Denis Coderre for mayor? Still not clear
It’s not really news that Denis Coderre is pondering a run for mayor of Montreal. He’s apparently popular among the citizenry, if not with the existing councillors. But it’s not yet clear whether he’ll abandon federal politics to take the chance, or which party he’d join up with.
Critics have a legitimate point that Coderre has no experience on the municipal level, but he’d definitely bring a different energy to city hall – we’d have our own Napoleon to butt heads with Quebec City’s Mayor Labeaume.
This item also hints that Mayor Tremblay won’t try for a fourth term, but also floats the odd possibility that he may even leave politics before the end of this term – the kind of hint that makes me wonder what a journalist has heard but can’t openly write about.
ant6n 09:53 on 2012/09/18 Permalink
I keep hearing the name Applebaum more and more; people say it’s the Tremblay-Applebaum administration – are they grooming him to run as the next mayor, maybe even have him in the position for a couple of months before running so he’s more likely to win being an incumbent? Or who else could Union Montreal make their candidate, if they don’t choose some outsider?
Steve Quilliam 09:56 on 2012/09/18 Permalink
It would be great if Mayor Tremblay quit before the end of his terms. It would be a very interesting and hopeful period for us montrealer plus it would give some time to Applebaum, assuming he’s take over the interim, to show what he can do.
As for Coderre, we’ll see what he has in mind for Montreal. I’m not convince yet but he we definitively be a fighter. But I think Montreal needs more than that. At this point I am ready to vote for anyone who promise to change the pension system so that more money goes in public transport and less in the pension fund of city workers.
Kate 09:57 on 2012/09/18 Permalink
Montreal’s administrations are always called the Mayor-Sidekick administration, naming the chairman of the executive committee second, at least since 1921, going by this list of mayoral terms. You’ll also notice no sidekick has ever gone on to become mayor.
Applebaum’s an anglo, and a well-known sourpuss to boot. I don’t think he has the personality for the job.
ant6n 10:05 on 2012/09/18 Permalink
Does Tremblay have the personality? Why should we even care – it’s been mentioned that Bergeron is a grump, but I believe he’s the best candidate for the job for the issues – why would it be preferable to have a charismatic outsider who has no idea about municipal issues, rather than a grump with a vision?
Of course being an anglo might not work out so well…
(btw, note that the list you linked, Tremblay was his own sidekick between 2009 and 2011 ;-)
Kate 10:13 on 2012/09/18 Permalink
True, Tremblay is Mr. Beige, and neither Bourque nor Doré were exactly Mr. Personality. Doré’s mustache had more personality than he did. Drapeau had a weird kind of compulsive energetic personality, although you’ll never find a picture of him smiling.
I guess in a way I can’t help feeling Coderre might embody something really simple about Montreal – its fun. As a fellow supporter of Richard Bergeron I kind of hope Coderre doesn’t take the plunge, because if that Radio-Canada piece is correct, Coderre could sweep the lot if he avoided making any big mistakes.
Maybe Projet should offer Coderre the position of mayoral candidate with Bergeron as his éminence grise! The report suggests Union Montreal wouldn’t be inviting Coderre aboard.
Line of investigation: is Coderre buds with Gilbert Rozon?
ant6n, on pondering it, I think I suspect personality to be an indicator of energy, and I’d like to see a Montreal mayor with the energy to stand up to Quebec when needed, for starters. I’m willing to consider it may be a red herring, though.
Marc 10:30 on 2012/09/18 Permalink
I don’t mind Michael Applebaum, but you have to remember he was criticized along with Marvin Rotrand by one of the French zealots for not having perfect pronounciation of French. That should immediately disqualify him… /end sarcasm.
Michel 11:28 on 2012/09/18 Permalink
What scares me about Coderre is that he’s all about the limelight, pursuing ridiculous agendas, and constantly tilting at windmills.
Personally, I don’t need another Shane Doan fiasco on the municipal level.
Taylor C. Noakes 13:34 on 2012/09/18 Permalink
I heard from a trusted source that Taylor C. Noakes will in fact be running for mayor, despite his long-standing refusal to do so. Independent sources close to Mr. Noakes confirmed, among others, that he “has no prior experience in Montreal municipal politics”, “doesn’t owe any favours to the construction industry” and “has a name most consider to be English, thus making him mentally unfit to govern.”
