Sue Montgomery wins CDN-NDG mayoralty in tight race

Projet Montréal's Sue Montgomery will be the new mayor of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

It was a tight race that remained too close to call until late Sunday night, but with just four polls left to report, Montgomery pulled ahead of incumbent Russell Copeman, winning by four percentage points.

The final results have Montgomery garnering 48 per cent of the vote, while incumbent Russell Copeman took 44 per cent.

Zaki Ghavitan, the candidate for Coalition Montréal, finished with nine per cent of the vote.

"It was very, very close. It was neck and neck all along," said Montgomery from Projet Montréal HQ Sunday night. "I think that we dealt with the issues that people in CDN-NDG care about."

Montgomery, a former journalist with the Montreal Gazette, ran on a platform prioritizing roadwork, local businesses, housing and more green spaces for families.​

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This isn't the first time Montgomery has stepped into the political arena, running for the NDP nomination in the federal riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount in 2015. 

She ultimately lost to Jim Hughes in a hotly contested race to face off against current Liberal MP and federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau.

Montgomery most recently worked as the senior communications adviser to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.​

Disappointment for Copeman

Incumbent Copeman tweeted out his congratulations to his opponent Sunday night.

He originally ran and was elected on a Coalition Montréal ticket in 2013 but he left to join Équipe Denis Coderre last year.

He is one of several Équipe Denis Coderre incumbents who lost their positions this election, along with the former Montreal mayor himself.

Incumbent councillors hang on

It wasn't a total loss for Équipe Denis Coderre candidates, with Lionel Perez taking his seat by 42 per cent.

Two other incumbent Projet candidates, Magda Popeanu and Peter McQueen, both held on to their seats taking 55 per cent and 66 per cent of the votes respectively.

Projet Montréal's Christian Arseneault was also on track to be elected, with a 12-point lead over his closest rival, Équipe Coderre's Gabriel Retta, trouncing incumbent Jeremy Searle, who took just 12 per cent of the vote.

Marvin Rotrand, leader of Coalition Montréal, also secured his seat in the Snowdon district with 41 per cent of the vote. The veteran city councillor has represented the district since 1982.

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Neighbouring cities' results

In the Montreal suburb of Côte Saint-Luc, Mitchell Brownstein was been re-elected, beating former mayor and MNA Robert Libman.

Incumbent Christina Smith was elected as mayor of Westmount, with a comfortable lead over her two opponents.

• Incumbent Christina Smith easily elected mayor of Westmount

​William Steinberg was acclaimed as mayor of Hampstead, and Philippe Roy was acclaimed as mayor of the Town of Mont-Royal.