As candidates start to prepare for the Oct. 20 municipal election, the New Westminster Historical Society is taking a look at elections past.
Dale Miller, who has carried out extensive research into early civic governments, especially New Westminster, will be sharing stories of elections past at the New Westminster Historical Society evening on Wednesday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Century House, 620 Eighth St. The program is free and everyone is welcome to attend.
“Do you vote in municipal elections? Do you sometimes think that it doesn’t matter what you do, nothing will ever change, that elections always have been and always will be the same? Well think again,” said a press release about the event. “If you could travel back to New Westminster on Aug. 7, 1860 you might not even recognize that you were watching the first municipal election in the colony of British Columbia, that’s how different it was.”
Back then, the seven councillors elected, representing four wards, could pass bylaws for only five reasons and could only use tax money for four specific purposes. While they were only obligated to meet four times a year in the early days, council met several times a week – in the private residence of the city clerk
According to the historical society, in the first year of city government, three of the seven councillors objected to some of the things the other four were doing, so they refused to attend council meetings for almost three months, making it impossible for any city business to be done.
