Election night in Westmount was marred by technical glitches and delays, including an implosion of the city’s website, that left candidates, the public and Elections Quebec in the dark for most of the night about the results.
An hour after Valérie Plante was declared the new mayor of Montreal, the City of Westmount was still struggling to share results with citizens on its website from just eight polling stations. City officials later confirmed that “everything just crashed.”
“I wouldn’t say this was our finest hour,” said newly elected Mayor Christina Smith. “I have no idea what’s going on here, but I would say in 2017 this is quite disappointing that this is what we’re seeing on the screen.”
Westmount’s mayoral race was expected to be a competitive race featuring two experienced councillors and a scrappy underdog. In the end it was technology chaos that became the story even as Smith secured a landslide victory.
Heading into the campaign Smith had the endorsement of outgoing mayor Peter Trent, as well as the support of three former Westmount mayors.
“I feel very fortunate that I can lean on all three of them. I’m totally my own person, but I could go to them and seek advice from people who’ve actually done the job,” said Smith. “They endorsed me because they too believed in my vision for this city.”
Smith said she leaned on all three of them throughout the campaign for advice and counsel on certain issues, but in the end she is her own person.
Mayoral challenger and outgoing city councillor, Patrick Martin visited City Hall to congratulate Smith on her victory long before final results were available.
Martin wished Smith much success, but noted Westmount Council is now full of new and inexperienced faces, which could prove difficult when trying to advance priority files.
Smith said she has a long list of priorities, including better urban planning, enhanced infrastructure and maintaining Westmount’s quality leisure, culture and sports programming.
CJAD 800 contacted Beryl Wajsman for an interview, but he said it’s not his role to comment.
“As John Kennedy said, ‘Success has a thousand fathers. Defeat is an orphan,’” said Wajsman.