% |  | |
| Dominion Labor | Issac G. Ruttle | 2,786 | 34.67% | ||
| Total valid votes | 8,803 | ||||
| Approximate rejected ballots | 1,200 | ||||
Council
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Count | Term length | Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion Labor | Fred J. White | 1,222 | 15.44% | 1st | 2 Years | | |
| Dominion Labor | John Sidney Arnold | 924 | 11.68% | 1st | 2 Years | | |
| Civic Government Association | John Hugill | 905 | 11.44% | 1st | 2 Years | | |
| Dominion Labor | Walter Little | 813 | 10.28% | 2nd | 2 Years | | |
| Civic Government Association | Alexander McTaggart | 758 | 9.58% | 3rd | 2 Years | | |
| Civic Government Association | Charles Stevenson | 691 | 8.73% | 8th | 2 Years | | |
| Civic Government Association | Neil I. McDermid | 705 | 8.91% | 8th | 1 Year | | |
| Independent | Geoffrey Silvester | 431 | 5.45% | X | 1 Year | | |
| Independent | George E. Williams | 367 | 4.64% | ||||
| Independent | George D. Batchelor | 359 | 4.54% | ||||
| Independent | William Turner | 295 | 3.73% | ||||
| Independent | W. H. Beal | 262 | 3.31% | ||||
| Independent | J. B. Douglas | 180 | 2.28% | ||||
| Total valid votes | 7,912 | ||||||
| Approximate rejected ballots | 1,200 | ||||||
Commissioner
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion Labor | A. J. Samis | 4,496 | 58.01% | | |
| Dominion Labor | A. G. Broatch | 2,192 | 28.28% | ||
| Dominion Labor | Angus Smith | 1,062 | 13.70% | ||
| Total valid votes | 7,750 | ||||
| Approximate rejected ballots | 1,200 | ||||
Public School Board
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Count | Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civic Government Association | H. A. Sinnott | 3,167 | 24.62% | 1st | | |
| Independent | Marion Carson | 1,363 | 17.68% | 1st | | |
| Dominion Labor | Lillie C. Woodhall | 1,004 | 15.81% | 3rd | | |
| Civic Government Association | Robert H. Parkyn | 954 | 13.00% | |||
| Independent | H. M. McCallum | 954 | 12.22% | |||
| Total valid votes | 7,343 | |||||
Separate School Board
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Count | Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civic Government Association | J. Harcourt O'Reilly | 155 | 24.62% | 1st | | |
| Independent | R. J. McLean | 79 | 17.68% | 1st | | |
| Dominion Labor | M. J. Sheedy | 83 | 15.81% | |||
| Civic Government Association | McKay | 36 | 13.00% | |||
| Independent | Fay | 26 | 12.22% | |||
| Total valid votes | 379 | |||||
Plebiscites
Gas Plebiscite
| Gas Plebiscite | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| To let rates stand, no franchise changes | 5,417 | 74.49% |
| Council proposal, 42 cent gas, 2.5 years | 337 | 4.63% |
| Mayor proposal, 50 cent gas, rebate | 208 | 2.86% |
| Company proposal, arbitration | 1,310 | 18.01% |
Curfew Bylaw
To institute Curfew Law in Calgary.
| Curfew Bylaw | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 4,421 | 60.82% |
| No | 2,848 | 39.18% |
Aldermen Pay
To pay Aldermen $500 per year.
| Aldermen Pay | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 2,895 | 39.59% |
| No | 4,417 | 60.41% |
Capitalize Street Railway Expenditures Bylaw
Vote on bylaw to capitalize $250,000 street railway expenditures.
| Capitalize Street Railway Bylaw | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 1,635 | 43.00% |
| Against | 2,167 | 57.00% |
Waterworks Extension Programme Bylaw
Vote on bylaw for waterworks extension programme.
| Waterworks Extension Bylaw | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 2,057 | 53.28% |
| Against | 1,804 | 46.72% |