The election season officially kicked off today, so I figure we might as well start a thread. (I didn't see another thread already dedicated to this, but if there is one, mods please feel free to merge.)
Just to get everything started in the right mood, Harout Chitilian compared Rabble's own Ethan Cox to the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide for pointing out that the majority of Tremblay's old Team Mafia, er, Union Montréal, are now running under Denis Coderre's banner.
Since I apparently can't edit my first post, here's a more detailed Storify article about Chitilian's comments.
SPVM union asks candidates to present a "plan for improving public security"
I have a plan that the SPVM might take under advisement to make people feel safer.
1) Stop shooting unarmed 15-year-olds and random bystanders to death.
2) Stop arresting people en masse for protesting.
3) Stop accepting bribes from organized crime, renting your offices from organized crime, and generally acting as the enforcement arm of organized crime.
No takers, huh? Yes, let's get back to the imaginary epidemic of Montréal street crime.
Random bystanders, and also as in too many cities, people with mental health problems.
And obviously youth of colour have a strange magnetic attraction for stray bullets.
There was a funny today in La Presse, about mayoral candidate Côté riding around on a BIXI - and running red lights. Would les flics dare to ticket him for that? http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/montreal/388051/en-mode-apprentissage
Dupuis, a former head of the Quebec Federation of Labour's powerful construction arm, said he received a phone call from Eddy Brandone, a union official who has since been linked to well-known mafia figures."He called me in the middle of the night for a meeting at a restaurant," said Dupuis.
Dupuis said Brandone invited him to meet with two federal cabinet ministers: Alfonso Gagliano and Coderre.
According to Dupuis, the two men promised to consider the Quebec Federation of Labour's claims in a controversial bill to change the Employment Insurance program.
in the last week, I have run into at meetings, or shook hands with on sidewalk, etc.: Alex Norris, Luc Ferrandez, and Whatsit Bergeron of Projet Montréal,
http://projetmontreal.org/?lang=en
but also Marvin Rotrand Matthew Copeland and another sidekick of Coté list, but Coderre people pretty much invisible, even as party posters proliferate ...
.
[size=12]It's the déjà vu red book all over again. [/size]
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Coderre releases cultural platform
It calls to "increase the civic participation of various communities in the cultural life of Montreal by building on the ferment of cultural neighbourhoods", which I hope makes more sense in French and isn't a plan to turn Park-Ex into alcohol.
I hate Coderre, but I hope whoever is elected provides more funding to arts groups, and especially to their translators.... 
In light the scandals can someone tell me what has happened to Mayor Tremblay's party, Union Montreal?
Has it disbanded? How many of its incumbents are running again and under what banner? How any are backing Codere?
It disbanded but is trying to un-disband so it can have status at the Charbonneau inquiry (and access to its bank accounts). Around 60% of the former Union caucus are running on Team Coderre.
It has not disbanded, mostly because there is so much money accumulated in its safe. They wanted to use that money to fund the eventual lawsuits that will strike them after the Charbonneau commission, but the DGEQ told them that, since they don't present anyone under its banner, the party will be disbanded and the money sent to the public treasury.
Many incumbents are running, and they are mostly behind Coderre, which allows the other partys to cast him as Tremblay's successor (rightfully, IMHO). Marcel Côté is backed up by Harel's party and some ex-Union members, while Bergeron still has the same party.
I haven't seen any recent polling, but considering the massive block of votes coming from the West Island backing up anything painted red, I would wagger Coderre will be elected.
A lot of the West Island voted to demerge, though, and so is no longer eligible to vote in the Montréal mayoral election, else Tremblay and Union Mafia would've pulled a lot more than 37% last go-round.
Right. Since I'm not living in Montreal, I don't really bother about municipal elections that much (especially since I can't vote this time, due to my moving in October to a new city... whose mayor is practically running unopposed anyway). It just goes to show how a great democrat Charest is: your town lives under the rule of another city and you don't get to vote for its mayor...
I'm about three inches on the wrong side of the Montréal city line, so I wouldn't be able to vote either, though I do intend to volunteer for Projet. As I recall, the Charest government also pushed through that Tremblay-backed bill stripping Ville-Marie (and only Ville-Marie) of the right to elect its own borough mayor and awarding that post to whichever Montréal mayor hasn't been hauled out of his office in handcuffs yet.
