Plateau politics might assume a different tone now
Mayor-elect Rabouin says he has a different style, approach than ex-mayor Ferrandez
Less than 24 hours after the landslide byelection victory that crowned him the Plateau– Mont-Royal’s next mayor, Luc Rabouin sat in as an observer at Monday evening’s borough council meeting.
He may be the guy voters resoundingly chose to fill the shoes of Luc Ferrandez, who quit politics midway through his third mandate in May. But Rabouin can’t officially assume his new duties until he is sworn in later this week. A little more patience, and a brief pause to catch his breath, is thus in order.
Still, a new Luc is eager to take charge in the Plateau.
Will it be business as usual in the borough where Projet Montréal got its start and continues to dominate? Or will it be a departure from the reign of Ferrandez — a tenure many Montrealers, mainly from beyond the Plateau, loved to complain about?
According to Rabouin, it will be a bit of both.
“I didn’t run to replace Mr. Ferrandez. I ran to be mayor of the Plateau–Mont-Royal,” Rabouin said, a line that must be well-honed after his campaign, but which he may find himself relying on for a while yet.
“I have a very strong mandate. So I’ll be doing things more my way.”
As Rabouin makes abundantly clear, he shares his predecessor’s overarching vision of a greener, safer, more inclusive borough, where there is less reliance on the personal automobile, more public transit, more cycling lanes and more secure urban design to protect seniors and children.
That said, Plateau politics under Rabouin’s leadership may assume a different tone now that the always colourful, often bombastic, sometimes polarizing Ferrandez has departed.
“We don’t have the same approach. We don’t share the same style,” said Rabouin, who calls himself more of a uniter and more prone to consulting and seeking input. “That doesn’t mean everything will be done by consensus, though. We’ll listen and then we’ll decide.”
But Rabouin was quick to emphasize this difference is in no way a knock against his predecessor.
Ferrandez had to be more forceful to enact his agenda when he took office in 2009, Rabouin noted.
Ferrandez himself has said he never expected to win a second term, let alone a third, so his initial mission was to go as far as he could, as fast as he could, in the time he was given. This meant that he governed without fear of ruffling feathers or angering people.
Rabouin said views have since evolved so that implementing the kind of policies Ferrandez pioneered has become that much easier — in the Plateau, at least. The increasing share of the vote reaped by the all-Projet Montréal borough council attests to that. Rabouin was elected with 67 per cent of the vote, significant support considering typically lacklustre byelection turnout.
Among his top priorities will be working with local merchants, many of whom are suffering in a tough retail environment. While in the past many have been quick to blame the borough and city administrations for causing harm by taking away parking spots, changing the direction of streets and putting in cycling lanes, Rabouin said he wants to institute a new partnership.
His strategy will be to focus on making local businesses the go-to destination for residents.
“People don’t come from Laval to shop for a lamp any more,” he said. “A lot of people are shopping online, including Plateau residents who say they support their local businesses.”
The challenge, he said, is to recognize this shift in clientele and take steps to draw customers from the surrounding neighbourhood, like installing more bike racks where they can park or ensuring the sidewalks are in good condition.
He plans to be involved with an upcoming city-wide consultation on the needs of small and medium-size businesses.
He will also work to prevent the conversion of housing into short-term vacation rentals through sites like Airbnb, push for more social and affordable housing in a borough that is becoming more expensive to live in, and continue greening public spaces, large and small.
And since the Plateau borough mayor also sits on city council, where Projet Montréal has a majority, Rabouin will make his presence felt throughout Montreal.
“I want the Plateau to continue to be the spearhead of ecological transition, but I want to help achieve this across Montreal,” he said.
“And it has to be a just transition. That’s something that concerns me very much. We don’t want Montreal to be greener just for the rich. We want Montreal to be greener for everyone.”