1974 Toronto Municipal Election

The 1974 Toronto municipal election was held on December 2, 1974 in Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mayors, controllers, city councillors and school board trustees were elected in the municipalities of Toronto, York, East York, North York, Etobicoke and Scarborough.

David Crombie was re-elected as Mayor of Toronto, and Mel Lastman was re-elected as Mayor of North York.

Toronto

Mayoral race

Incumbent David Crombie was extremely popular after his first term and faced no serious opposition in winning reelection. White supremacist Don Andrews placed second amongst the also-rans. As a result, the municipal law was changed so that the runner-up in the mayoralty contest no longer had the right to succeed to the mayor's chair should the position become vacant between elections.

;Results
:David Crombie - 100,680
:Don Andrews - 5,662
:Joan Campana - 3,022
: Rosy Sunrise - 2,294
:William Harris - 2,262
:Glenn Julian - 2,423
:Richard Sangers - 1,454
:Ronald Rodgers
:Rick Peletz - 1,024
:Arthur Seligman - 745
:Karl von Harten - 624

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.

There were few major changes on city council. The reform faction remained the largest group on council, but did have a majority. The conservative "old guard" retained their seats as did the small Crombie-led group of moderates that made up the swing vote on council. Most incumbents were reelected with only a handful of exceptions. After failing to win the mayoralty in 1972 Tony O'Donohue returned to city council and successfully ousted New Democrat Archie Chisholm in Ward 2. In the downtown Ward 6 race anti-Spadina Expressway activist Allan Sparrow ousted long serving old guard member William Archer.

The final executive, elected by city council, consisted of two right-of-centre moderates, Art Eggleton and David Smith, and two moderate reformers, Elizabeth Eayrs and Reid Scott. Crombie held the deciding vote between the right- and left-wing duos.

;Ward 1 ( Swansea and Bloor West Village)
: William Boytchuk (incumbent) - 6,158
: Elizabeth Eayrs (incumbent) - 3,038
: Ed Ziemba - 4,199
: Ben Grys - 3,174
:Wally Soia - 1,861
:Ceri Gluszczek - 1,275
:Ed Homonvio - 916
:Ib Amonsen - 764
:Joe Grabek - 481
:Yvette Tessier - 189
:Andries Murnieks - 157

;Ward 2 ( Parkdale and Brockton)
:Tony O'Donohue - 6,375
: Ed Negridge (incumbent) - 4,968
: Archie Chisholm (incumbent) - 3,538
:Eleanor Bra - 1,192
:Anne Fritz - 941
:Jack Prins - 175

;Ward 3 ( Davenport and Corso Italia)
: Michael Goldrick (incumbent) - 5,216
: Joseph Piccininni (incumbent) - 4,254
:Slough Bolton - 1,395
:Jerry Hill - 405
:George Zapparoli - 404
:Michael Hookway - 191
:Manuel Lumbreras - 119

;Ward 4 ( Trinity-Bellwoods and Little Italy)
:Art Eggleton (incumbent) - 4,341
:George Ben (incumbent) - 2,708
:Joe Pantalone -1,759
:Frank Latka - 1,247
:Pat Case - 533
:Penny Simpson - 234
: Bob Smith - 200

;Ward 5 (The Annex and Yorkville)
:Colin Vaughan (incumbent) - 8,195
: Ying Hope (incumbent) - 7,173
:Erna Koffman - 1,737
:Manfred Schulzke - 1,643
:David Astle - 1,096
:Judy Lily Lucko - 371
:Lazlo Simo - 287
:Gary Weagle - 201

;Ward 6 (Financial District, Toronto - University of Toronto)
: Dan Heap (incumbent) - 6,607
:Allan Sparrow - 5,564
:William Archer (incumbent) - 4,311
:K Dock Yip - 2,507
:John Combs - 1,346
:Arthur Boyes - 368
:Fred Nelson - 294

;Ward 7 (Regent Park and Riverdale)
:John Sewell (incumbent) - 6,233
: Janet Howard - 4,248
:Gary Stamm - 3,813
:Andy Marinakis - 603
:Peggy Reinhardt - 454
:John Bizzell - 289
:Stanley Carrier - 388
:Kate Alderdice - 329
:Steve Necheff - 257
:Sandra Fox - 248
:Armand Siksna - 212

;Ward 8 ( Riverdale)
: Thomas Clifford (incumbent) - 5,567
:Fred Beavis (incumbent) - 5,574
:Dallard Runge - 3,967
:Steve Martino - 796
:Larry Haiven - 496
:John Iannou - 398
:John Tsopelas - 361
:Alex Lauder - 338
:Beatrice Zaverrucha - 245
:Chris Greenland - 236

On January 28, 1975 a judicial recount gave Clifford a 7 vote majority over Beavis which gave him a seat on Metro Council.