Charpentier blames "administrative errors" for illegal fundraising
Charpentier was jettisoned late Friday from the Team Denis Coderre ticket.He had been seeking an Outremont council seat in the Montreal municipal election campaign.
The statement said Charpentier intends to gather “all the elements quickly to demonstrate his innocence.”
“Until then,” the two-paragraph statement added, “he will make no other comment.”
Charpentier blames "administrative errors" for illegal fundraising
Charpentier was jettisoned late Friday from the Team Denis Coderre ticket.He had been seeking an Outremont council seat in the Montreal municipal election campaign.
The statement said Charpentier intends to gather “all the elements quickly to demonstrate his innocence.”
“Until then,” the two-paragraph statement added, “he will make no other comment.”
helpful political graphic:
But a crappily designed one. Why not just have each segment separate instead of making people check the colour of each circle?
"I ran for mayor not knowing there was a salary associated with it," Tutino said.
Now why do I find that so hard to believe?
Montréal poll:
Coderre: 39%
Bergeron: 23%
Côté: 17%
Joly: 16%
Put a Liberal on the island and he'll win the mayorship. Very predictable.
very surprising, Cote looked way more ready for office in TV debate... CJAD radio poll ad him on top, and woolly headed Bergeron lats
How is Bergeron "woolly-headed"? He is certainly not charismatic, but by far the most knowledgable and structured about urbanism.
I don't like Bergeron very much - his lack of charisma could translate as a lack of empathy (of course Coderre is just faking it) and he is very rigourist - he seems very judgemental, and very conservative in his notion of "family". But I'll vote for him, hoping that Projet Montréal can find some new blood more in tune with people. PM has a wealth of good candidates.
After recording a meeting with Gilles Vaillancourt, he of the gangsterism charges, wherein he told her "There's already another system", Claire Lebel's staffer was run off the road and beaten by two men. She's now received police protection, for whatever that's worth.
How is Bergeron "woolly-headed"? He is certainly not charismatic, but by far the most knowledgable and structured about urbanism.
I don't like Bergeron very much - his lack of charisma could translate as a lack of empathy (of course Coderre is just faking it) and he is very rigourist - he seems very judgemental, and very conservative in his notion of "family". But I'll vote for him, hoping that Projet Montréal can find some new blood more in tune with people. PM has a wealth of good candidates.
If you read my post again, I was referring to his performance on the CFCF TV debate last Sunday, where he did indeed come off as holier than thou, and often impractical.
Bergeron said repeatedly on the infrastructure issue that "the problem was being dealt with"" and we should focus on big new projects to relaunch Montreal for the future. I know what he means and it is a detailed knowledege of the infrastructure issue that he was drawing on, but average viewers thought: Wha?!!??
What he meant was that until recently Montreal was spending very very little on infrastructure repair , but big spending has now been launched and construction is everywhere: water consumption is down by almost 20 per cent, in accordance with Quebec law, and water loss in the system is down by almost a quarter.
The major new road and bridge repairs are all planned and mostly budgeted for, and we can realistically expect big improvements on the horizon for 2018-2020.
But for the average Montreal voter, driving a potholed local road and hearing all the time about Metro delays and bridge closures, Bergeron sounds like some wacky professor, esp. on the west-end stronghold of CFCF-TV.
I met and talked with Bergeron at the Projet Montreal launch in the Plateau and he was indeed very knowledgeable; he answered my questions about all the 50 storey towers popping up around the Bell Centre in a very sensible way (not against, they pay taxes and require little infratsructure) , and he is clearly up on all urban issues.
But yes, Bergeron comes across as bragging about how clean his party is, and displaying a moral one-upmanship that people don't like. Not sure he can handle the Montreal retail electoral politics of which Coderre is a master.
Could it also be a question of his English skills? I think he knows English mostly from reading urbanistic documents; I read those too, (especially about improving cyclability and walkability) and they are not a great foundation for colloquial, conversational English.
