Outgoing Montreal mayor Laurent Blanchard is giving some political advice to his successor: don’t try and do everything overnight.
The 43rd mayor will have served 131 days by Election Day on November 3rd, but he insists that’s long enough to understand that Montreal is a big machine with 29,000 employees and making changes could take weeks or months.
Blanchard was making the comments after holding a press conference – perhaps for the last time as mayor – from city hall late Wednesday morning.
Blanchard is the third mayor in less than one year to run the city.
His predecessors, Gérald Tremblay and Michael Applebaum were forced to resign amidst political scandals that had been rocking city hall in recent years.
Applebaum was arrested on June 17 while sitting as mayor and faces multiple charges relating to corruption.
One city hall analyst says Blanchard is right that there will be a transition period before the incoming mayor can hit the ground running.
But Karim Boulos isn’t impressed with the election priorities of the four front runners.
Boulos argues cleaning up city hall and running on a platform of integrity is expected.
Voters will elect a new mayor Sunday.
The swearing in ceremony is scheduled for November 14th but the mayor-elect can move up the date.
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