After 100 days at full steam at the helm of Quebec City, Bruno Marchand intends to stay the course towards his electoral commitments, which have been tossed around by the unforeseen since he came to power.
Crisis inside the police force on day 20, Omicron wave which breaks on day 28, support for the tramway which slumps on day 78: even Mother Nature and Bernard “Rambo” Gauthier brought rain and shine to the first months in power of Bruno Marchand.
The elected official admits to having had only “two or three” full days off since his swearing in on November 14. The respite will wait: the newcomer to politics quickly understood that he had to be a full-time tightrope walker to accomplish his task at the head of Quebec.
“It’s a big challenge to be able to balance both emergencies and the long-term vision,” concedes the principal concerned. Despite the unexpected that marked the start of his mandate, Mayor Marchand believes that he “set the table” to fulfill his promises: to take care of seniors, to provide relief to the most disadvantaged, to work towards zero homelessness, to promote each neighborhood of the capital.
change of tone
He is pleased to have been able to quickly turn the page on 14 years of Labeaume reign. The new mayor storms less than the old one: where Régis banged his fist, Bruno, he prefers to reach out.
“The goal is not to be a blue flower and to say to yourself: if we are all hand in hand and we frolic in the forest, the flowers will grow, explains the new mayor. The confrontation had a time. Did she have any winnings? Certainly. Was she out of breath in the last months of the last mandate? I think the evidence is there. »
Mayor Marchand certifies that this spirit of collaboration pays off for the City. “The change in tone made it possible to untie the knots that existed. You don’t always have to rip your shirt off in public to make money. »
The tram file tends to prove him right. The Legault government imposed a financial straightjacket that seemed immutable to the former administration. Faced with the news, he did not hesitate to open his checkbook to pay part of the cost overruns, estimated at more than half a billion dollars.
Under the projectors
Catapulted into the Quebec spotlight on the night of his election due to the Hollywood turnaround that brought him the victory, Mayor Marchand intends to share the spotlight with his team over the next few months.
“These 100 days wouldn’t have been what they are, and not even close, if it hadn’t been for the team around me. It’s very easy to think that it’s me who does everything; this is not the case at all”, underlines the mayor.
Very present in the media, Bruno Marchand and his shoes give the impression of having a hand – or a foot – in all matters. The mayor assures that he knows how to delegate.
“The people have[vait] need to know if there is a mayor in control, if there is a mayor with a vision, if there is a mayor she can trust, explains the one who, at the launch of his campaign, was dragging a significant lack of notoriety. That was the first step. »
Now that he knows he is well in the saddle at City Hall, he promises to leave free rein to those around him.
“We are putting our elected officials forward, we have started to do it and we are even going to do it more,” he said.
The political sting
Mayor Marchand has not spoken once with his predecessor since taking office. On the other hand, he sometimes put himself in his shoes.
“I try to put myself in his shoes because one day it will happen to me,” he explains, referring to his possible and inevitable departure from political life. You don’t have to look well, well the national league to know that all the coaches end up being fired; it’s the same thing with mayors. I guess it takes a fallow time, a time to detox from that life. »
Bruno Marchand has the bug and obviously, even after 100 days, he doesn’t need a booster dose to continue his honeymoon.