1935 Auckland City mayoral election

The 1935 Auckland City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1935, elections were held for the Mayor of Auckland plus other local government positions including twenty-one city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

1935 Auckland City mayoral election
8 May 1935
Turnout37,238 (60.36%)
 
Candidate Ernest Davis Joe Sayegh
Party Citizens Committee Labour
Popular vote 14,267 13,904
Percentage 38.31 37.33
Mayor before election

George Hutchison

 Elected Mayor

Ernest Davis

Background

The campaign featured a selection controversy when the Labour Party selected local businessman Joe Sayegh over prominent lawyer and MP Rex Mason with the blessing of Auckland Labour Representation Committee executive Fred Young. Sayegh was viewed a respectable individual and competent city councillor, but most gave him little chance of beating Citizens Committee candidate Ernest Davis. As Young had been employed by Davis for many years, John A. Lee and several Labour MPs alleged that Young had been bribed by Davis to ensure the selection of a weak Labour candidate for the Mayoralty which caused a rift in the Auckland Labour Party.[1] Sayegh's campaign was not helped due to continued interference by Lee who tried to discredit Sayegh, slandering him as a "dumb wop fellow who could not even speak English".[2] Regardless, Sayegh polled extremely well in the election, exceeding predictions and lost to Davis by only 363 votes.[3]

Councillor Ted Phelan had earlier declined to seek the Labour nomination for mayor, citing a conflict of interest, as he was also running the Hotel Auckland (which was owned by Davis), who had already declared his candidacy. Despite Sayegh's nomination, the returning officer received a nomination for Mason, whose consent was telegraphed from Wellington, though he later sent a second telegraph to withdraw. Ellen Melville also announced her intention to stand for mayor, but ultimately decided not to stand "in view of the confusion of issues." She successfully sought re-election to the council.[4]

The main talking point following the election was that the Labour Party had won a majority on the city council winning 15 of the 21 seats. This was the first (and only) time Labour had ever done so. There was also a huge turnout in voters with a record 60.36% of electors casting their votes, much higher than usual, an increase of nearly 12% from the 1933 election.

Mayoralty results
1935 Auckland mayoral election[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Citizens Committee Ernest Davis 14,267 38.31
Labour Joe Sayegh 13,904 37.33
Independent Arthur Stallworthy 8,569 23.01
Informal votes 498 1.33 -0.85
Majority 363 0.97
Turnout 37,238 60.36 +11.58

Councillor results
1935 Auckland local election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joe Sayegh 18,090 59.82 +16.61
Labour Ted Phelan 17,603 58.21 +9.99
Labour John Albert Mason 16,462 54.44 +11.11
Labour Arthur Rosser 16,238 53.70 +14.73
Labour Bill Anderton 16,205 53.59 +12.79
Labour John William Yarnall 15,266 50.48 +11.08
Labour Charles Bailey 15,231 50.37 +10.02
Labour Ernest Frank Andrews 14,904 49.28 +8.89
Citizens Committee Leonard Coakley 14,449 47.78 +2.09
Labour Peter Carr 13,882 45.90
Citizens Committee Sir George Richardson 13,774 45.55
Independent Tom Bloodworth 13,406 44.33 +2.60
Labour Bernard Martin 13,346 44.13 +8.27
Labour John Stewart 13,199 43.65 +7.76
Labour John Thomas Jennings 13,153 43.49 +8.00
Citizens Committee James Donald 13,085 43.27 -0.16
Labour George Gordon Grant 13,015 43.04 +5.65
Citizens Committee Ellen Melville 12,809 42.36 +2.55
Labour Norman Douglas 12,740 42.13
Citizens Committee Harold Percy Burton 12,729 42.09 -3.03
Labour Frank Lark 12,721 42.06
Citizens Committee Alice Basten 12,584 41.61 ±0.00
Labour Jim Purtell 12,478 41.26 +4.34
Labour Paul Richardson 12,430 41.10
Labour Jack Lyon 12,401 41.01
Labour Charles Stephen Morris 12,074 39.92 +5.46
Citizens Committee Michael John Coyle 11,876 39.27 -2.63
Citizens Committee Sidney Takle 11,754 38.87 -0.94
Labour Hannah Harrison 11,746 38.84
Labour Harry Gordon Staley 11,699 38.68
Citizens Committee Matthew John Bennett 11,647 38.51 -2.79
Citizens Committee Christopher H. Furness 11,603 38.37
Citizens Committee George Grey Campbell 11,496 38.01 -9.26
Citizens Committee John Barr Patterson 11,300 37.37 -3.62
Citizens Committee John Walter Hollis 10,918 36.10
Citizens Committee Bryan Hislop Kingston 10,521 34.79
Citizens Committee Alan Monteith Doull 9,554 31.59
Citizens Committee George Cruickshank 9,482 31.35
Citizens Committee Augustus Charles Norden 9,316 30.80
Citizens Committee John W. Kealy 9,263 30.63
Citizens Committee David Henry 9,190 30.39
Independent Dawson Donaldson 9,017 29.82 -9.26
Citizens Committee Robert Gordon Slyfield 8,805 29.11 -3.43
Citizens Committee Herbert Tiarks 8,034 26.56
Citizens Committee George Frederick Lane 7,717 25.52
Independent John Lundon 6,375 21.08 -4.30
Independent Alfred Hall Skelton 6,235 20.61
Independent Isidor Meltzer 6,235 20.61
Independent Walter Harry Murray 5,987 19.79 -9.53
Independent William Henry Horton 5,742 18.98
Independent Arnold Ellis Ely 5,328 17.62
Communist Jim Edwards 4,133 13.66
Communist Alexander Drennan 2,535 8.38
Communist Henry Mornington Smith 2,429 8.03
Independent Maungatai Julia Babbington 2,307 7.62
Independent William James Crook 2,266 7.49
Independent Edward Thurlow Field 1,947 6.43
Independent James William Payne 1,742 5.76

Notes
  1. Gustafson 1986, p. 160-2.
  2. Gustafson 1986, p. 161.
  3. "Official Counts". The Auckland Star. No. 111. 13 May 1935. p. 8. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  4. "Civic Elections". The Auckland Star. Vol. LXVI, no. 96. 24 April 1935. p. 10. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  5. "Electoral". Vol. LXXII, no. 22108. The New Zealand Herald. 14 May 1935. p. 16. Retrieved 10 February 2018.

References
  • Gustafson, Barry (1986). From the Cradle to the Grave: a biography of Michael Joseph Savage. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00138-5.
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