Labene off to early start in Beaconsfield election

It’s still early, but Hela Labene has officially registered as an independent candidate with Quebec’s Chief Electoral Officer for the Nov. 1 municipal election in Beaconsfield. She plans to run for mayor, a position held by Bob Benedetti the past four years.

“I’m not happy with what’s been going on the past eight years,” Labene said of Beaconsfield city council.

“For me, I want it to go back to what it was like before,” she said.

Labene, an accountant and mother of four, said she hopes to garner the support of residents unhappy with the current state of the city and council. “I plan to listen to people and see what they need,” she said. “We pay high taxes. People are not happy with the many (home) break-ins. The police are not there.”

She added there are other decisions made by city council in recent years she questions, such as using public funds to assist private yacht clubs.

According to Quebec municipal election rules (regarding municipalities with a population of 5,000 or more), independent candidates can register as of Jan. 1 the year of a municipal election and can start raising funds or incur expenses prior to their official nomination (which can only be made closer to the election date).

Although it marks her first foray into municipal politics, Labene, 39, has sought public office before, such as during the French school board election in 2007, and she has been involved in provincial politics as well, sitting as an executive member of the Parti Québécois Jacques Cartier riding association where she dealt with women’s roles in politics. Labene doesn’t think her involvement with the PQ is a factor in her bid to become mayor in Beaconsfield, a federalist enclave with an English-speaking majority. “I want to get involved and be part of the West Island map,” she said. She also mentioned she was a campaign volunteer for former Liberal MP Clifford Lincoln. “He did a lot to help immigrants,” Labene said of her support of Lincoln, who used to reside near her in Beaconsfield.

On Monday, Benedetti, who defeated Jim Birnie in the 2005 election, declined to comment on Labene’s council bid and whether or not he will seek re-election.

“My biggest surprise (during my first mandate) was seeing how emotional people can get,” said Benedetti, 70, adding he had to learn quickly on the job, recalling the frenzy over traffic safety following the death of Erica Cadieux, 34, on Jan. 27, 2006. Cadieux was walking along a Beaconsfield Boulevard sidewalk with her then-18-month-old daughter when a SUV jumped the curb and hit her. “I had to hear from a lot of angry people,” the retired broadcast journalist recalled.

While Beaconsfield had to face a major property tax hike due to the de-merger process and its Montreal agglomeration bill in his first year in office, Benedetti said since then, the city has made sure the vast majority of homeowners have had tax reductions and the city has been fiscally responsible. “We’ve done a good job cutting taxes, administrative and managerial jobs and unionized workers,” he added.

Birnie, a retired firefighter, hasn’t ruled out making another mayoral bid. He said Monday he hasn’t made up his mind yet and added there was still plenty of time to do so before the Nov. 1 vote.

Meanwhile, the Beaconsfield Citizen Association has been counting down the days to the Nov. 1 election on its website for over a year now (as of today, there are 171 days left).

“There’s a lot of dissatisfaction with the current management of the city,” said Karen Essen, head of the council watchdog group. “In about six months, voters will decide if they want more of the same or do they want change, if they want lower taxes.”

The association is holding a membership drive on May 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Homestyle Bakery and The Black Lion Pub, 445 Beaconsfield Blvd.

All West Island municipalities and boroughs are set to hold their respective elections Nov. 1. Aside from Labene, two independents in St. Lazare, Jean-Claude Gauthier and Pierre Kary, have so far registered their candidacies with Elections Quebec.

Chronicle, Jacques Pharand