Councillors in Mascouche are taking steps to replace mayor Richard Marcotte after his resignation was officially accepted.
City Council met Monday night in its first public meeting since Marcotte made his announcement on Nov. 30, 2012.
Marcotte was charged in April with fraud, corruption, breach of trust and conspiracy to award municipal contracts, but said the main reason he was stepping down was because of the severe illness of a family member.
Now the Mascouche city council, like the cities of Montreal and Laval, must choose an interim mayor from amongst their ranks.
That decision will be made on Dec. 18, 2012, but residents like Micheline Laliberte think little will change.
"Marcotte did a lot of things that were wrong, but he wasn't alone," said Laliberte. "If we can change things it's going to mean everything to me."
Lucie Naud is also sceptical.
"Most of them should leave because they were there when all this happened, so I don't believe that they didn't know exactly what was going on," Naud said.
Councillor Lise Gagnon would like to become interim mayor, and says the way the administration awards contracts will be different.
"The way we award contracts, the way we analyze services has charged. We're already started changing the way we do things," said Gagnon.
Guillaume Tremblay is concentrating on running in 2013, and the former city councillor and Parti Quebecois MNA said he will be transparent and honest.
"We still have some projects that lack transparency so I'll bring back that transparency," said Tremblay.
Other candidates planning for the future are focussing on restoring pride to a city whose image was tarnished by a series of arrests.
