1934 Calgary municipal election

The 1934 Calgary municipal election was held on November 21, 1934 to elect six Aldermen to sit on Calgary City Council. Along with positions on Calgary City Council, a Commissioner, three trustees for the Public School Board, and two trustees for the Separate School Board.^[1] Nominations closed on November 5, 1934.^[2]

Calgary City Council governed under "Initiative, Referendum and Recall" which is composed of a Mayor, Commissioner and twelve Aldermen all elected to staggered two year terms. Mayor Andrew Davison and six Aldermen: Joseph Brown Seymour, Alexander John MacMillan, William George Southern, Joseph Hope Ross, Harold William Hounsfield Riley and Robert Henry Weir elected in 1933 continued in their positions.^[1]

Background

The election was held under the Single Transferable Voting/Proportional Representation (STV/PR) with the term for candidates being two years.

The Great Depression played a significant role in the 1934 election as many Calgarians were out of work. A candidate meeting at the Elks Lodge was interrupted by a relief worker who was subsequently arrested by police. Members of the crowd surged towards the gallery in defense of the worker forcing Mayor Davison to end the meeting when he realized order could not be restored.^[3]

The Calgary Herald advocated on behalf of the Civic Government Association prior to the election arguing that Labour Aldermen and trustees had failed to effectively run the city.^[4]

Results

Results from Calgary Daily Herald.^[5]

Commissioner

Candidate	Votes	Percent
Thomas B. Riley	11,063
James T. Burns	8,003
Arthur Garnet Graves	4,210
C.W. Reese	1,436
Fred Nutt	374

Council

Quota for election was 3,286.

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	Count	Elected
	C.G.A.	William Ayer Lincoln	4,336	%	1st	Y
	Dominion Labor	Fred J. White	4,122	%	1st	Y
	C.G.A.	Frank Roy Freeze	2,930	%		Y
	Independent	Robert Henry Parkyn	2,875	%		Y
	Dominion Labor	Aylmer John Eggert Liesemer	2,288	%		Y
	C.G.A.	Douglas Cunnington	1,956	%		Y
	C.G.A.	Pansy Louise Pue	2,026	%
	Communist	Patrick Douglas Lenihan	1,198	%
	C.G.A.	Peter Turner Bone	1,141	%
	Independent	Donald McPherson	800	%
	Dominion Labor	Fred F. McNeill	681	%
	Dominion Labor	Charles K. Vernon	619	%
	Communist	Lawrence Anderson	74	%
Total valid votes

Public School Board

The quota was 3,053

Candidate	Votes	Percent	count
A.B. Singleton	5,673
Robert Thomas Alderman	5,037
Arthur D. Cumming	3,325
Ernest Henry Starr	2,473
A.T. Spankie	2,463
J.H. Doughty-Davies	2,031
Murdoch Clarke	1,296

Separate school board

Candidate	Votes	Percent	count
Fred Kenny
Fred Kennedy
C.J. Jones
J.F. Maloney
Fred Peat
Bert Ryan
Charles Thomas

Plebiscites

Material for Works Program

Material for works program for unemployed.^[6]

For - 3,395
Against - 4,634

City manager

An appointed city manager.^[6]

For - 10,458
Against - 12,798

References

^ ^a ^b "C.G.A. Gains Council, School Board Seats". Calgary Daily Herald. November 22, 1934. p. 1. ProQuest 2252817631. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
^ "32 Candidates are Nominated for Election to Civic Posts". Calgary Daily Herald. November 5, 1934. p. 9. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
^ "Unruly Mob Howls Down Election Candidates". Calgary Daily Herald. November 20, 1934. p. 1. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
^ "Opportunity to End Labor Control". Calgary Daily Herald. November 20, 1934. p. 4. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
^ "City Manager Plan and Property Tax Bylaw Turned Down by Voters". Calgary Daily Herald. November 22, 1934. p. 10. ProQuest 2252817880. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
^ ^a ^b City of Calgary (1952). Municipal Manual. City of Calgary. p. 71. Retrieved March 9, 2021.

[Cgy19341122pg1-1] "C.G.A. Gains Council, School Board Seats". Calgary Daily Herald. November 22, 1934. p. 1. ProQuest 2252817631. Retrieved March 25, 2021.

[2] "32 Candidates are Nominated for Election to Civic Posts". Calgary Daily Herald. November 5, 1934. p. 9. Retrieved March 30, 2021.

[3] "Unruly Mob Howls Down Election Candidates". Calgary Daily Herald. November 20, 1934. p. 1. Retrieved March 30, 2021.

[4] "Opportunity to End Labor Control". Calgary Daily Herald. November 20, 1934. p. 4. Retrieved March 30, 2021.

[5] "City Manager Plan and Property Tax Bylaw Turned Down by Voters". Calgary Daily Herald. November 22, 1934. p. 10. ProQuest 2252817880. Retrieved March 30, 2021.

[Manual1952-6] City of Calgary (1952). Municipal Manual. City of Calgary. p. 71. Retrieved March 9, 2021.

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