Mary Gallery

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Westmount City Councillor Mary Gallery (District 6) has announced that she will be running for mayor in the next municipal election to replace Christina Smith, who announced in January that she would not be seeking another term.

Gallery has been on Westmount City Council for two terms. She said she decided to run “because I care deeply about the future of Westmount. I want to continue the work of protecting, preserving, and improving our community. This city deserves thoughtful, civic-minded leadership — leadership grounded in experience, integrity, and a deep understanding of what makes Westmount so special.”

Her key platform priorities include: strategic budgeting that balances fiscal responsibility with high-quality services; programs that support families, youth, and seniors at every stage of life; infrastructure renewal and “smart city” technologies that improve quality of life and revitalization of the southeast sector, grounded in careful planning and open dialogue.

Gallery says her campaign will focus on responsive governance, responsible budgeting and inclusive, community engagement.

“Westmount is one of the most remarkable communities in Canada,” said Gallery. “We have a responsibility to protect what makes it exceptional — our people, heritage, and character — while planning wisely for the future. I’m committed to working with residents, city staff, and fellow councillors to ensure Westmount remains a vibrant, responsive, and resilient city for generations to come.”

Gallery is the daughter of the late Brian O’Neill Gallery, who served as Mayor from 1983 to 1987. She has been immersed in civic life for decades. Her full platform will be released in the coming weeks.

Also running is Lynne Casgrain, a lawyer and the former ombudsman of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). Casgrain says she has a number of concerns with decisions made by the current administration, including reducing garbage collection to once every two weeks.

And there is also the redevelopment plan for the city’s southeast sector. As reported in The Suburban recently, the City of Westmount is going to great lengths to show residents the merits of the redevelopment plan. For Casgrain the project misses the mark. What bothers her the most is what she sees as the lack of consultation on the project. She would want her administration, should she be elected, to be more inclusive of resident input. n