Don Massey
Encyclopedia
Don Massey is a former municipal and provincial level politician from Alberta
, Canada
. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
from 1993 until 2004. In that period he also served as Leader of the Official Opposition and Leader of the Alberta Liberal Party
in 2004. From 1977 until 1989 he was a Public School Trustee in Edmonton
.
. He ran for the office of Public School Trustee finishing an eighth place with 23,471 votes. He was just 100 votes short from earning the seventh place seat that went to Mel Binder. He ran again for School Trustee in the 1977 Edmonton municipal election
, this time there were two seats added. Massey won the fifth place seat with 33,444 votes.
Massey would run as an incumbent in the 1980 Edmonton municipal election
. He would see a significant drop in his popular vote, but would finish fourth place out of the top nine with 19,060 votes. Massey would significantly increase his popular vote winning 50,007 votes and second place out of nine in the 1983 Edmonton municipal election
. He won his fifth and final term in the 1986 Edmonton municipal election
. Once again he took second place and won with 29,323. He did not run again in 1989.
. He won the electoral district of Edmonton Mill Woods
picking it up for the Liberals
. He defeated five other candidates with a comfortable plurality to win his first term in office. He was re-elected to his second term in the 1997 Alberta general election
. He was reelected with a reduced but comfortable margin of victory and popular vote share defeating four other candidates.
Massey stood for a third term in the 2001 Alberta general election
defeating Progressive Conservative candidate Carl Benito
in a hotly contested election. He would become the interim Liberal
leader and Official Opposition Leader after Ken Nicol
resigned to run for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons
in 2004.
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
from 1993 until 2004. In that period he also served as Leader of the Official Opposition and Leader of the Alberta Liberal Party
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
in 2004. From 1977 until 1989 he was a Public School Trustee in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
.
Municipal politics
Massey first ran for public office in the 1974 Edmonton municipal electionEdmonton municipal election, 1974
The 1974 municipal election was held October 16, 1974 to elect a mayor and twelve aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and seven trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards.-Voter turnout:...
. He ran for the office of Public School Trustee finishing an eighth place with 23,471 votes. He was just 100 votes short from earning the seventh place seat that went to Mel Binder. He ran again for School Trustee in the 1977 Edmonton municipal election
Edmonton municipal election, 1977
The 1977 municipal election was held October 19, 1977 to elect a mayor and twelve aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council, nine trustees to sit on the public school board, and seven trustees to sit on the separate school board....
, this time there were two seats added. Massey won the fifth place seat with 33,444 votes.
Massey would run as an incumbent in the 1980 Edmonton municipal election
Edmonton municipal election, 1980
The 1980 municipal election was held October 15, 1980 to elect a mayor and twelve aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council, nine trustees to sit on the public school board, and seven trustees to sit on the separate school board....
. He would see a significant drop in his popular vote, but would finish fourth place out of the top nine with 19,060 votes. Massey would significantly increase his popular vote winning 50,007 votes and second place out of nine in the 1983 Edmonton municipal election
Edmonton municipal election, 1983
The 1983 municipal election was held October 17, 1983 to elect a mayor and twelve aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council in Alberta, Canada, nine trustees to sit on the public school board, and seven trustees to sit on the separate school board.-Voter turnout:...
. He won his fifth and final term in the 1986 Edmonton municipal election
Edmonton municipal election, 1986
The 1986 municipal election was held October 20, 1986 to elect a mayor and twelve aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council, nine trustees to sit on the public school board, and seven trustees to sit on the separate school board....
. Once again he took second place and won with 29,323. He did not run again in 1989.
Provincial politics
After serving for eleven years as a Public School Trustee, Massey decided to run for provincial office in the 1993 Alberta general electionAlberta general election, 1993
The Alberta general election of 1993 was the twenty-third general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 15, 1993 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta...
. He won the electoral district of Edmonton Mill Woods
Edmonton Mill Woods
Edmonton-Mill Woods is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. It is one of 83 current electoral districts mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting....
picking it up for the Liberals
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
. He defeated five other candidates with a comfortable plurality to win his first term in office. He was re-elected to his second term in the 1997 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1997
The Alberta general election of 1997 was the twenty-fourth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 11, 1997 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. He was reelected with a reduced but comfortable margin of victory and popular vote share defeating four other candidates.
Massey stood for a third term in the 2001 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 2001
The Alberta general election of 2001 was the twenty-fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 12, 2001 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
defeating Progressive Conservative candidate Carl Benito
Carl Benito
Carlito Benito is a Canadian politician and current Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Edmonton-Mill Woods as a member of the Progressive Conservatives.-Early life:...
in a hotly contested election. He would become the interim Liberal
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
leader and Official Opposition Leader after Ken Nicol
Ken Nicol (politician)
Ken Nicol is a Canadian politician and academic.He served as the MLA for Lethbridge East from 1993 to 2004. During his final three years, he was the leader of the Alberta Liberal Party, and leader of the official opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta...
resigned to run for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in 2004.