1960 Toronto municipal election

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on December 5, 1960. Six-year incumbent mayor Nathan Phillips was challenged by former mayor Allan Lamport and Controller Jean Newman. Phillips was returned to office.

The City of Toronto also held a referendum on whether to remove the Blue Law banning films and concerts on Sunday evenings. The measure passed 94,000 votes to 58,003.

Toronto mayor

Phillips had first been elected to city council in 1926 and was elected mayor in 1954 and was reelected in 1956 and 1958. He faced two prominent challengers in the 1960 race. Former mayor and Board of Control member Allan Lamport and Controller Jean Newman. Each of the three candidates had the endorsement of one of the city's newspapers. The right-wing Toronto Telegram backed Phillips, the centre-right The Globe and Mail backed Newman, and the centre-left Toronto Daily Star backed Lamport. One of the central issues was over the expansion of the Toronto subway system by building the Bloor-Danforth Line. All candidates supported it, but there was debate over how it should be paid for.

Results: Nathan Phillips - 81,699; Allan Lamport - 58,254; Jean Newman - 31,999; Ross Dowson - 1,643; Harry Bradley - 1,511

Plebiscite

A plebiscite was held on loosening Toronto's blue law to allow cinemas to open on Sundays.

Sunday movies: For - 81,821; Against - 45,399

Source:^[1]

Board of Control

Top spot on the Board of Control, and the associated budget chief position, was contested between two incumbent conservatives Donald Summerville and William Allen with Summerville winning the top spot. Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) member William Dennison was also reelected to the Board. The position left open by Newman's decision to run for mayor attracted three aldermen with Philip Givens narrowly beating CCF member Herbert Orliffe and Francis Chambers finishing further behind. A month later in January 1961 William Allen won the position of Metro Toronto Chairman and resigned from the board. Orliffe was appointed to replace him.

The two Controllers with the most votes also sit on Metropolitan Toronto Council.^[2]

Results: Donald Summerville (incumbent) - 110,893; William Allen (incumbent) - 110,256; William Dennison (incumbent) - 76,169; Philip Givens - 66,972; Herbert Orliffe - 65,418; Francis Chambers - 30,696; William Harris - 14,493; Jessie Jackson - 14,062; Mary Burke - 13,240

City council

Two aldermen were elected per Ward. The alderman with the most votes was declared Senior Alderman and sat on both Toronto City Council and Metro Council.

In the elections for Toronto City Council, only one incumbent was defeated, May Birchard in Ward 2. In all but one ward where two incumbents were reelected two councillors switched position changing which would also represent the city on the board of Metro Toronto.

Ward 1 (Riverdale): Fred Beavis (incumbent) - 10,423; Ken Waters (incumbent) - 10,224; Theobald - 5,566; Peter Ward - 2,092

Ward 2 (Regent Park and Rosedale): Margaret Campbell (incumbent) - 6,829; Michael Grayson - 5,677; May Birchard (incumbent) - 4,927; Stanley Price - 4,095; Thomas McAulay - 3,360; Currey - 1,194

Ward 3 (West Downtown and Summerhill): William Archer (incumbent) - 7,509; Charles Tidy (incumbent) - 6,707; John MacVicar - 3,977; James Sanderson - 1,156

Ward 4 (The Annex, Kensington Market and Garment District): David Rotenberg - 4,766; Horace Brown - 3,626; Murray Caplan - 2,508; Jack Frankel - 2,364; Charles Drukarsh - 2,290; Ralph Meakes - 1,718; Lily Sherizen - 1,654; A.G. Finkelstein - 1,554; Samuel Kwinter - 854; Bruce Magnuson - 847; Dorothy Cureatz - 596

Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods and Little Italy): Harold Menzies (incumbent) - 6,667; Joseph Piccininni - 4,873; George Ben - 4,317; Louis Lockhart - 3,162; Lloyd White - 3,054; Russell Doyle - 1,609; Janet McMurray - 1,510; John Jones - 1,055

Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale): Frank Clifton (incumbent) - 12,590; May Robinson (incumbent) - 11,201; George Jackson - 3,381; Michael Comar - 3,350; A.J. Robertson - 3,285; Stanley Steban - 3,197; W.G. Martin - 2,855; Pauline Miles - 2,360; Jack Starkman - 1,428; Anne Fritz - 1,142

Ward 7 (Bloor West Village): William Davidson (incumbent) - 7,226; Mary Temple (incumbent) - 6,368; Thomas Wilson - 5,258; John O'Shea - 3,540

Ward 8 (The Beaches): Alex Hodgins (incumbent) - 9,995; Tom Wardle Sr. - 9,516; S.T. Bullock - 7,963; Chris Stavro - 7,347; Joseph McNulty - 3,033; S.A. Baker - 2,486; A.A. Williams - 1,382; E.V. Cox - 1,064; Taiml Davis - 922; John Square - 455

Ward 9 (North Toronto): Kenneth Ostrander (incumbent) - 20,481; Frank Nash (incumbent) - 11,907; Helen Johnston - 9,916; William Hall - 7,166

Results are taken from the December 6, 1960 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.

Changes

Controller William Allen resigned upon being elected Metro Chairman on January 9, 1962. On January 15, 1962 Controller William Dennison was appointed Metro Councillor and Herbert Orliffe was appointed Controller

Suburbs

East York

Reeve: True Davidson - 5,047; (incumbent)Jack Raymond Allen - 3,431; Charles Howard Chandler - 3,275; Royden Meyer Brigham - 2,687; Norman Cheeseman - 1,690; Albert Morgan - 222

Source:^[1]^[3]

Etobicoke

Reeve: (incumbent)Henry Oscar Waffle - 14,726; Murray Johnson - 11,448; C. Robert Bush - 8,549

Deputy Reeve: John P. MacBeth - 14,899; John Allen - 9,829; Clifford Tinkham - 9,363

Source: "Waffle Easily Wins Etobicoke", Toronto Daily Star (1900-1971); Toronto, Ontario [Toronto, Ontario]06 Dec 1960: 9

Forest Hill

Reeve: (incumbent)Laurie T. Simonsky - 2,674; Perly - 1,814; Labow - 743

Deputy Reeve: Banks - 1,873; Pivnick - 2,905

Source:^[1] and "Simonsky Again Forest Hill Reeve", Toronto Daily Star (1900-1971); Toronto, Ontario [Toronto, Ontario]06 Dec 1960: 9

Leaside

Mayor: (incumbent)Charles Hiscott (acclaimed)

Long Branch

Reeve: (incumbent)Marie Curtis (acclaimed)

Mimico

Mayor: Hugh Griggs; (incumbent)William Arthur (Gus) Edwards

New Toronto

Mayor: (incumbent)Donald Russell - 1,501; White - 1,255

Source:^[1]

North York

Reeve: (incumbent)Norman C. Goodhead 37,365; Harold Segal 14,993

Scarborough

Reeve: (incumbent)Albert Campbell (acclaimed)

Swansea

Reeve: (incumbent)Dorothy Hague (acclaimed)

Deputy Reeve: Harry Squarebriggs (acclaimed)

Weston

Mayor: George W. Bull - 1,683; Clark - 1,026

Source:^[1]

York

Reeve: Frederick Charles Taylor- 14,766; (incumbent)Chris Tonks - 6,369; Charles McMaster - 2,735; Pauline Shapero - 1,912

Taylor defeated Tonks who had been ensnared in a conflict-of-interest scandal. Source:^[1]

References

Election Coverage. Toronto Star. December 6, 1960

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Results of Voting in City and Suburban Elections", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]06 Dec 1960: 1.
^ "Metro's Day, Metro's Duty", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]05 Dec 1960: 6.
^ "The Star Recommends These Candidates", Toronto Daily Star, November 26, 1960, page 6

[results-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Results of Voting in City and Suburban Elections", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]06 Dec 1960: 1.

[2] "Metro's Day, Metro's Duty", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]05 Dec 1960: 6.

[3] "The Star Recommends These Candidates", Toronto Daily Star, November 26, 1960, page 6

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