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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