Gracia Kasoki Katahwa stuns Lionel Perez to be elected Côte-des-Neiges-NDG mayor – Montreal
The return of Valérie Plante as Montreal mayor was not the one devastating defeat for Denis Coderre’s Ensemble Montreal celebration.
Sunday night time, Lionel Perez declared victory over Projet Montréal candidate Gracia Kasoki Katahwa within the Côte-des-Neiges-NDG mayoral race, however the votes had not all been counted but.
In spite of everything was mentioned and carried out, Projet Montréal gained by just some dozen votes.
Katahwa was solely declared the victor late Monday morning. When Plante discovered about her candidate’s inconceivable victory as she was wrapping up a press convention simply earlier than midday, she screamed in pleasure.
“We’re coming dwelling! We’re coming dwelling, NDG-Côte-des-Neiges,” she exclaimed, as she hugged and high-fived group members surrounding her.
Katawa, a former nurse on the Jewish Basic and St. Mary’s Hospitals, mentioned she had an identical response when she discovered the information,
“I yelled!” she mentioned, earlier than breaking into joyous laughter.
The extent of enthusiasm of each seemingly has one thing to do with Perez prematurely declaring victory Sunday night time.
“I’m very happy with the marketing campaign I led domestically, clearly it had resonance with the inhabitants,” he advised World Information at Ensemble Montreal’s election night time headquarters within the borough on Sunday.
Main by a number of hundred votes about an hour after polls had closed, Perez known as himself the winner. So did some media organizations, together with World Information.
Because the night time went on, nevertheless, and extra votes had been counted, Katawa stored chipping away on the lead.
“My group, they advised me, ‘You realize, dangle in there. We’re undecided that is over but,’” she recounted.
The morning got here and Perez’s lead stored shrinking. After the final polling station was counted the previous nurse had gained by 83 votes. The margin of victory was later modified to 177 votes.
“We made historical past at present,” Katahwa mentioned. “Côte-des-Neiges-NDG elected a Projet Montreal administration, and that which means rather a lot to us. It’s actually, actually vital to make it possible for we’re in a position to transfer ahead with the work that we’ve got to do right here.”
NDG councillor Peter McQueen was re-elected, and mentioned he was comforting Katahwa when issues seemed bleak. He knew votes in his Projet Montreal-friendly district had been being counted later.
“I used to be assured that she was going to climb and it might get shut,” he advised World Information.
A recount shouldn’t be computerized. Elections Montreal explains it must be requested by somebody who believes there was foul play or inaccurate counting. On Monday Perez wouldn’t affirm he supposed to ask for one. He was not made accessible to touch upon the ultimate end result.
Longtime Snowdon councillor Marvin Rotrand, an ally of Perez’s, mentioned he believes there can be a recount.
“This can be a loss for Montreal for a variety of causes,” mentioned Rotrand. “Lionel Perez is the plain individual to proceed as chief of the opposition. I believe virtually everybody considers him a gentleman, clever, cogent with a particularly good data of municipal governance.”
He questioned how many individuals within the space even know Katahwa.
In the meantime, the brand new mayor plans to hit the bottom operating.
Rotrand criticized her for residing in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, however Katahwa defined Monday she had grown up in NDG.
“I come from right here and I needed to depart as a result of I had to return to highschool full time, and housing might be costly right here. That’s why I needed to depart,” she defined.
One in every of her first orders of enterprise can be to maneuver again to the borough she grew up in, and assault the issue that pressured her depart.
© 2021 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