;Ward 9 (The Beaches)
: Reid Scott (incumbent) - 8,405
: Dorothy Thomas (incumbent) - 7,016
:Joe McNulty - 5,106
:Mary Trew - 417
:Brian Dunia - 412

;Ward 10 ( Rosedale and North Toronto)
:William Kilbourn (incumbent) - 11,446
: John Bosley - 5,352
:Kevin Garland - 4,979
:Juanne Hemsol - 3,754
:Michael Grayson - 1,818
:Bruce Haines - 1,543
:Russell Puskluwez - 1,464
:Margaret Bryce - 953
: Horace Brown - 680
:John Kelly - 597

;Ward 11 ( Forest Hill and North Toronto)
: David Smith (incumbent) - 11,933
:Anne Johnston (incumbent) - 10,804
:Pauline Shapero - 3,140
:Sydney Zaidi - 741

Vacancy

Ward 9 Alderman Reid Scott resigned upon appointment as provincial judge August 6, 1976. Dorothy Thomas now became sole Alderman and was appointed Metro Councillor on August 18.

East York

*(incumbent) Willis Blair - 15,018
*Ed Shaw - 6,513

(Source: ''Globe and Mail'', pg 10, December 3, 1974)

Etobicoke

Mayor

*(incumbent)Dennis Flynn - 28,390
*Bill Stockwell - 21,160
*Mary Legg - 2,022
*Richard Broughton - 1,749

(Source: ''Globe and Mail'', pg 10, December 3, 1974)

Board of Control

(4 elected)
*(incumbent) Bruce Sinclair - 30,373
*(incumbent)E. H. Farrow - 26,157
*Nora Pownall - 24,078
*(incumbent)John Allen - 21,528
*Marcel Cox - 19,551
*Dorothy Price - 16,639
*Andrew Macdonald - 14,170
*Don Nelson - 6,776

North York

Mayor

*(incumbent)Mel Lastman - 52,567
*Edward Wells - 19,831
*Malcolm Cairnduff - 2,875
(1057 out of 1216 polls)

Board of Control

(4 elected)
*(incumbent) Barbara Greene - 46,355
* William Sutherland - 36,752
*(incumbent)Alex McGivern - 30,752
*Joseph Markin - 27,974
*Jack Bedder - 18,814
*Wagman - 16,977
*Holmes - 16,383
*Petersen - 12,205
*Bernadette Michael - 11,962
*Medhurst - 8,276
*Telfer - 4,231
(1057 out of 1216 polls)

Ward Alderman

Esther Shiner and Robert Yuill were re-elected aldermen for Wards 2 and 4 respectively.

*Peter Caruso served on the North York Board of Education from 1974 to 1978, and again from 1980 to 1982. He was a business evaluator in private life, and owned Equity Reality Ltd. in the 1980s. He was first elected in 1974, defeating William Higgins to become the Separate School Representative for Area One. Re-elected in 1976, he lost his seat to Leonardo Cianfarani in 1978. He was re-elected for Area Two in 1980. In 1982, Toronto Separate School trustee Antonio Signoroni accused fellow trustee Joseph Marrese of being involved in a conflict-of-interest situation with Caruso. Marrese and Caruso were cousins and shared a business office, and Marrese had previously voted for contracts that went to Caruso's firm. Both Marrese and Caruso acknowledged the contracts, but denied any wrongdoing. Marrese argued that he had never shown preference to Caruso and questioned Signoroni's motives in raising the matter, noting that another of his relatives was challenging Signoroni in the 1982 campaign. Marrese was re-elected, but Caruso lost his seat on the North York board to Maria Augimeri.
*William Higgins served on the North York Board of Education from 1972 to 1974, as one of the board's first two Separate School Representatives following reforms by the provincial government of Bill Davis. Higgins was 23 years old at the time of his election, and was a high school history teacher in private life. He was also a representative on the Ontario English Teachers' Catholic Association. He defeated Donald Clune to win election in 1972, and was defeated by Peter Caruso in 1974. He later sought election 1976, but finished fourth against Jim Travers in Area Two. In 2000, a retired person named Bill Higgins campaigned unsuccessfully for the Toronto Catholic District School Board's fifth ward. It is assumed that this is the same person.

Electors could vote for two candidates.

The percentages are determined in relation to the total number of votes.

There may be a transcription error in the result for Carl Anderson (the last two numbers were partly obscured).