Moreover, I doubt the anglophones who choose CFCF are very likely to vote Projet. Progressive anglos are more likely to opt for the CBC, Radio McGill, Radio Centre-Ville...
well, Lagatta, we are cross-talking here, not sure you get the context:
a debate on CFCF-TV is directed to the hugely predominant group of English Montreal, who watch CFCF-TV (obviously), listen to CJAD talk radio, read The Gazette and believe it , vote massively (massively) Liberal, and think "better roads and lower taxes" are the 2 local campaign priorities in 2013
so yeah, compared to that dominant group that generally defines English Montreal, there is the minor 15-20 per cent who think as you say, but in the larger Montreal electoral context they/we are not that important
Bergeron finished 3rd in the online CFCF poll after that TV debate, for the reasons I outlined above, maybe his middling English and his impractical-professor image hurt -- Marcel Cote finished first; enough said
Marcel Côté finishes last in the ethics department as well:
[url=http://www.montrealgazette.com/Mayoral+candidate+Marcel+C%C3%B4t%C3%A9+w... Mayoral candidate Marcel Côté will apologize for robocalls[/url]
Montreal mayoral candidate Marcel Côté admitted Thursday robocalls made to Montreal citizens tarring Projet Montréal emanated from his party and he has promised to apologize.
Radio-Canada reported Thursday morning that illegal, automatic phone calls from a company claiming to be conducting an independent poll were sent to several Montreal citizens.
One citizen, who supports Projet Montréal, said the calls asked the following questions:
1. Who are you thinking of supporting in the Nov. 3 election. For Richard Bergeron, press 1
2. Did you know that elected officials of Projet Montréal are the subject of controversy regarding the financing of an organization. ... Do you support these methods?
3. Would you vote for the same team in your borough?
Since this story was filed, Côté has issued his phony lying "apology" - he apologized for the message not indicating it was from his campaign (which he claims was done without his knowledge) - and he didn't retract the lying dirty smear against Richard Bergeron.
Denis Coderre has called the robocalls "disgusting and unacceptable". Must be wondering why he didn't think of them first - he would have got it right.
The calls came from an "Alberta communications firm with offices in Montreal". Yup.
Unionist, I'd love to see Alex Norris. He is a great communicator in French and English alike, and I believe also in Spanish. And also comes across as a "normal human being", you know, the sterotyped guy/gal "you could have a beer with".
Bergeron doesn't seem to get it that just "being provocative" about 9/11 is very offensive to many people, and not just islamophobes or warmongers. People really identified with the horror of people being blown up at work. Unfortunately there is usually more identification with other Westerners, though the Rana Plaza catastrophe cut through that.
Dave, I can't see that dominant anglo group voting Projet; the progressive anglos could make a difference in some districts. SOMEONE must have voted for Peter McQueen in NDG...
When will he confess that his wild-eyed craziness about "smoking is good for my health" was also just a joke "meant to shock"?
See, I never could understand how people could get worked up about that one. It seems obvious to me that this was said in jest. (He said back then that smoking was "good" because it lowered his pulmonary capacity, thus preventing himself from running too fast and hurting himself...)
Re: Côté's terrible, terrible campaign: even though Louise Larel largely lost my political sympathies with her whole Vision Montréal experiment, I can't help but feel some pity toward her now... She's been completely cast aside, almost ridiculed by Côté... and now, the Coalition's campaign is crashing and burning in a spectacular way, doing considerably worse than Harel did — they might actually lose most of the seats that Vision used to have...
Could it also be a question of his English skills?
[s]Unfortunately, lagatta, he is a sad case beyond repair. His "skills" are sorely lacking in every language spoken in Montréal, not just English. Too bad they can't turf him and find someone who is both progressive and has some leadership skills.[/s]
This just won't cut it:
[url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/candidate-richard-bergeron-says-9... Richard Bergeron says 9/11 comments were meant to shock[/url]
[s]When will he confess that his wild-eyed craziness about "smoking is good for my health" was also just a joke "meant to shock"?[/s]
ETA: Reconsidered and (mostly) retracted.
See, I never could understand how people could get worked up about that one. It seems obvious to me that this was said in jest. (He said back then that smoking was "good" because it lowered his pulmonary capacity, thus preventing himself from running too fast and hurting himself...)
You're right... but didn't he also once pooh-pooh the danger of second-hand smoke?
