The former mayor of Rosemont François Croteau will this week become the first veteran of the Plante administration to turn to the world of public and government relations, learned The Press.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
Mr. Croteau was recruited by the firm Ryan Affaires publiques as a special advisor.
The former elected municipal official, who did not seek a fourth term in the last elections, will not directly lobby, but will rather offer his “strategic advice” services to the firm’s clients.
“It allows me to make a transition between politics and another career,” said François Croteau in a telephone interview with The Press.
“The work I’m being asked to do is in perfect continuity with what I’ve been doing for years, but at another level. It is to help companies work on projects with greater social acceptability, in connection with issues of ecological transition and city governance. »
Mr. Croteau is also working on a book on these issues, to be published by Québec Amérique.
What I wanted to do is to continue to work in the same direction as during my 12 years [comme maire de Rosemont].
Francois Croteau
Mr. Croteau assures that he will not reveal the secrets of the operation of the Plante administration to his clients. Nor will he sell his influence to his former colleagues, he promised: “It’s out of the question. »
“Not contradictory with my profile”
François Croteau was elected mayor of the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie in 2009, under the banner of Louise Harel’s Vision Montréal. He joined the ranks of Projet Montréal two years later.
During his years at the head of the borough, Mr. Croteau retained the image of a moderate elected official – especially in comparison with his neighbor Luc Ferrandez, who was more in a hurry to make radical changes. Between 2013 and 2017, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie was the wise child of Projet Montréal, in front of a turbulent Plateau-Mont-Royal that made the headlines.
François Croteau says he understands that his arrival in the world of government affairs, after a stint in a left-wing party like Projet Montréal, can raise questions.
He stressed that the political formation was young and therefore had few “retirees”.
“Everyone has their own profile. Me, before entering politics, I was a manager in a company, he said. It is not contradictory with my profile to work with the private sector after politics. Nor is it in contradiction with what I have done. »
And you do not intend to return to politics? Are you closing the door forever? “For the moment, it’s permanent,” replied the ex-elected with a touch of involuntary humor. “Perhaps at 70 I will change my mind, but I would tell you that for me, politics is behind me. At all levels. »