Team Tremblay or New Vision Montreal?
Searle's World Reports
The troubling role of Richard Bergeron
Ralph Nader gave us George Bush and now Richard Bergeron and his one-man Projet Montreal municipal party wants to give us another four years of Gérald Tremblay. Ralph Nader could have done the American people a great service and promoted his laudable environmental agenda by running for congress and not confusing the presidential race. Similarly, Richard Bergeron could do us all a favour by running for a city councillor spot next year instead of muddying up the mayoralty race and thus working once again for Tremblay.
City administrations are primarily about getting the garbage picked up on time, removing the snow promptly, maintaining the roads and providing police, fire and public transit services. To have the city run efficiently in the interests of us all we need competent public service oriented administrators at city hall who are concerned with the everyday details which affect our lives. Clearly, Gérald Tremblay is not up to the task, but will it be possible to replace him next year or will continuing voter confusion and apathy conspire to keep him in office?
The good news from the municipal front is that we may still yet be able to have a serious contended election next year in Montreal with real options to choose between. With the emergence of Ville Marie Borough Mayor Benoit Labonté as the soon-to-be head of New Vision Montreal the break with the separatist Pierre Bourque will be complete and a real race for the mayoralty can be contemplated.
However, by promoting large unrealistic projects (such as the never-to-be-built tramway on Park Avenue) Richard Bergeron helps to shield Tremblay from criticism by distracting attention away from the neglected everyday maintenance work that our city desperately needs. By promoting the reduction of our already feeble daytime traffic volumes he distracts attention from the need to fix our badly designed intersections and to install traffic light sequences that do not create unnecessary traffic back-ups. This again draws attention away from Tremblay's failure to address these fundamental issues. And since vote splitting benefits the incumbent. Bergeron's plan to run for mayor again, with no more than a Nader-like chance of winning, makes him Tremblay's most important ongoing ally. It's time for Richard Bergeron to take a good hard look in the mirror and start working for Montreal rather than for Gérald Tremblay.
Gérald Tremblay has spent seven years on the job and it would be hard to find any Montrealer who believes that he has performed well or that he has improved the condition of our city during his period in office. Indeed, it is not quite clear just what it is that he does during his long days at city hall. However, perhaps it should not be surprising that Tremblay and team are so out of touch with Montreal's needs since he and at least three of his top people are defeated or failed provincial Liberal MNAs transplanted to the local scene presumably in order to keep the pay cheques flowing.
Next year, when Montreal goes to the polls we will have the opportunity to select the most capable team with the necessary management skills and the willpower to start getting our infrastructure repaired and our city back on its feet but only if we are offered clear choices. Perhaps the Tremblay team will by then appear to be that best choice but, if not, it would be best to enter the election without the confusion and apathy of the last time around. We all, I hope, care deeply about environmental concerns and our city has long been a leader in this area but these issues will continue to be addressed whoever wins the next election. The question is – who will best be able to implement programs and manage the city with your personal interests at heart. After all, the municipality is only there to take your tax dollars and, in return, to provide you with services while maintaining and regulating the city.
Under normal circumstances two failed terms in office would automatically result in the expulsion of the party in power and its replacement with the new group waiting in the wings (which would hopefully have learned from the mistakes of the outgoing group). However, Montrealers are still confused from the recent mergers and demergers and from the invention of ‘little mayors' for the boroughs as well as from the circus-like atmosphere of the last election and a little clarity is what is called for.
Next year, we need to see Team Tremblay or New Vision Montreal in office. You will be the judge but I invite you to not be distracted by the ‘Naders' and to turn this election into a contest of real choices and real opportunities.
JEREMY SEARLE
To comment: jeremy.searle@sympatico.ca
Article submitted Wednesday, April 16, 2008 & read 125 times.
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