Kirklanders have say in three races

There are four candidates vying to replace Brian (Buck) MacDonald in Kirkland’s District 3 (Brunswick) town council seat heading into Sunday’s vote.

MacDonald, after 22 years as a councillor, decided not to seek re-election.

Mark Bouchard, 54, a retired Montreal police investigator, is running in District 3 as are Tony Di Gennara, David Gagnon and Alex Smith.

Of the four candidates, Gagnon said only he and Di Gennara live in the Brunswick district.

Gagnon, 68, who will soon be retiring from his industrial snow removal business, said dealing with the worsening traffic flow around Brunswick Boulevard is his key concern.

“There is a circulation problem and my motivation is to do something about it,” the Brunswick Boulevard resident said. “Pierrefonds people use it as a shortcut. I have been here 15 years. It’s unbelievable now; you can’t get out of your driveway (during rush hour).”

Gagnon said he also bring about five years of experience as a member on the town’s zoning and planning committee.

Bouchard, who retired from the Montreal police force about two years ago, said he intends to improve public security and cut down on the number of home break-ins but he is also a proposing cutting the number of town councillors in half.

“We could use the money for more important things,” Bouchard said.

He said Kirkland, with a population of about 21,000, only needs four councillors and a mayor.

“I have received a lot of good feedback on cutting back on council,” Bouchard said about going door-to-door to meet voters. “But it’ll be up to the next council to decide.”

Bouchard also wants to make sure police do a better job of patrolling residential streets. “The Highway 40 service road radar traps are a cash grab and are useless,” he said. “They need to be more on residential streets. They will still make money but they will also cut the crime rate since there will be better police visibility. We don’t need more manpower but we have to put them where they will do the most good.”

Smith, a self-appointed council watchdog for years, is not a newcomer to municipal politics as he ran unsuccessfully for mayor against John Meaney in 1999 and for city councillor in District 7 in 2005.

Smith blasted his rival Bouchard for pandering to voters in suggesting cutting the size of town council to save tax dollars, pointing out that under Quebec’s act regarding municipalities, towns with a population over 20,000 (but under 50,000) cannot have fewer than eight councillors, as Kirkland does, nor more than 12.

Smith said the fact he has kept a close eye on Kirkland council for years makes him the ideal candidate to replace MacDonald. “I have 20 years of experience in the field (following town council),” Smith quipped. “I know people inside out at city hall,” Smith said. “I keep my toes close to the fire.”

Smith, if elected, will work to crackdown on speeding and deal with traffic issues. He suggests for environmental benefits and long-term savings, Kirkland continue the trend of using LED lights in parks and streets. “They use 80 per cent less electricity (than candescent light bulbs),” he said.

There are races in only two other Kirkland districts. Incumbent Michel Gibson faces Isidore Barillaro and Jean-Pierre Lavigne in Timberlea (District 1). Barillaro and Gagnon ran unsuccessfully in a byelection in 2008 when Luciano Piciacchia was elected to the District 2 council seat left empty by Joe Sanalitro, who was hired as Kirkland’s director general.

In District 7 (St. Charles), voters have a choice between the incumbent Paul Dufort, a retired police commander, and Vincent Trengia, a municipal employee in Beaconsfield’s human resources department who holds an MBA. Trengia, 46, said he lives in his district and hopes to improve public safety and keep tighten budget.

Meaney as well as returning councillors Piciacchia, Domenico Zito, Brian Swinburne, John Morson and André Allard were all acclaimed.

Polls will be open on election day, Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. At Sunday’s advance poll, 258 voters cast ballots.

Chronicle, Albert Kramberger