Lionel Perez to run for borough mayor in Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Backed by Denis Coderre, Perez will face off against incumbent Sue Montgomery
Lionel Perez, the leader of the opposition at Montreal city hall, is running for mayor in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce as part of Denis Coderre's party.
Perez will face off against incumbent Sue Montgomery. He has been city councillor for the Darlington district for the past 12 years.
During that time, he took over as interim borough mayor for one year, from November 2012 to November 2013, after Michael Applebaum was appointed mayor of Montreal.
Perez served as leader of Ensemble Montréal from 2017 until recently, when he stepped aside for Coderre, who is running as mayor of Montreal once again.
Perez, a lawyer specializing in business and information technology law, said in a statement he wants to put his "inclusive and collaborative vision, with leadership focused on solutions, at the service of the entire borough."
He said improving services and quality of life will be at the forefront of his priorities.
Projet Montréal has yet to name a candidate in the race. Montgomery was removed from the party earlier this year for refusing to fire her chief of staff following a harassment investigation by the city's comptroller general.
Montgomery will run in the next election under her own, newly formed party, Courage.