Municipal elections 2017: Lennoxville forum sparks heated discussion
Nearly sixty people came out to the hall of Saint Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Lennoxville on Monday night for an open forum with the candidates running for the borough’s seat on the Sherbrooke City Council. Organized and moderated by members of the Lennoxville Residents’ Association (LRA), the forum opened the floor for locals to bring their questions directly to the candidates prior to this weekend’s municipal election.
Each candidate was given a maximum of two minutes to introduce themselves and explain their reasons for seeking the borough’s top job.
Claude Charron, who has served as a borough councilor for the district of Fairview over last four years, highlighted his background of involvement with the community. He said that succeeding outgoing President David Price was his goal from day one after being elected in 2013 and said that he has treated the last four years as training.
Michael Labarre, Lennoxville candidate for the Sherbrooke Citoyen party, introduced himself as “one of your neighbours.” He traced his interest in municipal government back to his involvement with the Mouvement Sherbrooke Democratie citizens’ advocacy
group and said that he wants to promote democracy and citizen engagement in the borough.
Linda Boulanger, Uplands district councilor since 2013, said that she has lived in Lennoxville since 1977. Like Charron she called her past mandate a kind of training, but she said that the experience also inspired her to go further to represent her constituents. An attorney by trade, Boulanger argued that she has invaluable skills for someone in the position of Borough President. Although she didn’t mention it in her introduction, residents present later raised the point that she is also the only female candidate for the position. If elected, Boulanger would be the first woman to serve as Borough President.
François-réné Montpetit, the youngest candidate in the race, underlined his education and work history, pointing to studies in international politics at Bishop’s University and the University of Sherbrooke as well as recent work experience at the Canadian embassy in the Netherlands. He said that he brings youthful energy and enthusiasm to the position.
Roy Patterson used his introduction time to promote his position that Lennoxville should separate from Sherbrooke or, at the least, be given more autonomy within the city. He argued that as long as Lennoxville remains a part of Sherbrooke, a loss of community and identity is inevitable.
Following the introductions, event moderator Tim Belford clarified that, in the interest of time, the forum would not take the form of a debate. While recognizing the desire to get an answer to the same question from multiple candidates, Belford pointed out that the process would simply take too long with five individuals at the table.
The LRA came prepared with starter questions for each candidate, touching on matters ranging from the impacts of Montpetit’s affiliation with the political party of current Sherbrooke Mayor Bernard Sévigny to what being Borough President would change for the candidates who have already served as Borough Councilors in the past.
As has been the case with Renouveau Sherbrookois candidates in the past, Montpetit’s ties to Sévigny put him in hot water with some residents, who questioned the degree to which he would put the interests of the Lennoxville community over the Party line. In response to these concerns, the candidate called the Mayor’s party a “team of independents” and argued that there is no real party line. Pressed on the matter he said that he would defend the interests of the people of Lennoxville first if there was a disagreement between a party position and the views of the community.
Charron and Boulanger both faced questions about their past effectiveness on matters of local importance, with the former being asked about why complaints about local issues seem to go unanswered and the latter being pressed for answers on why Atto Street is in poor condition and whether there will ever be a sidewalk installed near Atto-beaver Park. Charron responded to the concerns about complaints by saying that the borough needs the help of residents in ensuring that issues are raised repeatedly. Boulanger, meanwhile, said that although work has been delayed on Atto consistently, a commitment has been made that the road will be redone in the spring. On the Atto Beaver Sidewalk, although she recognized the importance of the issue, she said that the project will not go ahead.
Patterson’s separation plan was critiqued as a pipe dream without clear numbers to back it up. Although the candidate argued against that notion, he did later refer to the position he is running for as one voice on a council of 14 which has little to no interest in Lennoxville, leaving some question as to how he plans to move his ideas forward.
Labarre focused most of his comments on promoting the revitalization of Lennoxville’s downtown and improving traffic and pedestrian safety. He was criticized, however, both on the feasibility of lowering local speed limits and on his defence of municipal workers’ pensions.
Major themes that came up over the course of the forum were road safety, parking, the value and effectiveness of municipal employees, and the needs of “downtown” versus the needs of the area around Saint-francis Street.
In closing, each candidate was asked to share their “action points” for the community, if elected.
Patterson began by saying he would “think big, start small, and move fast” on matters of crosswalk safety and the implementation of a local car sharing program. He also said that he wants to create a plan for Lennoxville in 2050, calling short term planning “a waste of time.”
Montpetit said that he wants to ensure that the “bilingual character” of Lennoxville is maintained through clear and bilingual communication from the city. He also prioritized better and more efficient road work and a healthy coexistence between students at Bishop’s University and local residents.
Boulanger prioritized public security, emphasizing the importance of citizen engagement and reporting. She said she would like to see more money go into local road work and also underlined the importance of clear communication and service in English for the borough.
Labarre promised better financial autonomy for the borough, better services to citizens, and to increase citizen engagement through local decision making.
Charron underlined his support for local community organizations, associations, and volunteers, calling them a vital asset in the community. He also stressed the importance of continuing to establish the neighbourhood watch program.