Working party names include: Best Party II (The Bestest), Drapeau’s Ghost Party, the Fat of the Land Party and the Option anarcho-syndicaliste souverainiste du Grand Montréal.
True story…
Tantastic Ted 15:23 on 2012/09/18 Permalink
I’ve certainly never heard anything about Applebaum running for mayor. I like the idea tho, but the demerger hurt the chances of electing an anglo mayor. Tremblay is waiting for Coderre to announce before making a decision about what to do next. He has a lot of staffers who are tapping their fingers patiently, waiting for him to make a call, so to be fair he has to set them free with a bit of a headstart, let them go find other jobs or switch to another party of whatever they’ll do.
pierre s. 22:11 on 2012/09/18 Permalink
i’d love it if applebaum ran for mayor, as it would smash the anglo/suburban franco coalition that seems poised to elect tremblay forever. the only chance progressives have is for a broad anti-incumbent (and/or anti-coderre, hopefully) wave to unite every francophone riding and enough of the mixed ones against the bad guys.
Kate 23:40 on 2012/09/18 Permalink
I think in a way I meant that Applebaum doesn’t have the profile for the job, rather than the personality, but we’ve discussed it so I can’t go back and change that.
I’m pretty sure it’s outside the bounds of possibility for an anglo to become mayor of Montreal now, for starters.
Taylor C. Noakes 08:29 on 2012/09/19 Permalink
@Kate
I agree with you, it’s likely outside the realm of possibility.
Everywhere else its a question of money. Here language and race (or at least apparent race) manage to confound the system and render it inaccessible in addition to barriers already established by money.
And we thought we were so progressive.
Kate 09:04 on 2012/09/19 Permalink
Here’s a wacky prediction. Coderre joins up with Rozon and other entertainment bigwigs and launches the Bread and Circuses Party. The entire city is deemed to be, first and foremost, an entertainment district and tourism centre. Upside: more jobs; middle side: these are poorly paid entertainment jobs for the most part, and if you’re not young and pretty you’ll be cleaning bathrooms (“what, and leave show business?”); downside: anything not contributing to the city’s glitz will be bulldozed or at least covered up, à la Drapeau.
Philippe 11:05 on 2012/09/19 Permalink
@Taylor: How many mayors can you name who don’t speak the language of the majority, or speak it badly? This isn’t a Quebec/Montreal-specific thing. What *is* a local specificity is that somebody would remark on it, IMO.
Kate 12:04 on 2012/09/19 Permalink
Philippe, I think it only came up because Tremblay’s current sidekick is an anglo, and we were batting around whether there was any chance the man would be considered as a viable candidate. It was just one factor in the discussion.
Theory: this city does well when the mayor is a francophone but chooses as his sidekick an anglophone from one of the city’s ethnic minorities. Jean Doré did his best work when Michael Fainstat was his sidekick. Frank Zampino actually did good work in his first stint alongside Mayor Tremblay (2001-2005) and got the city budget under control – it was only later, I think, that he lost his grip. And now people seem to think Applebaum is doing a good job in the role.
Taylor C. Noakes 12:46 on 2012/09/19 Permalink
@Phillipe – granted, but just because someone has an Anglo name doesn’t mean they’re incapable of speaking perfect French and being an excellent mayor.
That said, I think there are many people who would at the very least be wary of electing someone with an English-sounding name.
You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve been told, by locals no less, that having an English name is strikes one through three w/r/t becoming mayor.
Never made any sense to me – we used to alternate.
Philippe 13:38 on 2012/09/19 Permalink
I think a charismatic anglo who’s fluent in French could have a fair shot. The problem is when you end up with two bland evasive old men running for office, for sure if one doesn’t speak good French, it’s one strike against for the francos. Pauline Marois’ mediocre English was often remarked upon in the anglo media during the last elections, for example (not that she’d have made the anglo short list otherwise).
Question: it’s my understanding that mayor Tremblay is not much admired in Montreal, wouldn’t Applebaum just be more of the same?