MONTREAL – Montreal will have its next interim mayor – the third mayor in less than a year – early next week.
The city clerk’s office has announced a vote will be held during a special meeting of council next Tuesday.
A handful of councillors have been named as potential successors to Michael Applebaum, who stepped down as interim mayor after being arrested on corruption-related charges.
For now, the city’s pro-mayor will be acting mayor until next week’s vote.
Councillors will have until Friday afternoon to put forth their candidacy, with a vote to come after the long holiday weekend in Quebec.
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A handful of councillors have said they’ll spend this week weighing whether or not to run.
The next interim mayor might not hold the post for long: a municipal vote is scheduled for November and none of the presumed contenders are seeking the temporary job.
There are currently 62 active city councillors on the 65-seat council and the new interim mayor must be chosen from among them. Of the sitting councillors, 41 sit as independents.
Applebaum, the man he replaced, Gerald Tremblay, and a long-time municipal politician, Claude Trudel, have all quit their seats in the past year.
Applebaum was arrested by anti-corruption police on Monday and told he was facing criminal charges related to city business dealings in his former neighbourhood.
He faces 14 charges, but Applebaum says he’s innocent.
Watch a round up of videos on the Montreal mayor’s arrest, charges and resignation here.
Applebaum won the interim job last November with the promise of a multi-party coalition and a vow to root out corruption.
He had replaced Tremblay, a three-term mayor, late last year after the latter resigned in scandal following damning testimony at Quebec’s corruption inquiry.
Applebaum is to appear in court later this year.
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