Pointe-Claire’s new mayor John Belvedere settling into new job

John Belvedere is settling in.

Belvedere made history on Nov. 5 when he was elected mayor of Pointe-Claire with 60 per cent of the vote.

He is the first person to be elected as Pointe-Claire’s mayor, without first sitting on council.

“I ran in 2013, knowing that I had a big challenge, that I hadn’t been in council, but that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to run,” he said. “I wanted to come in with new ideas, and not come with any old habits.”

Some of his new ideas include making sure to listen to residents.

He says an important issue for many people in the city is the frequency of garbage pick-up.

He insists that he intends to change that as soon as he can.

READ MORE: Pointe-Claire residents frustrated with new garbage collection schedule

“During my campaign, I proposed changing it seasonally, so we’d be picking up the garbage every week in the summer from April to September,” he said. “But it’s also something we have to bring to council. We have to discuss it.”

Among other things, one of Belvedere’s priorities is to make sure Pointe-Claire has a productive relationship with the Montreal agglomeration council.

READ MORE: Suburban mayors vote down Montreal budget over lack of consultation

That means meeting and building a relationship with Montreal mayor-elect Valérie Plante.

“From what I understand, she wants to come out to the West Island and meet the different mayors, which is really encouraging,” said Belvedere. “So I just want to build up a new relationship and make sure we’re getting what we’re paying for.”