Ray M. Gibbon ( – October 16, 1999), "Ald. Ray Gibbon, a 66-year-old life insurance agent"... is a former

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of St. Albert, Alberta, having served in this capacity from 1968 to 1974, and briefly again in 1989. By profession, Gibbon was a contract life insurance agent. He also served in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Gibbon ran for St. Albert Town Council in 1964, and was defeated. However, he challenged the result in court, alleging that the polling stations were not able to properly conduct their function and that many voters were improperly turned away. In response, the

Alberta Court of Queen's Bench The Court of King's Bench of Alberta (abbreviated in citations as ABKB or Alta. K.B.) is the superior court of the Canadian province of Alberta. Until 2022, it was named Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta. The Court of Queen's Bench in Calgary wa ...

ordered new elections to be held. These took place in 1965, and Gibbon was elected to Council. Three years later, Gibbon was elected to mayor, an office he occupied until being defeated in 1974 by

Richard Plain Richard Plain (born 1939 or 1940) is a Canadian politician. Plain is the former mayor of St. Albert, Alberta, having served from 1974 to 1977 and again from 2001 to 2004. In February 2007, he announced that he would seek a third term as mayor in ...

, who accused Gibbon of fostering an environment of unconstrained municipal growth. In 1969 Gibbon joined the executive of the

Alberta Urban Municipalities Association Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territ ...

, serving as vice president from 1973 to 1974. Following his defeat, he served on the board of directors of the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce for ten years, and served as its president in 1983. In 1977, he announced his intention to challenge incumbent MLA

Ernie Jamison William Ernest "Ernie" Jamison (February 27, 1924 – April 11, 2003) was a publisher and member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Jamison grew up in Edmonton. Early in his career, he worked as an ad setter for the Edmonton Bulletin. He ...

for the provincial Progressive Conservative nomination in the 1979 general election, but was unsuccessful. This was his second time challenging Jamison for the nomination; he had also been defeated in 1971. In 1984, Gibbon made a return to municipal office by being elected alderman. Re-elected in 1986, he served as interim mayor for seven months in 1989, following the resignation of Dick Fowler to run in the 1989 provincial election. However, Gibbon elected not to run for mayor in the 1989 municipal election, and was instead elected to another term as alderman. He did not run for re-election in 1992. Ray Gibbon Drive, a road proposed during the St. Albert West Regional Road Debate, was named in his honour. Eventually the road was constructed, but not with the original alignment. Ray Gibbon died October 16, 1999, of a cancerous brain tumor.

Sources

http://www.stalbert.ca/admin/docx/launch.cfm?ItemId=6567 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibbon, Ray 1999 deaths Mayors of St. Albert, Alberta Year of birth uncertain 20th-century Canadian politicians