And they're off!

The race to succeed Pierre Bourque as mayor of Montreal now has its first quasi-official candidate: Michel Prescott, councillor for the Jeanne-Mance district and all-around Plateau bon vivant. A group of citizens have announced their intention to draft Prescott as the MCM's mayoral candidate; Prescott expects to make a final decision sometime in the fall.

As for all the other big names floating around as potential mayors, a key date is coming up soon. High-profile maybes such as Liberal MNA Liza Frulla and Police Chief Jacques Duchesneau have until September 1 to get themselves Montreal addresses, otherwise they can't run. Keep an eye out for new neighbours... Philip Preville