By-election | Doug Hurley, from Ensemble Montréal, keeps L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève

Former police officer Doug Hurley won a decisive victory Sunday evening against the party of Mayor Valérie Plante during a by-election in the borough of L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève.

The one who worked within the Police Service of the City of Montreal (SPVM) for 30 years obtained 78.42% of the votes, for a total of 3,208 votes. His opponent, Ghassan Baroudi, of Projet Montréal, for his part received 21.58% of the votes, or 883 votes.

“My first words go to the residents who placed their trust in me and to the volunteers who supported me throughout my campaign,” rejoiced Mr. Hurley when the results were revealed. “I can’t wait to get to work to improve the quality of life of the community, to bring it together and give it the voice it deserves at Montreal city hall,” added this resident of Montreal. Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève for 37 years.

“I am very excited about the arrival of Doug within our caucus,” said Aref Salem, leader of Ensemble Montréal. “He is a man close to his community, who will work in the interest of residents, merchants and farmers. »

On social networks, the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, congratulated Doug Hurley on his victory.

“I would also like to salute Ghassan Baroudi, who represented our team with dignity. Thank you for your work and all the time you devoted to listening to your fellow citizens,” she also wrote on X.

Projet Montréal candidate Ghassan Baroudi also congratulated his opponent online, while thanking his team. “Although the result was not what was expected, the last five weeks have been a great experience,” he said in a statement. I had the immense privilege of meeting my fellow citizens to discuss our exceptional living environment. Throughout the campaign, I was surrounded by a remarkable team, and I am deeply grateful to them. »

Mr. Hurley’s swearing-in will take place on December 22 at Montreal City Hall.

Voting day

The by-election in the borough of L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève took place due to the resignation last summer of Stéphane Côté, elected in 2021 under the banner of Ensemble Montréal.

Only two candidates were in the running: ex-police officer Doug Hurley faced, on the Projet Montréal side, Ghassan Baroudi, an executive in the consulting engineering field.

Mr. Baroudi was not his first attempt to represent his fellow citizens. He was an independent candidate in local elections in 2017, before running in 2021 under the colors of Balarama Holness’ Montreal Movement. Last year, he gave $100 to Ensemble Montréal, the opponents of Projet Montréal. However, he has been involved with Projet Montréal since 2016.

Since last August, the position of mayor of the borough has been vacant due to the resignation of Stéphane Côté, who said he had reached his “personal limit”. He cited concerns about signals received regarding his health as well as “the reality of municipal politics.”

In total, 4,142 voters out of the 13,956 eligible chose to make their voice heard. Last Sunday, during advance voting, 10% of them went to the polls, a “slightly higher” proportion than in 2017, when this figure was 8.3%.

In 2021, however, 17.6% of voters traveled during the two days of advance voting that had been planned. That year, the final participation rate was 49%. This time it is only 29.7%.

The new mayor will be in office until the next general municipal elections, scheduled for November 2025.

According to the most recent data, L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève is the least populous borough in Montreal, with less than 20,000 inhabitants.

In 2021, voters in the borough dismissed their previous mayor, Normand Marinacci, by a margin of about 15 percentage points. The latter sat under the banner of Projet Montréal.

With Philippe Teisceira-Lessard, The Press