Elected in the Peter-McGill district with Ensemble Montréal last November, Councilor Serge Sasseville announced Thursday that he was leaving the ranks of the opposition to sit as an independent.
In interview at Duty, Mr. Sasseville indicated that he did not feel comfortable working within the party and that he wished to have more freedom of action. “It’s nothing personal to anyone,” said the elected, who claims to have good relations with the interim leader of Ensemble Montreal, Aref Salem, and the elected opposition.
“I am new to politics. I always say that I am not a politician. […] I have a way of working that is different and I had trouble functioning within the party. They are all good people whom I like very much and with whom I maintain excellent relations. But I really want to work more freely according to what I see and what I promised when I campaigned. »
Former vice-president of Quebecor, Serge Sasseville had been recruited by Denis Coderre as a star candidate during the election campaign last fall, which ended in a defeat for Ensemble Montreal against Projet Montreal.
“Of the “star” candidates who had been announced, I was the only one who had been elected. I was a bit of an orphan in a way,” he admitted.
The chosen one did not want to expand on the reasons for his discomfort within Ensemble Montreal. He admits, however, that he had been considering leaving the opposition since the November elections. “I am someone who says what he thinks. I have always done it, even at Quebecor, and I will continue to do so. If I feel like congratulating Valérie Plante because she did a good job, I’m going to do it, ”he explained.
Serge Sasseville will sit as an independent and intends to devote all his energies to his duties as elected official in Peter-McGill, a district located in the city center, in collaboration with community organizations. He says he “adores” his role as municipal councilor and gets along well with the team in Ville-Marie and its officials.
Mr. Sasseville does not intend to join another party. “I am 63 years old. I don’t want to pursue a career in politics. I don’t intend to run again in four years. […] For four years, I want to tackle the real problems and do everything to try to solve them. »
The interim leader of Ensemble Montreal, Aref Salem, said he took note of Mr. Sasseville’s decision. “I respect his decision. I wish him good luck for the future, ”he said in a press release.