MASCOUCHE, Que. – Despite criminal charges and calls for his resignation, Richard Marcotte is refusing to step down as mayor of Mascouche, a city 40 minutes north-east or Montreal.
Marcotte made a brief appearance at Mascouche city council meeting on Monday night, which will allow him to hold onto his seat and salary for at least three more months.
Despite being booed by constituents, with a police escort, the mayor managed to make his way past protesters into the town hall.
Hundreds of frustrated residents showed up to attend the meeting but only a handful were let in.
Despite the loud calls for his resignation, Mascouche’s mayor stayed long enough to officially open the meeting before being asked to leave.
It’s what he needed to do under the election law – in order to hold onto his seat and salary for another 90 days.
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Many residents were upset to see the show of solidarity between city councillors.
“The whole team should resign,” says George Domigues.
He, like many other residents, were upset to see the show of solidarity between city councillors.
Especially in a case where the mayor is facing a long list of criminarl charges including fraud, breach of trust, corruption and conspiracy.
“He came here, ” Domigue continued. “All the people don’t want him – it’s not one person, it’s not 100 people, it’s all the population of the city of Mascouche.”
Richard Marcotte’s troubles began long before his arrest in April 2012.
Just last week, Quebec’s municipal affairs ministry released a damning report on the way contracts are awarded in Mascouche.
In 2010, Marcotte was kicked out of his political party and expelled from the Quebec Federation of Municipalities’ Board of Directors.
The leader of the opposition in Mascouche is now calling on Quebec’s Municipal Affairs minister to step in.
The next elections in Mascouche are in November and many residents feel that the situation cannot continue until then.
Francois Marchand, a lawyer from Quebec City told Global News that the province ought to consider putting the city under trusteeship.
“I’m surprised by the reaction of the minister of Municipal Affairs – he could do something to correct the situation.”
In an interview with a local newspaper on Tuesday, Richard Marcotte suggested this saga is an attempt by the opposition to overturn the Mascouche.
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