Municipal elections 2017: Sutton
Two candidates are vying for the position of mayor in the upcoming election on Nov. 5 in Sutton. Louis Dandenault, current mayor and head of the Alliance Sutton team, is hoping for a second mandate. He is being challenged by Michel Lafrance.
“There is concern about a lack of transparency with the current council,” Lafrance said, regarding the main issues faced by the town at the moment.
“There’s a breach of trust, I would say; we have to reunify our community,” he commented.
Lafrance referred to the recent purchase of the Filtex building by the municipality.
“That could be a nice unifying project,” Lafrance said, following a consultation to see what the community would like to do with the property. He added that the dossier will require a fair amount of attention to determine the cost to demolish the current building, the extent of soil contamination from the abandoned factory and a clear identification of the land title, which borders the railroad.
“There are lots of disagreements about development and the environment,” Lafrance said. “We need to find a balance.”
“All through my career I’ve been involved in management decisions,” Lafrance said, explaining what makes him a good mayoral candidate.
Lafrance had a career as an airport manager.
“An airport is like a small municipality,” he said, with the runways to maintain, the businesses and employees to manage, and major projects always in the works.
“I can get people to work together,” commented Lafrance, adding the he believes he has the abilities and experience to lead Sutton.
When asked about his vision for the municipality during his mandate, Lafrance said he has a short and a long term vision.
In the short term, Lafrance said he would like to create a consultative process for citizens regarding major decisions in Sutton. He would also like council meetings to be broadcast live.
Lafrance would also like the urbanism committee to be nominated by citizens.
Balancing protection of the environment and development in Sutton is another part of Lafrance’s short term plan, he said.
The long-term plan, according to Lafrance, is to address the needs of Sutton’s aging population and young families by working to create affordable housing options and establish a GMF (Groupe de Médecine Familiale), which would ideally operate out of a multi-purpose community centre in town.
Lafrance added that his philosophy of reducing, reusing and recycling wherever possible would be ever present in his decision making.
“I think our planet has reached its limit in that aspect,” Lafrance said.
Louis Dandenault said among the main issues in the municipality right now is a petition with 1,200 signatures, interested in developing a path for bikes and pedestrians from the village to the mountain.
“There’s a group looking into that, we want to put a committee together,” Dandenault said, explaining it will require the involvement of the MTQ because it is a provincial road.
Dandenault also referred to the newly purchased Filtex building as a project on the horizon for the town.
Keeping tax rates stable, creating jobs and attracting and retaining young families in the area were other important issues Dandenault mentioned.
When asked what makes him a good candidate, Dandenault said he has 12 years of experience as a councillor, and felt prepared for a second mandate as mayor.
“I’ve learned a lot in these last four years; it’s not an easy job,” he said. Dandenault added that he is bilingual and has lived in Sutton for most of his life, so he knows and understands the local population.
The learning curve of a new mayor is already dealt with he added.
“I’ve got a great team behind me,” Dandenault commented, referring to the Alliance Sutton team.
Regarding his vision for Sutton were he to win a second mandate, Dandenault said the focus would be on balancing progress and protecting the environment. He would like to work towards job creation and maintaining a vibrant and dynamic downtown area.
Dandenault also referred to Mont Sutton as a big asset.
“That’s the big dog pulling the sled,” Dandenault said.
Among the council positions, all six have an Alliance Sutton team member running, four of which are outgoing.
John Hawley (Alliance Sutton), currently councillor for District 6, is running for re-election in District 2 against Diane Duchesne.
Winston Bresee (Alliance Sutton), currently seated in District 4, is vying for District 3 along with Patricia Lefèvre.
Nathalie Bédard (Alliance Sutton) currently councillor in District 5 is running against Lynda Graham to hold her position.
Kenneth Hill (Alliance Sutton) who is councillor in District 3 is running for District 6 against André Forest.
In District 1, Gaétan Marceau (Alliance Sutton) is running against Daniel Martin.
In District 4, André Pagé (Alliance Sutton) is running against Rosanne Cohen.