Pierre Fréchette wants a stable municipal office, more efficient elected officials and an end to internal quarrels
Pierre Fréchette wants a stable municipal office, more efficient elected officials and an end to internal quarrels
The former mayor of Île-du-Grand-Calumet, Pierre Fréchette officially announced that he was going to present his candidacy to run for mayor of this municipality for the elections next November. Pierre Fréchette said he hoped that his candidacy could be focused around a common vision and he especially insisted on eliminating the divisions which marked the last four years within the municipal council of Île-du-Grand-Calumet.
“I wish that my candidacy could bring a new breath, a different way of doing things. It won’t be perfect, but this difference could allow the Island to take off again, put aside fratricidal wars, put aside inappropriate behavior and put aside the fact that elected officials have lost, for some, the fact that they were there to serve the public. I still believe in people’s good faith, I still believe that my candidacy is there to serve the citizen. It will be up to citizens to decide whether I have the necessary tools to be able to move forward on issues or a common vision. I call it my enchanting island or my wonderful island, there is potential. Now, it must be developed ”believes Pierre Fréchette.
In the studio of CHIP 101.9, Pierre Fréchette insisted on several occasions to say that he wanted the municipal council to show “efficiency”. Among other things, he criticized the current council for certain decisions, including the purchase of a boat by the municipality, a decision which was questioned by many citizens, including Pierre Fréchette.
“Buying a vehicle such as a boat, under the pretext that we will use it in the event of a fire for areas less difficult to reach for Île-du-Grand-Calumet, why take a boat tour of an island that is bounded by two dams? I doubt the relevance of this purchase ”asks Pierre Fréchette.
CHIP 101.9 confronted this by adding that council members considered this need to be essential. Pierre Fréchette persists, the essential word in his opinion may be called into question in the current context.
“Who judges and decides that an item is essential? We had a rough time during the floods, but buying a boat for occasional events, I’m confused. I was told that it was also to patrol the river in the event of a boater’s breakdown, but it is not our mandate, it is the mandate of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) ”insists the one who was mayor of Île-du-Grand-Calumet between 2016-2017.
On his resignation as mayor in 2017, he again reiterated what he said at the time, that is, that he criticized members of the municipal council for not respecting the code of ethics of elected municipal officials of the Quebec. “Once again, I feel that the time has come to create something else that will be positive for the citizens of the Island who have suffered enough from internal quarrels and the lack of stability” affirms Pierre Fréchette, who refers to the 7 Director Generals that have followed one another since November 2017, as well as the two cases of elected officials of the municipality who were summoned before the Commission municipale du Québec from 2019 to today.
Recall that the current mayor, Serge Newberry, has already mentioned a few times that he again wished to run for a second term.
The French interview with Pierre Fréchette, is available here.
