The Director General of the City of Montreal, Serge Lamontagne, announced that he will leave his position at the end of the year.
Mayor Valérie Plante made the announcement Wednesday morning during the executive committee meeting, praising all the work done by the “captain of a big boat” since his hiring as director in 2018, particularly during the pandemic. of COVID-19.
“We can have lots of ideas at the political level, but if we don’t have the right person to put them in place, it doesn’t work,” underlined Mr.me Plante, who was very emotional while paying tribute to the general director, who will be retiring. “The vision that our administration carries, we could not have brought it this far without him. »
She recalled that Mr. Lamontagne’s leadership had been recognized by several distinctions, awarded in particular by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and the Association of Directors General of Municipalities of Quebec.
Serge Lamontagne first held various management positions at the City of Montreal from 2002, and was interim general manager for four months in 2013.
He subsequently left Montreal to become director general of the City of Laval, which was then recovering from the corruption scandals of the administration of Gilles Vaillancourt, before returning to the head of the metropolis four years later.
“It’s a bit cliché, but I leave with the feeling of duty accomplished,” underlined Mr. Lamontagne in a letter sent to the City’s 28,000 employees. “I had a career that was “not the worst overall” and I ended it on a high note, having received the highest distinction in public administration in Canada last June. I share this recognition with each and every one of you who have been behind me, supporting me in my role as manager. »
The date of Serge Lamontagne’s departure is not yet known.