Municipal elections on Castellorizo, 1928-37

[Administrator]

In 1928, the Italian authorities permitted the first free municipal elections on Castellorizo and the other Dodecanese islands. Prior to this occurring, Castellorizo's municipal council had been appointed (rather than elected) by the Italian Governor of the Dodecanese islands based in Rhodes and, before Italian occupation, by the French naval authorities (in the period 1915-1921). This had conflicted with an Ottoman policy of allowing locally-elected councils (demogeronties) substantial autonomy in municipal affairs.

The 1928 ballot, which was held on 12 February, led to the election of the following:

• Ioannis Lakerdis (mayor)
  
• Agapitos Xanthis (first deputy mayor)
  
• Mihail Spartalis (second deputy mayor)
  
• Konstandinos Konstandinou
  
• Kyriakos Mandalis
  
• Tsikos Galettis
  
• Paraskevas Kalaitzoglou
  
• Nikolas Tsopanis
  
• Mihail Savvas
  
• Pantazis Pantazides
  
• Yeorgios Zervos
  
• Dimitrios Antonas
  

Lakerdis' election was a significant endorsement of his standing in the local community and vindicated the earlier decision of the Italian authorities to appoint him to the mayoral position upon their arrival in March 1921.

Municipal elections were held again in 1930 and 1932. Lakerdis was again returned, but on each occasion with a declining majority of his faction represented on the council. The 1932 results were as follows:

• Ioannis Lakerdis (mayor)
  
• Yeorgios Paltoglou (deputy mayor)
  
• Anastasios Economou
  
• Ioannis Papapetrou
  
• Paraskevas Kakas
  
• Vasilios Fitos
  
• Kyriakos Antonas
  
• Evangelos Zervos
  
• Yeorgios Loukas
  
• Kyriakos Kiosoglou
  
• Kyriakos Mandalis
  

The period 1933-34 was characterised by broad-based discontent on the island, much of it aimed at Lakerdis, and most of which stemmed from the lifting of import duties (from a concessional 6% to 13%) and the transfer to Turkey of some of the smaller islets long used by the local population in various industries. This led to the so-called Mouzahres uprising, about which more will be written in a separate thread, and the removal of Lakerdis from power in April 1934.

In the first municipal elections that followed Lakerdis' ousting, the following were returned:

• Savvas Michalakis (mayor)
  
• Stavros Stamatoglou (deputy mayor)
  
• Panagiotis Fermanis
  
• Paraskevas Kakas
  
• Kostas Loukas
  
• Yeorgios Pispinis
  
• Nikolas Yeronikolas
  
• Kyriakos Voyiatzis
  
• Vassilis Hatziyiannakis
  
• Stavros Hatzidiamandas
  
• Stavros Voyiatzis
  

However, free municipal elections were not to last. On 8 March 1937, the Italian authorities, as part of a general tightening of their power, dissolved all municipal councils in the Dodecanese and replaced them with commissioners (podesta) appointed by the Governor. On Castellorizo, Lakerdis' former deputy mayor, Yeorgios Paltoglou, was appointed to the position and he was to remain podesta until the Italian surrender in September 1943.

Nicholas

[Levis]

It is interesting about the mayors of Kastellorizo.
My Great Grandfather, Evangelos Mavros was said to have been at one time the mayor of Kastellorizo. Does anyone know when it was or anything about him?

Cheers
Levis

[Administrator]

My understanding is that Evangelos Y Mavros was mayor (and, earlier, deputy mayor) in the period after the Second World War. I have a document signed by him as deputy mayor in February 1949. If I can locate further information, I will post it here.

Nicholas

[Levis]

Nicholas, thank you for that information.
Is there any chance of me getting a copy of that document you were talking about that Evangelos Mavros signed?
If you can, that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for the help,
Levis

[spartalis]

So exciting to read this document as my great-grandfather's brother was Michael Spartalis, the candidate for second deputy mayor of Castellorizo. I've been working on a family history book and we know that he was actually poisoned at the time by the opposition. His mother's letter breaking the news to relatives overseas document his death in 1929.
Does anyone have any more records of the Spartalis family in Castellorizo?
Thank you so much.

[Administrator]

The circumstances surrounding the sudden death of Mihail Stav. Spartalis on Castellorizo have long been shrouded in considerable mystery. For an analysis of some of these events, see the article on the Mouzahres uprising on the History Board of www.castellorizohistory.com.

It should be made clear here that, while there were undoubtedly many serious allegations made at the time regarding the cause of Spartalis' untimely death, and, in particular, about the role that mayor Ioannis Lakerdis played in it, none of these allegations were ever proven to be true.

Nevertheless, Lakerdis' unclear role in the entire affair did serve to contribute to his own downfall some years later when he was ousted from office in controversial circumstances.

Nicholas

[spartalis]

Nicholas,
Thank you so very much for the information. The article on the Mouzahres uprising is just fantastic! It was neat to read that Mihalis Spartalis was exalted a martyr for Hellenism.