Montreal City Weblog

Kate 09:09 on 2020-10-30 Permalink Reply  

• david422 13:21 on 2020-10-30 Permalink

  I think there’s basically only one way to run Montreal effectively, call it the “iron law,” which is to be a strong mayor who’s highly visible on 4-5 major and undivisive files that capture the public imagination, and then spends the rest of the time fixing pot-holes and basically managing the status quo. Taking any position on any divisive hot button issue is a loser, and any progressive change on these files should be done incrementally.

  How does this play out in practice? The major files are obvious: think about Tremblay’s QdS. It costs a lot of money, but that’s the only real line of attack. Perfect. Coderre’s Bonaventure freeway demolition is the same. No manufactured loss in traffic volumes, and a nice shiny new park. Plante had one of these in the pink line, but inexplicably blew it.

  More than any other single issue, Coderre was brought down by the electric grand prix thing – this was a ‘public imagination’ misjudgment, wherein the cost turned it into a hot button issue. This happened to Plante with the street closure plan on the Mount.

  I think there’s some sort of internal tension in the party where you’ve got a bunch of activists who have a lot of ideas and want to get stuff done, but the people immediately surrounding Plante understand the “iron law” of running Montreal, and want to obey it. Basically, she has to wrangle or replace caucus members who won’t get onside with how Montreal just wants to be run. It’s tough being on top.

• david422 13:48 on 2020-10-30 Permalink

  And, unfortunately, it’s probably too late for Plante to change much up. That Camillien Houde thing was so damaging precisely because it distilled and catalyzed an opinion about her priorities, much in the same way that the electric grand prix did for Coderre’s autocratic and profligate rule.

  She won’t be getting a covid boost, and she can’t even really propose a big new project to distract everyone, because she doesn’t have the credibility, and city revenues are about to collapse. Coderre, when he announced a big project, you knew that it would happen – which was part of the problem – and he had the political connections to get matching funds. So not Plante’s in a position where she’s dropped the popular high profile stuff, kept the hot button stuff, and the smaller bore stuff – which they’ve done very well – may not be enough to see her returned to office.

  And she’s managing a caucus that wants to be a lot more active (ie. hot button).