Projet Montréal wins in Rosemont

Projet Montréal’s Érika Duchesne is the new city councillor for the Vieux Rosemont district of the Rosemont-la Petite Patrie borough after the results of a by-election were announced Sunday night.

Duchesne is a member of the Projet Montréal executive, but was a first-time candidate in this election.

It was a very close race between Duchesne and Hélène Dagenais, the candidate for Louise Harel’s Vision Montreal party. In the end, less than 200 votes separated first place from second.

Duchesne captured 41 per cent of the vote, and Dagenais 37.8 per cent.

“I’m very happy with the conclusion of this campaign,” Duchesne said Sunday, after the results came in. “Working the land bore fruit,” she said of her campaign strategies.

“There’s a lot to be done on the level of citizen (requests), and work on streets and sidewalks.”

Rounding out the vote was Denise Larouche, running with Mayor Gérald Tremblay’s Union Montreal party, in third place with 12.4 per cent and independent Michel Benoit a distant fourth with 8.7 per cent of the vote.

The reason for the by-election was the abrupt resignation of Vision Montreal councillor Pierre Lampron in January.

Last year, borough mayor François Croteau switched alliances, moving from Vision Montreal, the official opposition at city hall, to Projet Montréal.

Projet Montréal is now represented in Rosemont-la Petite Patrie by three councillors and the borough mayor.