1920 Calgary municipal election

Election in Alberta, Canada

1920 Calgary municipal election

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| <- 1919 | December 15, 1920 | 1921 ->

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Candidate  | Samuel Hunter Adams | Issac G. Ruttle
Popular vote  | 5,249  | 2,786
Percentage  | 65.33%  | 34.67%

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| Mayor before election

Robert Colin Marshall

| Elected mayor

Samuel Hunter Adams

|

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.

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

### Mayor

[edit]

Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | Elected

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| Dominion Labor | Samuel Hunter Adams | 5,249 | 65.33% | Y
| Dominion Labor | Issac G. Ruttle | 2,786 | 34.67% |
Total valid votes  | 8,803
Approximate rejected ballots  | 1,200

### Council

[edit]

Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | Count  | Term Length  | Elected

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| Dominion Labor | Fred J. White | 1,222 | 15.44% | 1st | 2 Years | Y
| Dominion Labor | John Sidney Arnold | 924 | 11.68% | 1st | 2 Years | Y
| Civic Government Association | John Hugill | 905 | 11.44% | 1st | 2 Years | Y
| Dominion Labor | Walter Little | 813 | 10.28% | 2nd | 2 Years | Y
| Civic Government Association | Alexander McTaggart | 758 | 9.58% | 3rd | 2 Years | Y
| Civic Government Association | Charles Stevenson | 691 | 8.73% | 8th | 2 Years | Y
| Civic Government Association | Neil I. McDermid | 705 | 8.91% | 8th | 1 Year | Y
| Independent | Geoffrey Silvester | 431 | 5.45% | X | 1 Year | Y
| 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

[edit]

Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | Elected

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| Dominion Labor | A. J. Samis | 4,496 | 58.01% | Y
| 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

[edit]

Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | Count  | Elected

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| Civic Government Association | H. A. Sinnott | 3,167 | 24.62% | 1st | Y
| Independent | Marion Carson | 1,363 | 17.68% | 1st | Y
| Dominion Labor | Lillie C. Woodhall | 1,004 | 15.81% | 3rd | Y
| Civic Government Association | Robert H. Parkyn | 954 | 13.00% |  |
| Independent | H. M. McCallum | 954 | 12.22% |  |
Total valid votes  | 7,343

### Separate School Board

[edit]

Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | Count  | Elected

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| Civic Government Association | J. Harcourt O'Reilly | 155 | 24.62% | 1st | Y
| Independent | R. J. McLean | 79 | 17.68% | 1st | Y
| 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

[edit]

#### Gas Plebiscite

[edit]

Gas Plebiscite  | Votes  | %

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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

[edit]

To institute Curfew Law in Calgary.

Curfew Bylaw  | Votes  | %

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Yes | 4,421 | 60.82%
No  | 2,848  | 39.18%

#### Aldermen Pay

[edit]

To pay Aldermen $500 per year.

Aldermen Pay  | Votes  | %

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Yes  | 2,895  | 39.59%
No | 4,417 | 60.41%

#### Capitalize Street Railway Expenditures Bylaw

[edit]

Vote on bylaw to capitalize $250,000 street railway expenditures.

Capitalize Street Railway Bylaw  | Votes  | %

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For  | 1,635  | 43.00%
Against | 2,167 | 57.00%

#### Waterworks Extension Programme Bylaw

[edit]

Vote on bylaw for waterworks extension programme.

Waterworks Extension Bylaw  | Votes  | %

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For | 2,057 | 53.28%
Against  | 1,804  | 46.72%

## See also

[edit]

* List of Calgary municipal elections

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Election Results". The Calgary Daily Herald. No. 4021\. December 16, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
2. ^ Olson, Kirsten; Sanders, Harry (October 18, 2013). "5 Calgary elections more interesting than this one". CBC News. CBC News. Retrieved February 28, 2020.

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