Forty borough mayors and city councilors in Montreal left politics last November, some by choice, others following a defeat. What have they become ? The duty spoke with some of them.
Philipe Tomlinson
The former mayor of Outremont suffered a heartbreaking defeat on November 7th. Only 29 votes separated him from his opponent from Ensemble Montreal, Laurent Desbois. As there was a judicial recount, it took him three and a half weeks to know the final result. “It was not pleasant, but it allowed me to grieve, to think about something else and to see the possibilities. »
After his defeat, he received several calls and met residents who admitted to him that they had not gone to vote, convinced of his re-election.
Since November 7, Philipe Tomlinson has moved away from politics. “I must say that I am relieved. Because it’s a job very ungrateful. There were a lot of people who were extremely vocal, mean, doing personal attacks. It’s very intense to attack someone personally because your sidewalk isn’t plowed. »
At the moment, he has no job. “I’m taking a break. When you’re in a bubble like that for four years, you forget that there are other things outside the bubble. I speak professionally. “The former elected, however, intends to continue his career in the field of the environment. “There are a lot of prospects. For me, it’s about taking my time and making the right choices. »
Suzie Miron
Like Philipe Tomlinson, former Tétreaultville councilor and former city council president Suzie Miron had to go through the experience of a judicial recount given the tight results. Her defeat confirmed, she returned last January to her duties as a telecommunications project control officer at Hydro-Québec, a position she had left aside during her four-year term.
She admits it herself with a touch of spite: the challenges are very different. Her tasks are now much more administrative, and she feels that the experience acquired as an elected official is not really recognized and valued. She has also enrolled in two university courses as part of a certificate in public service management, in order to meet what she describes as her need to learn.
For her, the role of counselor was a ” job dream”, although the work was not easy. However, she has somewhat bitter memories of the last election campaign, her fourth. “It was the worst campaign. It wasn’t a dirty campaign, but it wasn’t clean. There was a lot of misinformation on the ground and bashing on social media. »
Hadrian Parizeau
In the week following the election, the former councilor for the district of Saint-Sulpice received a job offer. “I took the time to think about it to see how I could have an impact,” explains Hadrien Parizeau.
He finally accepted the proposal, and now holds the position of Director of Partnerships, Strategies, Public and Institutional Affairs at Fusion jeunesse. “This job is what I wanted to do. I’ve always had a commitment to youth,” he says.
In the aftermath of his defeat and that of Ensemble Montreal, Hadrien Parizeau did not hide his bitterness about the discomfiture of his leader, Denis Coderre, whom he blamed for his decision to request amendments to Bill 96 in order to to review the notion of “historical Anglophones”. “I turned the page,” he says today.
He also gave up on municipal politics. “At the end of the day, I realize that municipal politics was extremely interesting. […] But that’s behind me now. »
That said, the grandson of Jacques Parizeau does not exclude the possibility of turning to provincial politics. “There have been approaches from political parties that would like me to be a candidate in October. My reflection is not finished. I’m really happy where I am right now, happy with the impact I have on school dropouts, on young people. »
Richard Ryan
A councilor in the Mile-End district for 12 years, Richard Ryan has decided not to seek a fourth term. “After 12 years, I thought it was time to pass the puck. Projet Montréal sought to make room for diversity, which I have always advocated. And I was tired of the continual tension, ”explains the former elected official.
Since retiring from political life, Richard Ryan has been approached by several organizations, but he preferred to take a step back before embarking on a new job. He does not say he is ready for a full-time management position.
He has also received several calls from elected officials who have asked him for issues he knows well, such as artists’ studios, housing and governance. “I’m happy to give them a hand,” he says. Moreover, during the telephone interview, the former elected representative often repeats the word “transmission” of knowledge. It is this principle that guides his reflections. He also plans to create a blog to express his concerns about matters close to his heart during his mandates.
He is also concerned about the real will of governments in the area of housing. “We won’t get there if we don’t invest in social housing. Even if it’s not just what you have to do, it’s one of the stones. »
Francois Croteau
After 12 years as mayor of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, François Croteau turned to the private sector. Hired last January as senior director of strategy and innovation at Innovitech, the former elected official supports companies on issues such as urban revitalization. He also serves as a strategic advisor at Ryan Public Affairs on an ad hoc basis. “It’s really in continuity with the last few years. I wanted a complete change of scenery, but I had the desire to continue to act to improve cities in the context of a climate crisis. That’s exactly what I do,” he explains.
