Beaconsfielder made candidacy official last week
By Robert Frank
www.thesuburban.com
Beaconsfield councillor Rhonda Massad has officially applied to Quebec’s election authority to run for mayor during the upcoming municipal election in November. Massad, who filed her papers, May 1, unofficially disclosed her intention to run last year, in an interview published in The Suburban, Sept. 5.
“I intend to campaign as an independent,” she told The Suburban, eschewing forming a political party of her own. “It’s up to citizens to choose who best to represent their district. It is their choice, not mine, whom to elect, and I will work with whomever they deem appropriate.”
“It’s time for government to start listening to what people have to say, rather than having me tell them what to do,” she asserted. “The team approach works effectively in Pointe Claire and in Drummondville, where the [same] mayor has served in their [council] chamber for 25 years.”
Massad is concerned by the number of Beaconsfield council meetings that have been marred by unruly outbursts.
“A lot of this stuff needlessly gets way out of hand,” she asserted. “With dialogue with citizens, we will have less contention.”
Massad, who chairs the city’s finance committee, stated that responsible financial management would remain the cornerstone of her administration.
“We haven’t raised taxes in the duration of my mandate,” she observed.
Massad, having pushed the brown water issue vigorously last year, said that she intends to continue putting the accent on maintaining Beaconsfield’s aging infrastructure.
She also intervened earlier this year on behalf of the Portage youth addiction centre, which Batshaw Youth and Family Centres wanted to demolish to build a $50 million facility on the site.
“We went out of our way to ensure that they were not evicted on the spot,” Massad recalled.
Once her registration is approved, Massad will be permitted to canvass citizens door-to-door although, like all other municipal election candidates, she will be required to re-file her candidacy Sept. 20, when the election campaign begins in earnest.
“People need time to look at how I work and tell me what they want,” she said. “There are a lot of varied interests in the community.”
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I am a Beaconsfield resident since already a year and had the opportunity to observe Rhonda Massad operating in Counsel and in Public; the most accurate qualifiers to describe her are "integrity", "transparency and "honesty". She will be definitely getting my vote at the upcoming municipal elections.
As Beaconsfield residents we know first hand that Rhonda would make an excellent mayor for many reasons but one reason alone would do it:
Rhonda first listens to everyone (all sides).
Then she gets informed, and only then makes a decision based on:
common sense,
citizens needs,
and what is in the best interest for the city.
Not as simple to do, as things are never clear cut. If it was, we simply would not need humans to do the job.
Being a mayor, requires someone that:
is first passionate of their town/city,
works for the people,
needs to hear all sides,
knows how to go get information,
needs to be logical,
does not take things personally,
upholds the law,
uses common sense,
is respectful and transparent in all his/her dealings.
Only then can one make a decision based on a combination of things and not just one item.
Unfortunately, our present mayor Pollock has not done the above and to top it off has not been a group player nor been transparent on many issues.
It is not possible to be perfect but common respect and professionalism is required for this job.
Rhonda Massad will be a sure bet for a better run city.
Elizabeth & John
Di Genova
Rhonda is amazing.
We went through a long battle with the city because our water was contaminated and she helped us get through it.
We have been extremely disappointed by the city officials in this battle, including the Mayor, Public Works and our district counsellor who didn't even bother answering our emails or phone calls.
There's one person, and only one person who stood out, and it was Rhonda, even though we don't even live in her district. She took the issue to heart and made sure that it got resolved. It took over a year and over a million dollars, but we finally have clean, drinkable water.
Thanks for everything Rhonda, you have our support and we're convinced you'll be a wonderful mayor. The city needs a change.