1937 New York City Council election

none September 2023 1937 New York City Council election New York City legislative no 1935 New York City aldermanic election 1935 1939 New York City Council election 1939 All 26 seats to the New York City Council 14 November 2, 1937 Democratic Party (United States) 13 47.0% American Labor Party 5 21.0% Republican Party (United States) 3 8.5% c0c0c0 City Fusion 3 11.5% 3333ff Insurgent Democrats 2 8.0% Majority Leader Baruch Charney Vladeck American Labor Party Elections were held on November 2, 1937, to fill the New York City Council, which had just been formed to replace the New York City Board of Aldermen. The new Council comprised 26 members elected via proportional representation by borough, in contrast to the 65-member Board of Aldermen formerly elected by single-member district district. The change to PR had been done in response to the large seat majorities the Democrats had often been receiving in the Board of Aldermen. Formerly Democrats would fill almost the entire city council although thousands of voters voted for Republican and other candidates. The change to PR in borough districts was intended to free the candidates from control by party machines, produce both representation of the largest parties and less popular minority parties, and make fair the distribution of seats to each borough."PR in NYC 1936-1947", p. 12 https://fairvote.org/report/proportion_representation_in_new_york_city_1936_1947/ New York City's new STV election system used a uniform quota and biproportional apportionment. Each borough was entitled to one member of the council for each 75,000 votes cast, and an additional member for each remainder greater than 50,000.N.Y. City Council Results Slowed https://www.newspapers.com/image/136271459/ subscription May 5, 2019 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Associated Press November 3, 1937 Newspapers.com And each party that achieved quota in a borough would elect a seat. Due to voter turnout, in 1937 Brooklyn elected nine members of the council, Manhattan six, Queens and The Bronx five each, and Richmond one.P.R. in Operation https://www.newspapers.com/image/52989205/ subscription May 5, 2019 Brooklyn Daily Eagle 97 326 6 November 24, 1937 Newspapers.com Five parties and others elected one or more seats in more or less proportional amounts. Owing to the novelty and complexity of proportional representation, the announcement of the results of the election were expected to be significantly slowed down, and were not available until later in the month. thumb|left|175px|Political advertisement for Baruch Charney Vladeck's run for City Council, published in the New York Daily News, November 1, 1937 Manhattan elected three Democrats, one Republican, one member of the City Fusion party, and one member of the American Labor Party. Brooklyn elected nine councillors: five Democrats, two American Laborites, one City Fusionist and one Communist.Mccaffrey, George. “New York’s 1937 Election and Its Results.” National Municipal Review 27, no. 1 (January 1938) Baruch Charney Vladeck of Manhattan, an American Laborite and former Alderman, was elected Majority Leader of an anti-Tammany coalition that included Laborites, Republicans, Fusionists and insurgent Democrats. 5 March 2021 Vladeck, Baruch Charney https://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=52301 ourcampaigns.com Our Campaigns 29 January 2025 John Cashmore of Brooklyn, who had served seven terms in the Board of Aldermen, was elected the Vice Chairman and consequently leader of the majority after the anti-Tammany coalition fell apart in September.Morse Edward Election of Cashmore To Head Council Bloc Shows Kelly Strength https://www.newspapers.com/image/543807888/ subscription May 5, 2019 The Brooklyn Citizen 101 152 1 December 29, 1937 Newspapers.com The Board of Aldermen held its last meeting on December 21,The Board of Aldermen sang its Swan song https://www.newspapers.com/image/543806706/ subscription May 5, 2019 The Brooklyn Citizen December 22, 1937 Newspapers.com and the new City Council met for the first time on January 3, 1938.Donohue James Council Elects John Cashmore Vice-Chairman https://www.newspapers.com/image/543587188/ subscription May 5, 2019 The Brooklyn Citizen 102 1 1 January 3, 1938 Newspapers.com Proportional representation was abolished in 1947 as it allowed Communists to be elected to the council.Lee Dick PR Called Costly to City; Voters to Decide Its Fate https://www.newspapers.com/image/411502960/ subscription May 5, 2019 New York Daily News October 27, 1947 Newspapers.com The electoral reform nonprofit organization FairVote says, of the New York council election results during that period: "The City’s first black candidates were elected (including Adam Clayton Powell Jr.) [in 1945], seats were won in close proportion to votes, and far more small party candidates and independent Democrats were elected."http://archive.fairvote.org/rcv/brochures/NYC_Success_of_Choice_Voting.pdf Choice Voting in New York City Council Elections: 1937 - 1947 FairVote 1 March 2021 + New York City Council elections of 1937 Zeller Belle Bone Hugh A. The Repeal of P.R. in New York City—Ten Years in Retrospect American Political Science Review December 1948 42 6 1132, 1135 10.2307/1950618 1950618 147652948 1 March 2021 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/abs/repeal-of-pr-in-new-york-cityten-years-in-retrospect/DBF52A7878DD406E709DB0A9AB67DCFE# subscription Party Seats % seats % votes(last count) % votes(1st preferences) Democratic 13 50.0% 47.0% 31% Republican 3 11.5% 8.5% 9% Insurgent DemocratsThe "Roe faction in Queens", according to Zeller & Bone (1948). 2 8.0% 7.0% 5% American Labor 5 19.0% 21.0% 12% City Fusion 3 11.5% 10.5% 11% Communist – – – 4% Others 0 – – 28%Total 26 100.0% 94.0% 100.0% References External links Our Campaigns - New York City Council - Bronx At-Large Our Campaigns - New York City Council - Brooklyn At-Large Our Campaigns - New York City Council - Manhattan At-Large Our Campaigns - New York City Council - Queens At-Large Our Campaigns - New York City Council - Staten Island At-Large TimesMachine: November 3, 1937 - NYTimes.com -- Initial election results Notes Category:1937 United States local elections Category:New York City Council elections Category:1937 New York (state) elections Category:November 1937 in the United States