He maintains that the experience in governance acquired as mayor and his knowledge of the complexity of the City of Montreal are assets for his new duties. “Today, it allows me to hold high-level positions. »
Like any former elected representative, he must however refrain from lobbying or using privileged information that he could have obtained during his mandates.
The ex-mayor admits that he does not miss politics. “I had walked around the garden. Now I can walk down the street and finally enjoy the happiness of being a citizen without worrying about the quality of snow removal. »
Sue Montgomery
After a very eventful mandate, Sue Montgomery failed in her attempt to be re-elected as mayor of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. Last January, however, the former elected official won an important round when the Superior Court invalidated two judgments of the Commission municipale du Québec, which had held against her 11 breaches of the Code of Ethics and Conduct of the City Council and imposed a 120-day suspension on him. “I’m happy to have been cleared, but unfortunately, it’s a little too late for me”, drops the former mayor.
After two particularly difficult years, marked by her conflict with the mayoress, Valérie Plante, and the city’s comptroller general, Ms.and Alain Bond, Sue Montgomery has decided to take a time out. “You don’t see how stressful this job is until it’s over. The last two years have been traumatic, stressful and very difficult,” she says.
When The duty spoke to her, Sue Montgomery was getting ready to board a plane for a week-long ski trip to Whistler, British Columbia. “I will take the time to see the possibilities. At the moment, I do a lot of cooking. This is my passion. I travel. I also spend time with my family and friends,” she explains. The former journalist of the daily The Gazette plans to return to writing.
She has not yet turned the page, since she has filed a $120,000 defamation lawsuit against Valérie Plante for comments she has made in recent years. No date has yet been set for the trial.
Marvin Rotrand
After 39 years as a councilor in Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Marvin Rotrand said goodbye to politics. But retirement was short-lived for the septuagenarian. In interview at Homework, the former city council dean, said that 20 minutes after publicly announcing his retirement from politics last June, he received a call from the Jewish organization B’nai Brith, which hoped to recruit him. “I took a few months before accepting, because there were family considerations that I had to take into account. »
On second thought, Marvin Rotrand accepted this new challenge and now works as National Director of the League for Human Rights for B’nai Brith. His new functions are in line with the values he always defended during his years in politics, he said.
Inexhaustible about his new job, Mr. Rotrand admits all the same that he misses municipal politics a little. “It’s impossible not to be bored when you leave after 39 years something you really loved. »
Francesco Miele
Former elected representative of the borough of Saint-Laurent and one of the pillars of Ensemble Montréal, Francesco Miele wanted to explore other horizons when he gave up seeking another mandate after 11 years of active politics. More than three months after the defeat of Denis Coderre’s troops, Francesco Miele does not seem to regret his old life. He has just accepted a position as a senior lawyer in an organization, but the announcement has not yet been made.
Before stepping down, he decided to lend a hand to his party by becoming chief organizer of the Ensemble Montréal election campaign.
If he was surprised by the low turnout, which reached a meager 38.3% in the last election, the former elected official believes that the rule according to which citizens generally give a second term to a government in place proved favorable to Valérie Plante. And according to him, the disastrous last week of Denis Coderre, who was slow to reveal the list of clients he worked for after his defeat in 2017, did not have a great influence on the result of the poll. “At the advance poll, this story was not out, but Valérie Plante had already won. I don’t think we should give that much weight to this situation, ”he says.
Manon Beard
The former mayor of LaSalle Manon Barbe took advantage of her retirement from political life to carry out a personal project that was dear to her: the construction of a palliative care home in LaSalle. After years of preparation and fundraising, the project has come of age, she explains. The construction of the house, which will be able to accommodate eight people at the end of its life, will begin in April, and the inauguration should take place in the fall. “It will be a warm living environment,” she says. It will be a legacy for the people of LaSalle. »
Manon Barbe affirms that she had made the decision in October 2019 not to seek another mandate in November 2021 in order to devote herself to her palliative care home project. She maintains that she does not miss municipal politics. “I gave 26 years 200%. I turned the page and I have no regrets. I moved on. »
She also bought a property in Costa Rica, where she plans to spend four months a year.