Montreal mayoralty upset signals change in politics: analyst
MONTREAL — Valérie Plante’s election as Montreal mayor sends a clear message that people are tired of old-style politics, a political scientist says.
Concordia University’s Daniel Salée described former mayor Denis Coderre as “a sort of grumpy old bear” who thought he knew what was best for Montreal.
“Coderre is an old politician in a sense that his approach is one that’s been favoured by the older generation of politicians, which is essentially smear campaigns and attacking or essentially trying to delegitimize the positions of their adversaries,” Salée said in an interview Monday.
Enter Plante who, with her constant smile, appeared to connect with Montrealers over the last few months on her way to becoming the city’s first female mayor.
While Montreal’s economy boomed during his mandate, Coderre was often branded by opponents as an arrogant leader who made hasty decisions with little consultation.
“Listen, to be arrogant is to be determined,” Coderre said, adding it’s not easy running a city with a $5-billion budget and 28,000 employees. “Sometimes you have to have somebody who can take the heat and can make a difference.”
Plante’s victory is considered historic in a city where municipal politics has long been maledominated.
Youssef Amane, Plante’s press secretary, said Plante, 43, began a pre-election campaign back in August and has been on the hustings non-stop for three months.
Plante, who was born in Rouyn-Noranda in northwestern Quebec, spent a year as a teenager in North Bay, Ont., to learn English.
She moved to Montreal at the age of 19 and attended university, where she received degrees in anthropology and museology.
She then worked for several non-profit organizations.
Plante entered municipal politics in 2013 when she won a council seat in a contest that pitted her against former provincial cabinet minister Louise Harel.
In 2016, she was elected leader of the left-leaning party Projet Montréal.
The mother of two began the mayoral race as a relative unknown but opinion polls showed her steadily gaining on Coderre as the campaign continued.
Her signature campaign promise was the new subway line that would link the city’s densely populated northeast to downtown.