*Dunn and McConvey ran as a team, and described themselves as "sound administration" candidates. A newspaper advertisement from 1974 lists their accomplishments on the Hydro Commission, and indicated that they did not incur any debt.
*John Rankin Dunn was a professional engineer, and an employee of Lake Engineering Ltd."Claims 2 in Hydro race have interest conflict", ''Globe and Mail'', 24 November 1972, p. 6. He was first elected to the Hydro Commission in 1966, and served until shortly after the 1976 election when, at age sixty, he was appointed to the Ontario Energy Board."Principal, 45, gets Hydro seat in North York", ''Globe and Mail'', 18 January 1977, p. 4. Dunn died on June 2, 2000.
*D'arcy McConvey was a professional engineer, and was the founder and president of the Dalex Corporation. He was first elected to the Hydro Commission in 1969, and served until his defeat at the polls in 1978 at age sixty. Initially an ally of John Rankin Dunn, McConvey campaigned in an alliance with Carl Anderson following Dunn's retirement. He sought re-election in 1980, but was unsuccessful.
*D. Carl Anderson was a school principal in private life.Alden Baker, "Commissioners challenged in three Metro boroughs", ''Globe and Mail'', 31 October 1978, P3. He was made a fellow of the Ontario Teachers' Federation in 1976, and an Honorary Life Member of the Ontario Public School Teachers' Federation in 1987. He first sought election to the North York Hydro Commission in 1974, and finished third. He placed third again in 1976, but was appointed by council to the commission following the election when incumbent commissioner John Dunn resigned to take a position on the Ontario Energy Board. Anderson was re-elected in 1978, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991 and 1994. He became chairman of the commission in or around 1980, and held the position on-and-off until the 1997, when North York was amalgamated into Toronto and the local hydro commission ceased to exist. He also served as chairman of Ontario's Municipal Electrical Association during the 1980s, and sat on the Board of Directors of the American Public Power Association. He warned of a possible energy shortage in 1989, and recommended the immediate construction of new facilities. In 1994, he helped introduce hydro bill gift certificates for North York residents. Anderson was appointed to the board of Ontario Hydro in June 1995, and to the board of directors of Ontario's newly created Independent Electricity Market Operator in February 1999. He was listed as fifty-seven years old in a 1988 newspaper article.
*Leon Donsky campaigned for the North York Hydro Board in 1964, 1966, 1969, 1972 and 1974, losing each time. A 1964 newspaper article identifies him as a thirty-four-year-old electrical technology graduate from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
*Alex Davis (also called Alec Davis) campaigned for the North York Hydro Board in 1974 and 1976, and ran for the North York Board of education in 1978. A newspaper article from the latter campaign lists him as a forty-nine-year-old telecommunications manager. He supported completion of the Spadina Expressway. He led a sub-committee to draft a smoking control by-law in 1984.
*Bernard Birman ran for the North York Hydro Board in 1972 and 1974, losing both times.
*Peter Slattery was a first-time candidate.
*William (Bill) Lynch campaigned for the North York City Council in 1969, and for the Hydro Council in 1974, 1980 and 1982. He was a member of the Liberal Party, although he campaigned as an independent. A newspaper article from his first campaign lists him as a thirty-eight-year-old car salesman.
*John (Jack) V. Newton was elected as a North York School Trustee in 1962, and was re-elected in 1964 and 1966 before losing to Margaret Grant in 1969. He supported religious teaching in the public system. He campaigned for the North York City Council in 1972 and the Hydro Commission in 1974, and lost both times. A report from the 1972 election lists him as a metallurgical engineer and sales co-ordinator for the metal industry, and a member of the Progressive Conservative Party."The candidates", 2 December 1972, 24. He tried to return to the Board of Education in 1976, and was again defeated.

Results taken from the ''Toronto Star'', 3 December 1974.

The final official results were not significantly different.

Scarborough

In Scarborough, Paul Cosgrove was re-elected as Mayor of Scarborough.

Mayor

:(incumbent)Paul Cosgrove, 51,120
:John McMahon, 6,432

Board of Control (4 elected)

:(incumbent) Gus Harris, 37,931
:(incumbent) Ken Morrish, 37,277
:(incumbent)Brian Harrison, 32,643
: Joyce Trimmer, 28,659
:Anne Johnston, 20,831
:(incumbent)Karl Mallette, 20,430

Council

;Ward 1
:Bill Belfontaine, 3,983
:Wally Malesky, 983

;Ward 2
:Carol Ruddell, 2,671
:Jon Halun, 1,183
:Gordon McMillen, 681

;Ward 3
:Norm Kelly, 2,503
:Herb Crosby, 1,770
:Jim Cottrell, 978
:Kevin Smith, 151

;Ward 4
:Jack Goodland, 3,483
:Ted Littleford, 1,431

;Ward 5
:Frank Faubert, 3,458
:Spurge Near, 1,963

;Ward 6
:Fred Bland, 2,335
:Ross Daswell, 1,437
:Michael McPherson, 630
:Richard Wells, 413

;Ward 7
: Ed Fulton (acclaimed)

;Ward 8
:Shirley Eidt (acclaimed)

;Ward 9
:Doug Colling, 4,972
:Mary Zissoff, 1,139

;Ward 10
:Ron Watson, 2,915
:Clare Mabiev, 2,226

;Ward 11
:John Wimbs, 1,324
:Gary Jackson, 1,263
:Bob Watson, 889

;Ward 12
:Joe Dekort, 779
:Ben Loughlin, 391
:Larry Calcutt, 363
:Gordon Clarke, 328
:Jim Bryers, 269
:Bill Waters, 229
:Sean Regan, 175

York

Mayor

*(incumbent) Philip White - 13,590
*Fergy Brown - 11,791

Board of Control

(2 elected)
*(incumbent)Douglas Saunders - 17,207
*(incumbent)James Trimbee - 14,987
*Rose Gallic - 4,981

(Source: ''Globe and Mail'', pg 10, December 3, 1974)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toronto Municipal Election, 1974
1974 elections in Canada
1974
1974 in Toronto