I officially declare my candidacy for re-election to City Council on November 5, 2017

I am pleased to formally announce that I will seek a fourth term as the city councillor for District 2 in Côte Saint-Luc. Municipal elections are on Sunday, November 5, 2017. The Director General of Elections has authorized my candidature and I am honoured to have Reuben Spector back as my official agent and campaign manager. I wish to thank my family for their continued support.

With Alvin Fishman at the new fitness room of the ACC.

Born and raised in Côte Saint-Luc, I have a long record of involvement in the community as a participant in municipal programming, a volunteer, a journalist and a consultant for city and borough hall. I attended elementary and high school in Côte Saint-Luc. In addition to my role on city council, I serve as the communications and marketing specialist for the English Montreal School Board and write for several publications including The Suburban, The Jewish Standard, Montreal Jewish Magazine and The Montrealer.

With constituents Jason Ullmann and Brad Levine.

I was first elected to serve as the city councillor for District 2 in 2005 and won that election with 92 percent of the vote. Constituents subsequently delivered votes of confidence for me and as a result I was acclaimed to office once again in 2009 and 2013.

I work hard for my constituents, having been the first councillor to introduce annual District Town Hall meetings. I respond to numerous phone calls and emails each week and meet regularly with constituents, notably via my walkabouts within the district. I do not wait for an election every four years to knock on doors. This is done consistently throughout my four years in office.  I am fortunate to have a strong presence in the media, via my weekly columns in the newspaper (which includes my photo) and consistent media appearances via my role as spokesman for the EMSB. When I first knocked on doors 12 years ago, I did not have to introduce myself.

With constituent Dr. Marvin Steinberg

L’amélioration du processus de communication

Quand j’ai été élu il y a près de douze ans, avec une majorité de 92 pour cent, un de mes premiers engagements visait l’amélioration du processus de communication entre la ville et les résidants. Nous avons commencé par mettre en place un service des Affaires publiques et communications dirigé de façon professionnelle. Un nouveau site Web a été lancé ainsi qu’un bulletin d’information en ligne. Le Courrier de Côte Saint-Luc, le journal qui était une tradition dans cette ville avant les quatre années de la fusion avec Montréal, a été ramené à la vie. J’ai cru nécessaire d’avoir aussi un bulletin propre à chaque district qui serait distribué porte à porte une fois l’an.

J’ai mis en oeuvre une autre promesse importante en instaurant les rencontres d’information du district 2. Ainsi, une ou deux fois par année, j’invite tous mes électeurs à l’hôtel de ville ou à un autre emplacement au sein du district pour échanger et en savoir plus sur les questions urgentes qui affectent notre voisinage immédiat. Ces rencontres ont connu beaucoup de succès; elles sont bien appréciées et beaucoup de gens y assistent. En fait, quelques-uns de mes collègues au conseil municipal ont commencé à s’inspirer de cette idée. Pour moi, frapper aux portes une fois tous les quatre ans n’est pas suffisant.

At a Maison Fleuries Awards ceremony.

Campaign team already in place

District 2 is composed of  highrise condominiums,  town house condominiums,  residential apartment buildings and three streets with single family homes. My re-election team is already in place and consists of multiple campaign representatives from every one of these locations; people whom I have worked regularly with for over a decade. District 2, which is where I have lived for 22 years, encompasses Merrimac, Rembrandt., Kildare (between Rembrandt and Marc Chagall), Sir Walter Scott, Ilan Ramon, Marc Chagall, Mackle (between Cavendish and Brandeis), Quartier Cavendish Mall, Jubilee, Park Place, Cavendish (Manoir Montefiore, Manoir Camelia, L’Excelsior) and Honoré-de-Balzac.

I am proud of my record, which I will  elaborate upon in future communications.

MNA David Birnbaum presents me with a cheque for the Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee.

Please log on and subscribe to my blog at http://www.mikecohen.ca. If you would like to join my campaign team, please email info@mikecohen.ca.