Montreal Mayor Michael Applebaum Pressure to resign

Interim Montreal Mayor Michael Applebaum is under tremendous pressure to resign from his post following his arrest on criminal charges of fraud, breach of trust and corruption.

The political future of the 50-year-old political veteran appears to be measured in hours now after a chorus of angry calls that stretched from the municipal hustings, to Montreal city hall to Quebec City.

“In the circumstances, it would surely be preferable that he resign from the post that he currently holds,” said Quebec Premier PaulineMarois.

It was a stunning turn of events for the man who, only seven months ago, was selected by a majority of Montreal city councillors to step into the void left when former Montreal mayor Gérald Tremblay left office. Tremblay quit under a cloud of accusations that his political party had run a vast and illegal political financing scheme and looked the other way as corruption took hold.

Applebaum became the first anglophone in 100 years to hold the mayor’s office, even if it was with the promise that he wouldn’t use the post as a beachhead for next November’s municipal election.

Those who had entrusted him with their vote said Monday they were shocked and scandalized.

Citycouncillor Marvin Rotrand, one of Applebaum’s staunchestsupporters, said he was in a state of shock.

“It’s very difficult to understand,” he said, according to La Presse. “He’s someone who follows the law. The idea that he could have received compensation for a zoning change is unbelievable.”

The idea that Montreal could be placed under trusteeship, a situation that occurred after former Laval mayor Gilles Vaillancourt was arrested along with 36 others last month, was quickly ruled out by Marois, who cited the presence of several opposition parties who are already running the city in coalition.

But political figures in Montreal are agreed on one thing: the next municipal election this fall cannot come soon enough.

“It’s an extremely difficult moment to live through,” said mayoral candidate Denis Coderre, the former federal Liberal cabinet minister. “There will be an election in four months. We will have a new administration on Nov. 3.”

Source: thestar.com

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