It's official. Former longtime Liberal MP Denis Coderre is now mayor of Montreal after being sworn in at a special ceremony Thursday afternoon along with dozens of other elected representatives voted in on November 3.
He becomes the city's 44th mayor and first newly-elected mayor since Gerald Tremblay began his reign on January 1, 2002.
In a speech Thursday Coderret promised is to make Montrealers proud of their city again first by cleaning up City Hall with a new ethics commissioner,
He takes over after a corruption-plagued era, with multiple scandals exposed in Charbonneau commission testimony.
Coderre told his fellow elected officials that they will be required to act in a dignified way because they will be put under high surveillance.
He also reached out to thousands of city employees, repeating that he recognizes the damage they suffered by the scandals in recent years and vowed to defend their interests.
Coderre also said that his priority will be in stimulating the economy and taking a strong stand in his dealings with the provincial government as well as the federal government.
One of his first acts as mayor will be in meeting with the federal infrastructure minister and also with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to discuss the possibility of speeding up the process to replace the Champlain Bridge.
Coderre said that he wants to take the weekend to think about who will be on his Executive Committee, which will comprise 11 members plus himself. He says he is open to working with councillors from all stripes and said that he seeks to include the best people for the job.
