I had a look at the Vancouver Province for Saturday December 24 1921, exactly 100 years ago today. I expected some Christmas stories and cheer, but was quickly reminded that Vancouver was emerging not only from the economic recession caused by the First World War but also from the ravages of the Spanish Flu Pandemic.
There is a tongue in cheek cartoon of Father Christmas visiting the World snoring in bed. In the World’s Christmas Stocking is the gift of “General Improvement in Business Conditions”. Other packages include “World Peace Plans” and “Bright Prospects for 1922”.
24 Dec 1921, Sat The Province (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) Newspapers.com
But of particular interest is an editorial about the upcoming 1922 civic election which makes the first page of the Christmas Eve Province Newspaper. ” “LET ME BE IT” Sings Chorus of Aldermen” as a bevy of men serving on City of Vancouver’s Council (called Aldermen back in the day) also declared they were running for the top job as Mayor.
While it was stated that the person who became Mayor of Vancouver would be the “man with the most acquaintances” the paper identified that running for Mayor precluded people with Council experience from continuing as Aldermen if their Mayoral bid was defeated. As the Province pointed out “at least three men who have proved their fitness for aldermanic responsibilities-only one, if he is lucky can win the mayoral chair. Repeated efforts to have Alderman Owen, Tisdall and McRae and Ex-alderman T.H. Kirk to get together have failed”.
The City Clerk would not rule on whether a candidate could run for both positions, and at the time one of the alderman proposed having the councillor with the most votes become Mayor, a system already used in other cities at the time. That way experienced alderman could continue in Council chambers without losing their position for a run at the job of Mayor.
This, the Province newspaper concluded, would be a better choice than “leaving civic affairs in the hands of men new to the mysteries of the City Hall”.
Today, the Mayor is still elected separately by ballot and people that run for Mayor cannot for a seat as a City Councillor at the same time.
And that, one hundred years ago today, is what Vancouverites were discussing, printed on the front page of the paper on Christmas Eve.
Personally, the English local government electoral form is perhaps my favourite. It awards excellent service.