|
In search of a coalition >> Who will anchor the opposition at city hall? by DOMINIQUE RITTER
The Bourque phenomenon swept the elections, giving him 39 of council's 51 seats and leaving his various rivals with only piddling pockets of support. Plateau voters gave Michel Prescott's MCM (Montreal Citizens Movement) four seats, enough to become city hall's official opposition, but the future of the anti-Bourque contingent may lie in the hands of a small group of independent councillors and Jean Doré and Jacques Duchesneau stragglers. The next few weeks will determine who will stay, who will fold and who will summon up the strength to oppose the B-man at city hall. A Coalition of one Perhaps the biggest upset of the election was the ousting of the Democratic Coalition's Sam Boskey, who has represented the west-end Décarie district for the last 16 years. Vision Montréal candidate and political newcomer Sonia Biddle (daughter of Montreal jazz legend Charlie Biddle) nabbed Boskey's well-worn seat at city council by less than 100 votes. The upset deals a major blow to his party. "It's a stunning defeat. Boskey is truly an intellectual and competent adminstrator," said incumbent Snowdon councillor Marvin Rotrand, Boskey's long-time political partner and a former MCMer himself. "That he was defeated by a neophyte with manifest weaknesses boggles the mind." The Democratic Coalition is now the coalition of one: Rotrand. Earlier in the year, when the MCM asked Rotrand and Boskey to join their team, they declined. Rotrand now believes that only an MCM coalition could effectively oppose Bourque at city hall, although he wasn't ready to say whether he would be a part of it. "There is a critical mass for decent progressive opposition," said Boskey, citing the four MCM candiates, Rotrand and independent councillors Jeremy Searle and Marcel Sévigny. Prescott issued an open invitation on Sunday night to any potential joiners. The remains of Doré This time Montrealers may really have seen the last of once-moustachioed, once-mayor Jean Doré. The only leftovers in his wake are two veteran councillors, Helen Fotopulos and Sammy Forcillo, who managed to avoid the swirling black hole that swallowed Doré and his other 49 candidates. But Team Montreal's financial straits may sink the party before Doré can say SNC-Lavalin. Political parties that earn at least 20 per cent of the vote are reimbursed for half of their campaign expenses, which would have translated into a $300,000 boost for Team Montreal. But since they only scraped up 10 per cent of the vote, Doré is stuck footing his entire bill. Both Forcillo and Fotopulos may be up for auction in the bid for the official opposition party at city hall. "Do Helen and Sammy have anything in common other than that they are both very pleasant people?" asked Sam Boskey. "I don't think so." Meaning: Fotopulos, who quit the MCM earlier this year, has a strong track record as a progressive councillor, while Forcillo, on the other hand, is a former Jean Drapeau man with a conservative reputation. Boskey and others doubt these two will stick it out together. The Duchesneau factor The final question mark is the future of Duchesneau's New Montreal party. The municipal election left the ex-cop's team with only three seats on city council, which makes it equally ripe for dissolution. In addition, Duchesneau himself lost his bid to become a city councillor. But according to pre-vote scuttlebutt, the councillor's job never held much appeal for him. Strangely, Duchesneau chose to present himself in the Ahuntsic district against a strong incumbent, Bourque loyalist Hasmig Belleli. And with J.V. Capogreco as his co-candidate, a man known in the community for little other than his contribution to neighbourhood hockey games, Duchesneau's Ahuntsic loss looks almost planned. However, despite his lost bid and the latest rumours circulating about him joining Jean Charest's Quebec Liberals, Duchesneau's party may yet end up as city hall's official opposition. A re-count is expected in district 15 (Père-Marquette) where his candidate, Robert Laramée, lost to Bourque's Jean-François Plante by a mere 19 votes. New Montreal is alleging that 40 fraudulent votes were cast against their candidate. A re-count in favour of Duchesneau's team would make them Bourque's official opposition, because their votes would outnumber those of Prescott's MCM. Where will the chips fall? "It's too early to say how we're going to pick up the pieces," Fotopulos told the Mirror. "But all options are open." :
|
The vote is in and Pierre Bourque is back, but many city hall political allegiances--which often bear a closer resemblance to silly putty than to cement--have yet to be moulded. Opposition to Bourque's Vision Montreal party is scarce, but as money gets tight and opposition parties dissolve, some city councillors may have no other alternative than to strike up new political partnerships.