The longest federal election in Canadian history is over. Now residents of the City of Côte Saint-Luc can look forward to a by-election for Mayor. Anthony Housefather will chair his final council meeting Wednesday evening, October 21 at City Hall before being sworn in as the next Liberal Member of Parliament for Mount Royal.
I have been privileged to serve on Anthony`s council for the past 10 years. His departure is a heavy loss for us. But one of his many strengths has been an ability to empower members of council. From the get-go he established a set of de facto cabinet ministers, placing us in charge of specific portfolios and allowing us to lead. He operated by consensus and I know that in my case I learned a lot from him. So whomever fills his shoes – I expect someone from our present council – they will be well prepared to govern. In the interim, Councillor Glenn J. Nashen will serve as acting mayor. Who will run? I can only confirm that it won’t be me. I am quite content as the councillor for District 2, overseeing the Library, Sponsorship and Animal Protection portfolios.
It is regrettable that the Mount Royal election became so divisive. I do hope we can all move on together as a community. Because of my loyalty and respect for Anthony, I became actively involved in a federal campaign for the first time in my life. Our entire council stepped forward in this regard. It resulted in the loss of a close friendship I had for many years with a die hard Tory. I also had some neighbours, people I consider good friends, become very mean spirited towards me without any provocation.
I believe now former Prime Minister Stephen Harper did the Canadian public a disservice by calling a 78 day election campaign. Not only did it probably double the cost of a normal election, but he dug his own political grave by giving Trudeau a chance to grow.
Anthony Housefather worked tirelessly for this job. He took nothing for granted. Both his camp and Robert Libman’s of the Tories had some of the most devoted volunteers I have ever seen. In the case of Anthony, I must single out a few people: Sidney Margles, Dan Pfeffer, Sonny Moroz, Bonnie Feigenbaum, Marvin Rotrand, Mitchell, Andrew and Elaine Brownstein, Mark Merson, Toby Shulman, Mena Morganti, Brian Wolofsky, Martin Bogante and an endless array of cultural community leaders. A lot was made of the “Jewish vote” and Harper’s support for Israel. Nobody can discount the tremendous friend Harper has been to Israel. But by making this the overwhelming issue in the campaign, it was simply not enough to win the riding.
Congratulations to all!
See Councillor (Acting Mayor) Glenn J. Nashen's blog.