Marc Doret has some experience behind him as he prepares for the biggest job of his political career.
The former Dorval councillor of 12 years is the newly-elected mayor of the West Island city.
The city’s chief executive has some big ambitions he wants accomplished over his next four years.
Among them, some major infrastructure work on Lakeshore Road in the Dorval Village.
Doret wants the hydro electric lines buried underground and he plans to have this section of the road entirely rebuilt.
“That’s a big, big project,” he told Global News.
The city’s chief executive also wants to cut property taxes by 2.5 per cent on average for home owners. But he will have to put the city’s financial figures under the microscope in his upcoming budget as expenses to the agglomeration council of Montreal are projected to increase next year.
“We’ve managed our budgets very wisely in the last couple of years. We do have surpluses,” Doret said.
In neighbouring Pointe-Claire, the new mayor, Tim Thomas, is focusing his priority on protecting the Fairview forest from being razed and making room for a proposed housing project next to the REM train station.
Thomas also wants to keep a check on spending increases the West Island city may have to pay to Montreal’s agglomeration council.
“I will do whatever is in the strategic interest of the citizens of Pointe-Claire,” Thomas told Global News.
The agglomeration council meetings are presided over by the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante. The next meeting still hasn’t been scheduled.