Election round-up
By Robert Frank
www.thesuburban.com
Ste. Anne de Bellevue social media has been abuzz during the past few weeks with allegations about mayoral candidate Paul Chablo’s decade-long work in the real estate sector.
According to Quebec government documents, Chablo registered a business called M.V.P. Immobilier in 2003, seven years before the former Kirkland station commander retired from the Montreal Police service.
“I do sell brand new homes on a part-time basis in the Châteauguay region,” Chablo acknowledged in an interview. “There is no correlation with anything on the island of Montreal.”
Chablo also told The Suburban that he has never been a real estate developer or a real estate agent.
“To be one of those, you have to have a license,” he said, noting that he declared his real estate work annually to Montreal Police management until he retired as a police officer.
“Every year we had to advise our employer of any additional revenue that we earned,” Chablo explained. “I was allowed to perform that function because of the fact that I am not a developer and had no contact with municipal officials in any way. Because of that, I was allowed.”
Chablo deplored what he considers to be gratuitous mudslinging that has marred Ste. Anne de Bellevue’s election campaign.
“Five people have been very slanderous in their terminology,” he complained. “I have collected all their e-mail messages and [social media] postings. I will be bringing them to the attention of the Director General of Elections and my lawyer after the election.”
Chablo alleged that one of the individuals encouraged web surfers to deface his campaign advertising.
“The next day, a Hitler moustache appeared on one of my posters,” he recalled. “I will also be looking after the election to see if there is material for a criminal complaint.”
“I would have liked and am hoping that we can maintain a clean campaign based on the issues and respect,” he said, “and let the voters decide who the best qualified person is.”
Asked whether he would hold a public forum like tonight’s meeting convened by his opponent Paola Hawa at St. George Anglican Church, Chablo replied that he prefers one-on-one contact with Ste. Anne citizens.
“I respond to anyone who posts a question on my blog, and have visited every district door-to-door,” he said. “By the time citizens go to the polls, my goal is to have visited almost all the homes in the city.”
“With all the walking, I’m losing weight!” quipped the avid jogger, who teaches Police Technology at John Abbott College.
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I am very confused about this. I have read all the social media postings on Mr. Chablo's campaign, and though I saw people question his ethics and motives, I saw no one knowingly spread lies (though some of the posters were accused of lying.) It is not slander that Mr. Chablo means, but rather libel, as he is referring to the written and not spoken word.
In order for someone to be guilty of defamation (libel or slander) then they need to spread known falsehoods that have injured the reputation of the victim. People may have speculated, and may have even called him or others liars. But that is NOT defamation.
I am not an advocate of negative marketing in politicking, and have strived to keep the debate to facts rather than hearsay in the same groups that Mr. Chablo refers to. I can also state that BOTH candidates have been given the opportunity to reply directly to those groups, and both have refused. To threaten legal repercussion seems out of place.
Étant donné l'importance que prend le développement du secteur Nord de la ville, les citoyens sont en droit de se questionner sur les activités immobilières de M. Chablo. Il n'y a rien de malsain à le faire.
Menacer de poursuites des citoyens qui se sont exprimés sur le sujet dépasse l'entendement.
A few citizens are considering bring charges against Chablo for tampering with elections. This type of voter intimidation will not be tolerated by our community in SADB. Already one citizen has said he will not vote in these elections because he's afraid.
Chablo has disgraced the whole town with his reckless comments, he should do the right thing and remove himself from the race.