JOHN JANTAK
The 1510 West
Nearly three decades of community involvement through volunteerism inspired Doug Hurley to run for mayor of the borough of Île-Bizard–Ste. Geneviève under the Ensemble Montréal banner last fall, winning the by-election Dec. 17.
Hurley, a former police officer and currently a teacher at John Abbott College, won the support of residents with 78.42 per cent of the votes. He replaces former borough mayor Stéphane Côté, who resigned in August because of health problems. Hurley beat opponent Ghassan Baroudi of Valérie Plante’s Projet Montréal party.
“I’m a local boy,” Hurley told The 1510 West. “I’ve been here for 37 years and I’m literally humbled by the amount of people who voted for me.”
Hurley said he ran for mayor because it’s an extension of what he already does in the community as a volunteer.
“I’ve been the president of the local Optimist Club for the past seven of the 10 years I’ve been with them,” said Hurley. He has also coached hockey, baseball and softball in the community for 27 years.
“This probably explains why when I was doing my door-to-door election campaign, I was surprised at how many people I knew,” he said.
Overseeing the construction of the new Jacques-Bizard Bridge, improving public security and keeping the green aspect of Île Bizard are his priorities.
“That’s the one thing we’re famous for,” he said. “We have the land mass necessary for parks and green spaces. I’d compare it to living in Hudson. We want to keep that orientation.”
The city will also prepare for the influx of traffic expected into Île Bizard during the President’s Cup golf tournament at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Île Bizard in late September.
“This is going to be another one of our challenges, especially with the bridge under construction,” Hurley said, as thousands of spectators are expected to attend the event.
“That’s where my background with 32-and-a-half years as a police commander is going to come into play, plus my 28-plus years training police officers at John Abbott College as a teacher,” he added.