Winnipeg municipal election, 1953

The 1953 Winnipeg municipal election was held on October 28, 1953 to elect councillors and school trustees in the Manitoba city of Winnipeg. There was no mayoral election; mayors were elected for two-year terms in this period, and 1953 was an off year.

The councillors and trustees were elected by the single transferable ballot, with three members elected for each position in three wards. Electors were allowed to vote for three candidates for each position. There were a total of 18 councillors and 15 trustees in this period, with members elected in alternate years.

A total of three political parties contested this election. The Civic Election Committee (CEC) was a pro-business alliance of Progressive Conservatives and Liberals, and was the dominant party in Winnipeg's predominantly middle-class first ward. The CEC claimed not to be a political party as such, but held nomination meetings and ran organized campaigns in a partisan manner. The socialist Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the communist Labour Progressive Party (LLP) also contested the election. Both parties were strongest in Ward Three, covering the city's working-class north end.

The CEC won five of the nine contested council seats, down two from their pre-election total. The CCF gained one council seat for a total of three, while the LPP regained a foothold on council by winning a seat in Ward Three. The CEC won six trustee seats, the CCF two, and the LPP one.

Council Results

Ward One

The CCF attempted to break the CEC's hold over Ward One by fielding only one candidate, in an effort to avoid vote-splitting among supporters. This tactic had proven successful the previous year, when CCF candidate David Mulligan was elected to the second position. Ernest Draffin was not able to repeat this success, however, and all three CEC incumbents were re-elected. The quota for election was 5,322 votes (25%).

"Party Totals"

Ward Two

Veteran CCF alderman V.B. Anderson was the only incumbent seeking re-election in this ward, as the two CEC incumbents had both announced their retirement. The CEC and CCF both ran two candidates, effectively giving each party a bye for one of the positions. Former Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Gordon Fines finished second, and gave the CCF a second seat in the ward. LPP candidate William Cecil Ross, the leader of the provincial party, fared poorly outside of his party's north-end base. The quota for election was 3,783 votes (25%).

"Party Totals"

Goodman's surplus 185 votes were distributed as follows: Bennett 121, Anderson 41, Fines 23. This was not enough to give Bennett the third position, and both Fines and Anderson were declared elected on the third count.

"Third Count"

Blumberg was declared elected to the first position, and his 391 surplus votes were distributed as follows: Stevens 184, Penner 80, Wagner 75, Rebchuk 36, Mazapa 16.

"Second Count"

Trustee results

Ward One

The school trustee election in Ward One yielded essentially the same result as the council election. The CCF ran a single candidate to prevent vote splitting, but the CEC nevertheless retained all three positions. The quota for election was 5,278 votes (25%).

"Party Totals"

Ward Two

The CEC and CCF each fielded two candidates, effectively giving both parties a bye for one of the seats. The CEC's two incumbents were re-elected without difficulty, while CCF candidate Walter Seaberg finally won a seat after a number of failed attempts. The LPP again fared poorly outside of their Ward Three base. It is notable that the LPP candidate was Roland Penner, who later left the Communist movement and served as Manitoba's Attorney-General in the 1980s. The quota for election was 3,752 votes (25%).

"Party Totals"

Ward Three

LPP candidate Joseph Zuken topped the polls to win the first trustee position in north-end Winnipeg. The CEC and CCF both fielded two candidates, and won one seat apiece. Zuken's victory may be credited to his personal popularity and reputation as a diligent worker, as well as to the LPP's general base of support. The quota for election was 4,658 votes (25%).

"Party Totals"