Elections
28:6 SEVEN CANDIDATES FOR COUNCIL
THREE AT LARGE -- ONE FOR EACH OF FOUR WARDS -- DUTIES OF COUNCIL MEMBERS; SALARY, $600 PER YEAR.
NEWSPAPER CLIPPING -- 1932
(Library File)
November 5, 1929, a charter amendment was adopted in the city of Lakewood. This amendment increased the number of the council members from five to seven, one of whom shall be a resident of and elected from each of the four wards of the city and three to be elected at large. Each councilman receives a salary of $600 per year.
All members of the council shall serve for a term of four years or until their successors are elected and qualified, excepting that at the first regular municipal election after the adoption of the amendment, which is the election this year, the three members of the council to be elected for a term of two years.
Candidates for the council are nominated by petition and the names are printed on the official ballot. At the bottom of each list of candidates for office, there shall be provided on each ballot, blank spaces in which the electors may write the name or names of person or persons for such office. The counting of votes shall be done in accordance with the provisions of the election laws of Ohio.
The provision of the old charter which permitted a first, second and other choice of candidates, has been abolished. Under the new plan only one vote for each candidate is permitted.
The legislative powers of the city are vested in the council. The council chooses its own employees provided that the director of finance shall be the clerk. He keeps the records of the council and performs such other duties as may be required by ordinance or resolution.
28:7 NEWSPAPER -- 1932
(Library File)
At the election November 4, 1930, there appeared on the Lakewood ballot a special question, reading as follows: "SHALL THE VOTING MACHINE BE ADOPTED IN LAKEWOOD?" The proposal was approved by majority of the electors voting on the question.
No provision was made for furnishing money to pay for the voting machines. Since that time the law has been amended and a commission appointed by the Secretary of State has approved voting machines manufactured by The Automatic Voting Machine Company as suitable machines for the purpose.
On November 5, 1929, the electors of the city of Lakewood adopted an amendment to the city charter which provided a complete procedure for the nomination and election of municipal officials. The charter does not make any provision for voting machines. Law Director Robert G. Curren was requested to submit an opinion to the Lakewood council as to whether the voting machines could be used for experimental purposes at the election November 3. Law Director Curren has submitted his report to the council which is to the effect that the Lakewood City charter makes no provisions for the use of voting machines and that the state law would have no application to Lakewood as a municipal election and that in order to authorize the use of voting machines at such election it would be necessary to amend the city charter.
In the discussion on the subject it appears that the voting machines cost slightly more than $1,100 each and that there are ninety-nine precincts in the city of Lakewood which would mean a very substantial sum to be provided by bond issues which must first be authorized by the voters of the city.
It also developed that there is no municipality in Ohio up to this time using the voting machines and that the machines approved by the State Commission must contain equipment for the names of candidates constituting the tickets of at least seven political parties and individual groups and such number of questions not exceeding fifteen as the Secretary of State shall specify.
28:8 GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS (Council)
LAKEWOOD COURIER -- November 9, 1933
Lakewood's grand old man, James Gormsen, was returned to his seat in the council chamber by an overwhelming majority. Hugh K. Dawson and Adam H. Lintz were the other councilmanic candidates elected.
The final results in the council race was as follows (three to elected):
Gormsen.............7,682
Dawson.............5,341
Lintz..................4,886
O'Malley.............4,639
Warren..............4,357
McQuate............4,328
Clifford...............4,263
Ettinger..............4,110
Davis.................3,807
Pankuch.............3,490
Kean..................2,064
Attack................1,850
Rousch...............1,211
28:9 GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS (Repeal; Bond Issues; etc.)
LAKEWOOD COURIER -- November 9, 1933
Lakewood long regarded as a dry stronghold, joined the wet column this year with a large majority for repeal. For federal repeal the vote was 15,591, and 4,119 against. For state repeal the vote was 14,243 for and 4,428 against. The state of Ohio went decidedly wet, and the Eighteenth Amendment to the federal constitution is now repealed.
One of the biggest issues of the campaign, the $1,500,000 water works bonds went crashing down to defeat, by a vote of 11,887 against, to 5,442 in favor of the bond issue. This issue was staunchly supported by the Chamber of Commerce, who declared the project would be entirely self-liquidating.
A surprise of the final returns was the stand Lakewood took regarding the proposed home rule amendment (borough plan). This proposal carried Lakewood 9,995 to 6,626. The new county form of government will go into effect in Ohio, as the voters of the state ratified the amendment, 785,367 to 691,796.
While the amendment that reduces the tax limit for real estate from 15 to 10 mills was defeated in Lakewood by a small margin, the proposal was approved by the state. The vote in Lakewood was; for the amendment, 8,165, against 8,377.
The old pension amendment, kicked from pillar to post in the state legislature for years, is now a law by popular approval. Lakewood voters, too, approved of the measure, 12,963 to 5,561. In the state the vote was 1,298,939 to 496,217.
The two and a half mill poor relief bond issue won both in Lakewood and in the county, but the tax levy on roads failed to carry either locally or in the county.
28:10 GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS (Mayor)
LAKEWOOD COURIER-- November 9, 1933 Pg. 2
The most bitter political campaign that Lakewood has seen in years, ended when the voters went to the polls Tuesday, and expressed their confidence in Mayor Amos I. Kauffman, by reelecting him by a large majority over Ford S. Myers, Democrat, Harry A. Barr, independent, and five other candidates.
Mr. Kauffman carried each of Lakewood's four wards, piling up more than a third of the total vote, estimated at 21,000. The following is the final results of the 91 precincts, in the mayoralty contest: Kauffman 7,147; Myers 5,593; Barr 1,991; Hinchcliffe 1,360; Townes, 1,357; Fahrenbach 1,292; Snead 1,010; and Cook 903.
Mayor Kauffman issued the following statement to a reporter of the Courier: "The results are more than gratifying. I want to thank the people for the confidence they have expressed in me, and I hope I shall continue to so conduct myself in office, to command at all times their respect.
"Our municipal financial problem during these times is tremendous. I shall bend my every effort to maintain the high credit the city of Lakewood has always enjoyed in the past."
28:11 GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS (Board of Education)
LAKEWOOD COURIER -- November 9, 1933
Both of the incumbents, A.F. Allen and Mrs. Mina Nase, were defeated for the Board of Education. The newly elected members were: Morris H. Phillips, present council president, and T.F. McDonald, prominent attorney. The following vote for school board members (two to be elected) was:
Phillips..................8,915
McDonald..................6,062
Allen.....................5,745
Fisher....................5,140
Maitland..................3,451
Bender....................1,966
28:12 GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS (Judicial)
LAKEWOOD COURIER -- November 9, 1933
Judge Walther was re-elected municipal judge for the full term, having no opposition.
Henry J. Williams was elected to fill the unexpired term of the late Judge Schoen. Ira D. Lucal, appointed to fill the vacancy by Gov. White stood but third when the final vote was counted. The final results for judges was as follows:
Williams................6,281
Feighan.................5,904
Lucal...................5,564
Chapman.................1,538
Walther................12,784
28:13 GOVERNMENT ELECTION
CLEVELAND NEWS (March 18, 1940)
(50 Years Ago)
Election authorities were considerably excited when they learned that 30 residents of Alger Street in West Cleveland had been voting Cleveland elections for many years in the belief that they lived in the city. It was decided that nothing could be done about past elections but the suburbanites were warned not to vote in Cleveland thereafter . . . In 1890 there was but one highway to Rocky River, Detroit Street. In that year the county commissioners authorized the hamlet of Lakewood to open Lake Avenue and Madison Avenue to the river at the expense of property owners...