by PATRICK LEJTENYI

We’re in the home stretch of the race, and boy, is this one a snoozer. Election ’05 will probably go down as one of the more boring-ass exercises in participatory democracy, especially compared to the mega-island contest of 2001. Considering that the same two faces are squaring off and the stakes aren’t as compelling, it’s small wonder few people are giving a damn about the outcome. However, with Mayor Gérald Tremblay pulling ahead—by an 18 per cent margin over rival and former mayor Pierre Bourque—in a Journal de Montréal poll released last Friday, Oct. 28, the election may be shaping up to be a blowout. Bourque downplayed the poll results, which showed 47 per cent of decided votes going to the mayor, 29 per cent going to him and only four per cent going to upstart eco-friendly Richard Bergeron of Projet Montréal (although only 47 per cent of respondents said they’d decided how to vote). Following last Sunday’s televised debate on CFCF, Bourque said tenants really, really like him, and asked them to turn out in high numbers to vote. We’ll see if they do. Voting day is Sunday, Nov. 6.

• Speaking of last Sunday’s Bourque-Tremblay debate, which Election Notebook missed, apparently it was a real doozy. Trying, perhaps, to shock a pulse into the campaign, both candidates—Bergeron wasn’t invited—did a whole lotta yellin’, finger-pointin’, mud-slingin’ and accusations of a-flippin’ and a-floppin’. What was actually said or accomplished, few could discern.

But last Wednesday, Nov. 2, the candidates each took a half-hour to discuss how they’d run the city’s cultural affairs. Election Notebook dragged its sorry ass down to Little Burgundy’s Corona Theatre at the ungodly hour of 7:30 a.m. to watch Tremblay, Bourque and Bergeron opine on how they’d run all things cultural if elected. Tremblay was predictably technocratic and wooden, Bourque kind of sleepy and Bergeron—who had the benefit of speaking last, coming on at 8:30 a.m.—spoke wistfully of projects like a tramway and $40 metro/cultural institution passes, which moderator Anne-Marie Dussault said were the dreams of a candidate who knows he won’t win. Touché.

• The mayor got pied by assailants unknown on Friday, Oct. 28, shortly before a speaking engagement at the Metropolitan Golf Club in Anjou. Tremblay joins some illustrious company: In mayoral contests past, pie-ers nailed Jacques Duschesnau (May 21, 1998), Jean Doré (Oct. 28, 1998), Pierre Bourque (Sept. 8, 1998) and, uh, Gérald Tremblay (June 4, 2002). But the Entartistes, the non-official official pie-mashers of high-profile personalities, issued a statement denying responsibility for the latest attack, saying they never pie the same person twice if the individual showed some grace, as Tremblay did, after the first. But the three pie-ers on Friday were dressed in parkas and sunglasses, and, immediately after the hit, fled into a waiting red Saturn—which may have been stolen, according to police. Who they are, and what their motives were, remain a mystery. Sources close to the mayor, however, told La Presse they suspect the city’s blue-collar workers are behind it, although the mayor himself said he didn’t want to make any accusations. Police are investigating.

• The Entartistes also said Projet Montréal’s Richard Bergeron is the only politician who does not merit a pie-ing (so far).

• Endorsements are a big part of any election. Pierre Bourque can rely on support from disgruntled blue collars and, apparently, tenants. Tremblay has fans among home-owners and business folk. And Richard Bergeron is da man for the artists and chattering classes, as proved by a shindig at the Lion D’Or last week, attended by some high-profile lefty artsy types, and the party’s own press release. The Green Party of Canada also officially endorsed PM this week.

• Municipalities don’t really have the power to do much in terms of gay rights, and other than appearing in the annual Pride parade, politicians tend not to get too heavily involved in queer issues. While all three main municipal parties pay lip service to gay rights and field at least some gay candidates, Projet Montréal has one way-out idea that would significantly affect residents in the Gay Village. “We want to close Ste-Catherine from Guy to Papineau,” says Simon Cloutier, an openly gay PM city councillor candidate for downtown Peter McGill district. Cloutier’s runningmate for the same district is Damien Girard, who’s also gay. Neither makes a big issue of their sexuality, however, and say they joined the party because of its open-minded members.