Courtesy
Steve Pankovitch at his home in Lennoxville, where he spoke over the phone about his decision to run for borough president and his vision for preserving the community’s charm
By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
Long-time Lennoxville resident Steve Pankovitch has officially entered the race for borough president in the Nov. 2 municipal election, running as an independent with a platform focused on protecting the borough’s distinct identity, resisting urban sprawl, and revitalizing the downtown core.
“I was born and raised here. I raised my three kids here. My wife taught at Lennoxville Elementary her whole career,” Pankovitch said in a recent interview. “I love Lennoxville, and anybody who knows me knows what a passion it is.”
Pankovitch previously served as president of the Lennoxville Residents Association, which he said once counted over 800 members. That experience, along with a lifelong connection to the community and years of global travel, has shaped his perspective. “When I come back home, I just can’t believe how lucky I am to live here,” he said.
His central motivation for running is to raise Lennoxville’s profile within the broader city of Sherbrooke. “I want the other councillors to look at Lennoxville the way I do,” he said, calling the borough “a business centre with deep history,” highlighting Bishop’s University and the Lennoxville Golf Club as examples of longstanding institutions that contribute to the area’s unique character.
A key concern for Pankovitch is urban sprawl, which he said is encroaching on Lennoxville’s green spaces. “It’s the last piece of woods we have in Sherbrooke,” he said, referring to the Ascot-Lennox forest at the top of the hill. As a current member of the forest’s board of directors, he said he’s committed to protecting it from what he described as “money-hungry developers” looking to build housing with “two cars in the front yard and not much thought about beautification.”
Pankovitch also stressed the need for better upkeep of public spaces. “Just get them to pick up the large garbage,” he said, referring to the frequent sight of discarded furniture along College Street. He added that with more attention, Lennoxville’s downtown could become “a real showcase for Sherbrooke.”
He cited examples from other nearby towns. “If you look at Coaticook and Compton… their downtown cores are much better,” he said. “With a little bit of attention and support, [ours] can be too.”
Revitalizing the downtown core and unifying the business community through events is another of Pankovitch’s priorities. He wants Lennoxville to be appreciated not just for what it is, but for what it can become—a vibrant, diverse small town that contributes to Sherbrooke’s overall identity.
When asked about recent controversies, Pankovitch didn’t mince words on the issue of the proposed bike lanes along Queen Street. “I have a strong opinion,” he said, criticizing the data used by the city as “completely false and wrong.” He argued that the traffic study was done at a time when students weren’t in town and failed to reflect real usage patterns.
“There’s already a parking issue. What do you do when you have an 18-wheeler going to deliver beer at PML and there’s one lane?” he asked. “It’s going to block traffic.” He said local businesses were not properly consulted and warned against investing heavily in a project that could harm the downtown’s functionality. “Nobody I’ve spoken to says that’s a need right now—quite the opposite.”
Pankovitch is also critical of the influence of political parties at the municipal level. “I’m absolutely an independent,” he said, calling party politics in Sherbrooke “a little Trump sort of thing” where entire groups vote in lockstep. He emphasized the financial imbalance as well. “There’s almost a half a million dollars from our taxpayers’ dollars funding those political parties,” he claimed. “Who’s paying for the signs I put up here? Me.”
Pankovitch’s candidacy adds another independent voice to what is already shaping up to be a crowded and competitive race in Lennoxville.
Alongside Pankovitch, Kerwins Saint-Jean, Jennifer Garfat, André Duncan, and Bert Collins are also running for the borough presidency—a role that doubles as Lennoxville’s representative on Sherbrooke’s city council (District 3.0). Saint-Jean is running under the Sherbrooke Citoyen banner with a platform emphasizing public transit and environmental protection. Garfat, currently a councillor, is running as an independent. Duncan is representing Vision Action Sherbrooke, and Collins, a former councillor, is also running as an independent.
In Fairview (District 3.2), the candidates currently confirmed are Guillaume Lirette-Gélinas (Sherbrooke Citoyen – incumbent), Frank Gilbert (independent), Norman Green (Vision Action Sherbrooke).
In Uplands (District 3.1), two candidates have expressed interest to date: Daniela Fernandes (Sherbrooke Citoyen), Claude Charron (independent and current borough president).