Gérald Tremblay’s Union Montreal maintained control of Outremont in yesterday’s by-election, despite last fall’s booze-and-financial- irregularities scandal that forced the resignation of the borough’s mayor, Stéphane Harbour. Marie Cinq-Mars, the interim mayor appointed after Harbour’s departure, will get to keep her position until at least 2009, when the next city-wide elections are scheduled to occur.
The real story here is not that Union Montreal won but that Projet Montréal, the grassroots party with a strong focus on sustainable planning, public transport and the environment, finished a strong second. In the race for borough mayor, Union Montreal’s Cinq-Mars won with 47.07% of the vote, followed by Projet Montréal’s Jean-Claude Marsan (an architect and urban planner) with 37.46%. Vision Montreal’s candidate, Christine Hernandez, trailed with just 14.96% of the vote. The voter turnout was just 28.77%, unsurprising considering yesterday’s weather.
Even though I live near the corner of Park and Bernard, just a block from Outremont, I have to admit that I didn’t follow the election campaign in the least. Beyond the obvious, the most pressing issue in the campaign was the fate of the Outremont railyards, which are slated to become a new Université de Montréal campus in the near future. Outremont Autrement, Annie Chélin’s fiesty local-issues blog, is one of the best resources for anyone who wants to look at Outremont in detail.
As for why Union Montreal managed to win in Outremont, despite its reputation being severely tarnished by the recent scandal, Projet Montréal insider Craig Sauvé has some interesting (though undeniably partisan) observations:
After having cast shame on Outremont borough city hall with a mismanagement of funds scandal, the Union Montréal party managed to hold onto power, being a very competitive Projet Montréal campaign. How on Earth, why on earth?
Well, you gotta admire the strategy (albeit sneaky) of Union Montréal: they would 1) set the election date at a time that would discourage high participation , in this case, December 16th; right in the middle of the pre-christmas rush; 2) they would set-up transport to the polls at the old-folks residences, including visits by the candidates minutes before the buses leave and 3) galvanize their pre-existing relationship with the large Hasidic community. In other words, they stacked the deck, starting off with a significant lead.
The third point is something worth reflecting on a little more. The Hasidic community of Outremont, which represents approximately 15% of the borough population, is a powerful political force. Despite the numerous factions that exist within the community, they are capable of voting in a massive bloc. Their political machine outclasses anything I have ever seen from any other political party or interest group. These people always go vote; they understand very well that, in order for them to ensure their survival and put their interests forward, they must form political quid pro quo affiliations.
In a city with such little voter interest in municipal politics, it’s good to see that at least some people are paying attention.
2 comments
I agree about the remark re Projet Montreal. Its progress is very significant and should provide food for thought to Tremblay regarding what kind of city people really want.
I am surprised that the media do not seemed to have noticed this trend. The only analysis of the elections I read, in the Devoir, could have been written by a computer well before the event, with a few blanks to fill in on the day.
The civic spirit of the Hassidic community is to be praised, a contrast to the indifference of the majority
This isn’t a big surprise! Municipal politics hardly register with the general-at-large population… unless they are directly concerned (parking, snow removal, building permits, etc.) Also Tremblay’s party enjoys a suficiants funds and popular recognition for questionable achievements. Jean-Claude Marsan coming in second isn’t a surprise either.
Being a well-known architect and urbanist, Marsan holds tremendous political clout outside the walls of UdM’s Faculté d’aménagement as one of the founding members of Heritage Montréal. His influence is far reaching for a lot of people interested in heritage conservation and the conservation of Montréal, as is. And this is one of main reasons why he put himself forward for the position of borough mayor.
Marsan is strongly opposed to the UdM’s Outremont expansion project, which as taken over the entire university community.
Being borough mayor would have gave him more influence than a simple professor. The UdM’s Outremont expansion is extremely controversial, and yet it is passing under the radar of major urban redevelopments – like the Griffintown project or the Quartier des Spectacles. Outside the latter projects, this one will have the biggest long term impact on Montréal. At least, Marsan had the willingness to bring the issue the front line. While, the Tremblay team seems to be ready to submit to any proposals…