The Maskoutains do not want a political party at the town hall of Saint-Hyacinthe, in Montérégie, and narrowly elected the new mayor André Beauregard, who was proud to be an independent candidate.
• Read also: [EN DIRECT] Follow all the developments of the municipal elections
The fight between the new mayor André Beauregard and his opponent Marijo Demers, the head of Saint-Hyacinthe united, proved extremely close throughout election night.
At the time of writing, Mr. Beauregard had not yet spoken at the electoral assembly hall which was held at the Saint-Hyacinthe convention center.
The one who worked for the last three terms as a municipal councilor for the Douville sector succeeds the outgoing mayor Claude Corbeil who has bowed out after two terms.
The two aspiring mayors held their breath throughout election night, because they found themselves face to face until the very end. However, the voters finally decided and voted for continuity.
Independent
Mr. Beauregard emphasized during the campaign the importance of acting as an independent elected official, as is the custom in Saint-Hyacinthe. His message was heard, because all 12 candidates of the United Saint-Hyacinthe party bit the dust on Sunday evening. The boss, Marijo Demers, has nevertheless established herself as a tough opponent.
For Mr. Beauregard, these elections turned out to be the most gripping, but the most rewarding. He is proud of the campaign he led. The new mayor wants to promote his experience in the municipal sector acquired over the past 12 years.
The city center under construction
This fifty-year-old attains the town hall while downtown Saint-Hyacinthe is a real building site. Major construction projects aim to revive it as a commercial and cultural hub, despite the pandemic and the ongoing controversy.
Residents have been evicted and buildings demolished, while the number of parking spaces is reduced.
As for the Gérard-Côté Promenade which runs along the Yamaska River in the city center, the 53-year-old elected representative calls for its repair and insists that the other levels of government get involved financially. He wants this corridor to become a unifying place for citizens by surpassing the Rivia de Drummondville, to which the Maskoutain project is often compared.
In the 2017 elections, Mr. Beauregard was elected councilor in his sector with a strong majority, or 81.2% of the vote. For Ms. Demers, this is her first municipal campaign. She ran for Québec solidaire in Saint-Hyacinthe in the 2018 provincial election and finished in second place.