LAVAL, Que. – A mayor’s 23-year reign running the city next to Montreal could be drawing to a close today, which would cap the end of a political record so dominant that his critics refer to him as, “The Monarch.”
Embroiled in a provincewide corruption scandal, the mayor of Laval, Que., is set to make an announcement on his political future this afternoon at 2 p.m.
Gilles Vaillancourt, who since 1989 has steamrollered the competition in municipal elections, has been rumoured to be on the verge of resigning his post.
A statement from the city says he will address reporters to provide “an update on his situation.”
If he quits, ongoing corruption scandals will have left one-quarter of Quebecers temporarily living in cities without a mayor – given that Montreal’s Gerald Tremblay resigned last week.
Vaillancourt, 72, has been on sick leave since Oct. 24.
Meanwhile, Quebec’s anti-corruption unit has closed in on Laval in recent weeks, raiding numerous engineering firms and businesses in addition to Vaillancourt’s own home, condo, offices and his bank safety-deposit boxes.
Vaillancourt’s name has also been mentioned in ongoing testimony before Quebec’s Charbonneau inquiry into corruption.
Former construction boss Lino Zambito testified that Vaillancourt received a kickback on contracts handed out in Laval.
Vaillancourt has denied the allegations.
He has also denied past allegations that he offered bribes to people involved in provincial politics.
Laval police had a police car stationed outside Vaillancourt’s home early today.
A police spokesman said it was purely to maintain order after a reporter had gone onto the property the previous day in an effort to speak to the mayor.
Const. Frank Di Genova said it wasn’t Vaillancourt that made the request.
Montreal mayor
Allegations that the Montreal mayor turned a blind eye to illicit financing of his own municipal party prompted Tremblay to resign last Monday as mayor there. Tremblay also denied the allegations, but said he was quitting for the good of the city.
Unlike Vaillancourt, the former Montreal mayor has never been accused of personally pocketing money.
Montreal still faces a leadership crisis, following the mayor’s departure.
Reports say the city’s No. 2 could be quitting out of frustration with his colleagues – not only because he was passed over as a candidate for interim mayor, but also because he opposes a plan to push ahead with Tremblay’s 3.3 per cent hike on property taxes.
The city must choose a temporary replacement for Tremblay by next Friday.
In Montreal and in Laval, there can be no snap municipal election under provincial law unless a mayor quits more than a year before the next scheduled vote. The next round of municipal elections will be held in Quebec next November.
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