Sunday, November 1, 2009

And Let the Games Begin - The Weirdo, The Separatist and the Scandal Ridden Incumbent

The polls of Montreal's municipal elections have come to a close with three candidates virtually neck and neck with each other. Man, what a cast of characters it is!


We have Louise Harel, a separatist who was instrumental in that whole forced  merger of Montreal debacle and will more than likely cut services. Her former right hand man, Benoit Labonte was caught lying about his relationship with a business man who was awarded some municipal contracts. He resigned in disgrace. He later told Radio-Canada that City Hall was run like the Mafia.


She claims she will 'broom' city-hall. All well and good, but as I mentioned above, she doesn't have clean hands.


Our incumbent, Gerald Tremblay, mired in so much scandal who said he would raise property taxes come January in order to maintain services. The highlight  of  Maclean's the past week: 
"Montreal is a corrupt, crumbling, Mob-ridden disgrace."


Between the two candidates mired in scandal or can't seem to shake off baggage from the past; a third candidate, the dark horse, who is now neck and neck at last count who just may squeak through.


Enter our third candidate and would probably be the most fun: Richard Bergeron, a quirky sort and an Islam convert who had all kinds of conspiracy theories like George W Bush and 9/11: 


"...terrorists might not have been behind 9/11. He said "two of the four crashes are particularly suspicious. Photos of the Pentagon and Pennsylvania crash sites never show debris of downed planes, he said. He speculated the Bush administration carried out the attacks as an "act of state banditry of titanic proportions" - that is, it used them as a pretext for invading Iraq and controlling its oil reserves."


Here is how he justifies his smoking to La Pressehe smokes to stay healthy because, he said, it reduces his lung capacity and keeps him from injuring himself when he runs marathons too fast.


He is also considered the "green" candidate and it seems he would no doubt take this city to the  left. He got my vote. Strange conspiracy theories and all. He just won me over. I hope that the Harel and Tremblay race will be tied that Berjeron comes squeaking through.  Wouldn't that be fun?


Right now, as I listen to the results on the radio, it seems the pundits are speculating that Tremblay and his 'mafioso' type scandals will squeak through, but Bergeron and Harel's party members will  have more seats.  If that happens, City Hall will become very interesting. Will they ever be able to get anything done??


As mentioned earlier, the polls are now closed: let the games begin! Who said municipal politics had to be boring?

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