Raymond Renaud

Raymond Renaud was a politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was mayor of the suburban community of Saint-Leonard from 1984 to 1990, leading the municipal Ralliement de Saint-Léonard party.

Councillor

Renaud was first elected as a Saint-Leonard councillor in 1978.[1] He was re-elected in 1982 as a member of mayor Antonio di Ciocco's Équipe du renouveau de la cité de Saint-Léonard.[2] This group dissolved after Di Ciocco's death, and Renaud formed the Ralliement de Saint-Léonard as a successor party.[3]

Mayor

First term

Renaud was elected as mayor of Saint-Leonard in September 1984, winning a by-election that followed di Ciocco's death. This election was extremely divisive, dominated by a rival candidate's charge that the city had acted improperly in a land purchase; after the vote, Renaud filed libel suits against both of his opponents.[4] Renaud's newly formed Ralliement de Saint-Léonard became the majority party on council in this period, including in its ranks many former members of the defunct Renewal Party.

Shortly after assuming office, Renaud fired his personal secretary on the grounds that she had campaigned for one of his opponents. A Quebec Superior Court judge later ruled that this decision was unjust.[5]

As mayor, Renaud promoted a new arts centre and a renovation project for Jean Talon Street. He reluctantly accepted the city’s decision to withdraw from both projects in June 1985, acknowledging that it had been a mistake to move forward without the provincial government's guarantee of support.[6] He supported a revised Jean Talon Street project, less expensive than the original, later in the same year.[7]

Second term

Renaud was re-elected in the 1986 municipal election, defeating three rivals as his Ralliement de Saint-Léonard party won 10 of 12 seats on council. On election night, Renaud was quoted as saying "The opposition? There is no opposition in St. Leonard."[8] He served a four-year term as mayor and was second vice-president of the regional Montreal Urban Community in 1989–90.[9]

There was a significant protest against Saint-Leonard's tax policies in early 1987.[10] In May 1987, Renaud acknowledged that the city had overtaxed businesses by over one million dollars the previous year and indicated that he would seek redress for the matter.[11]

Renaud lost his council majority in May 1988, when Frank Zampino and seven other Ralliement de Saint-Léonard councillors resigned to sit as independents. The rebels accused Renaud of running the city in an undemocratic fashion, while Renaud responded that the split was due to jealousy and accused his rivals of letting outside forces run the city.[12] Zampino's group established a priority committee to study documents before they were approved by council, and Renaud and Zampino fought for dominance of the municipal government over the next two years.[13]

Zampino defeated Renaud by about four thousand votes in the 1990 municipal election.[14] Renaud did not seek a return to political life after this time.

Federal and provincial politics

Renaud actively supported the Quebec Liberal Party's victory in the 1985 provincial election, arguing that the Liberals would be more amenable to supporting projects in Saint-Leonard than was the previous Parti Québécois government.[15]

In the 1988 Canadian federal election, Renaud supported the Progressive Conservative candidate in Saint-Léonard.[16]

Electoral record
1990 Saint-Leonard mayoral election results
1986 Saint-Leonard mayoral election results
Saint-Leonard mayoral by-election, 30 September 1984
1982 Saint-Leonard municipal election results: Councillor, Ward Five
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References
  1. Amorell Saunders, "Eight St. Leonard city councillors quit mayor's 'undemocratic' party," Montreal Gazette, 5 May 1988, A3.
  2. Montreal Gazette, 8 November 1982, A8.
  3. Debbie Parkes, "Ralliement de Saint-Léonard," Montreal Gazette, 9 October 1986, X8.
  4. Barry Cliff, "Renaud going ahead with suits against political foes; Cases might not be heard during mayor's current term," Montreal Gazette, 16 January 1985, X5.
  5. "Ex-mayor's secretary unjustly fired - court," Montreal Gazette, 2 July 1987, C16.
  6. Barry Kliff, "St. Leonard drops arts centre plans, Jean Talon project," Montreal Gazette, 26 June 1985, X1.
  7. Barry Kliff, "Council studies reviving project for Jean Talon," Montreal Gazette, 3 July 1985, X1; Barry Kliff, "Jean Talon St. project to be delayed until fall," Montreal Gazette, 10 July 1985, X1; Barry Kliff, "Abandoned plans costing city $460,251; Jean Talon renovation, arts centre," Montreal Gazette, 24 July 1985, X1; David Wimhurst, "Scaled-down Jean Talon project is top priority," Montreal Gazette, 28 August 1985, X1.
  8. Debbie Parkes, "Renaud wipes out St. Leonard opposition," Montreal Gazette, 3 November 1986, A8.
  9. "Leduc to head suburbs," Montreal Gazette, 18 April 1989, A3.
  10. "St. Leonard debt up to $77 million," Montreal Gazette, 27 November 1986, X1; Debbie Parkes, "Riot police quell St. Leonard protest; Three arrested as 700 fight property tax hike," Montreal Gazette, 12 February 1987, F8; "1,200 protest new tax bills," Montreal Gazette, 20 February 1987, A3; Elisabeth Kalbfuss, "St. Leonard taxpayers get no satisfaction; Mayor, councillors walk out on 2,000 protesters," Montreal Gazette, 24 February 1987, A1.
  11. Debbie Parkes, "Renaud relents, seeks answers for 'tax mistake'," Montreal Gazette, 28 May 1987, E13.
  12. Amorell Saunders, "Eight St. Leonard city councillors quit mayor's 'undemocratic' party," Montreal Gazette, 5 May 1988, A3; "Renaud says city run from 'outside'," Montreal Gazette, 1 September 1988, B10.
  13. "St. Leonard councillors aim to inform residents," Montreal Gazette, 19 May 1988, E8.; Amorell Saunders, "Renaud: 'I'm in control'," Montreal Gazette, 18 August 1988, D12; Irwin Block, "Breaking the deadlock in St. Leonard; Legislative standoff between mayor, council becomes key issue," Montreal Gazette, 24 October 1990, A6.
  14. Irwin Block, "St. Leonard votes for change as Cote St. Luc re-elects Lang," Montreal Gazette, 5 November 1990, A5; Mike King, "Zampino, 8 councillors acclaimed in St. Leonard; MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS St. Leonard," Montreal Gazette, 18 October 1994, A6.
  15. Debbie Parkes, "St. Leonard mayor sees more help for city in Liberal landslide," Montreal Gazette, 5 December 1985, G1.
  16. William Marsden, "Liberal credits Italian vote in re-election," Montreal Gazette, 22 November 1988, B12.
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