Anyway, I was so angry about his foolish performance on 9/11 that I momentarily let myself forget what a good man he is - head and shoulders above his opponents. So I've retracted the harsh comments I made above. Although I still think it may be time for another candidate. I like Alex Norris, but don't know enough about him to be sure.
And then, Bergeron made another silly comment in an interview with Bernard Saint-Laurent (I think), or maybe Mike Finnerty, where he expressed concern about municipal employees retiring at age 55. I think he says a lot of stuff without thinking it through, then has to climb down painfully... But he's still the best of the lot by far.
It is also a bit sad, because Bergeron spent much of his childhood in an orphanage - his father at least was alive (his mother was either dead or ill, if I recall) but father was a poor worker and couldn't handle all the kids. Some people I've met who went through that in the bad old days seem "odd", in terms of human interaction.
I think he says a lot of stuff without thinking it through, then has to climb down painfully... But he's still the best of the lot by far.
Yep, that about sums it up.
The Tyee ran a piece about the municipal election. I found it interesting but have no idea whether it is an accurate protrayal.
http://thetyee.ca/News/2013/10/09/Montreals-People-Powered-Election/
It's pretty accurate, krop, IMO. Good folks gravitate to Projet Montréal.
Thx Unionist. That is what I was hoping for the people of Montreal. They sound like a party I might support.
Here - have a look - there's a fair bit in English:
[url=http://projetmontreal.org/?lang=en]Projet Montréal website[/url]
I've voted for them since their creation - as is the case with Québec solidaire provincially - though as you might surmise, I'm not much of an uncritical booster of anybody. Now if only we had something similar on the federal scene...
The one poll that I've seen gives Coderre a wide lead, as much as his two main rivals combined.
I understand that most of the Union Montreal councilors hve scurried to run under his banner. I would have thought that either:
1. Coderre would want to distance himself from such a discredited crew or
2. He wd be irretrievably tainted by associating himself with them.
But then I am 400 miles away. Can someone with more insight explain?
Union Montréal councillors were never "discredited" en bloc. It really is a matter of individuals.
For example, when Tremblay resigned last year (after being the target of serious accusations by Charbonneau Commission testimony, though it has never been confirmed in court), there was never any question that all his party's councillors were tainted by those charges. Best evidence for that is the broad support for Michael Applebaum, who resigned (among others) from Union Montréal after Tremblay left, as interim mayor by the opposition parties (then led by Louise Harel and Richard Bergeron). It didn't mean they were forgiving "Union Montréal". Likewise, when Applebaum was arrested and charged, they urged him to resign (which he did) - but by then, everyone had resigned from Union Montréal. It was created as a coalition of every stripe, and it dissolved the same way - not as some monolithic party with an ideology, etc.
What disturbs me more about Coderre pertains to his roots as a Liberal in Montréal-Nord of all places.
What disturbs me more about Coderre pertains to his roots as a Liberal in Montréal-Nord of all places.
Exactly. There's a "discredited crew" if ever I saw one!
To put it mildly!
Yes, Lagatta, I will likely vote Projet in NDG, just pointing out that Projet as a whole is seen as too central-city /cyclist /progressive for the Liberals of the west end
.
Bergeron's bizarre comments are what he is best known for. His efforts to build a progressive, clean party are admirable, but it will never win without a better leader.
Chomsky describes 2004 Haiti coup, which @DenisCoderre was instrumental in organising, as "disgusting and atrocious". #ChomskyMtl, #mtl2013.
Jan, thank you for the timely reminder of the Liberal government's ugly complicity in the coup in Haiti.
As usual,I will not be voting in the municipal elections.
Not out of apathy but because (with the exception of Coderre) I don't know any of the candidates.
The other day I got a call from Bergeron's team asking for my vote...I opened the door to them by saying I don't know where he stands on issues (I don't) but instead they asked if I will vote for him..I said I didn't know and that was the end of the conversation.
The last thing I want to do is vote for someone I don't know just to realize afterward that I voted for some right wing troglodyte.
I guess I'll wait for the provincial elections,atleast they're relevent...Provincial governments can make or break laws...Not sure what municipal governments can do besides financially benefit themselves.
