There were six aldermanic positions on the council at the time, but three of them were already filled:  Cornelius Gallagher, Edmund Grierson, and Phillip Heiminck had been elected for two-year terms in 1901, and were still in office.
At the moment, there were six positions available on the council, but three of them were already held by Cornelius Gallagher, Edmund Grierson, and Phillip Heiminck, who had been re-elected for two-year terms in 1901 and still served.