COTE SAINT-LUC MAYOR ESTABLISHES CABINET; PORTFOLIOS GIVEN TO EACH CITY COUNCILLOR

COTE SAINT-LUC, NOVEMBER 28, 2005- In an unprecedented move in the more than 100 year history of the City of Côte Saint-Luc, newly elected Mayor Anthony Housefather has entrusted legitimate power and authority to each of his eight elected members of council.

Following the formula of provincial and federal governments and some municipalities, Mayor Housefather has effectively transformed his council into a working cabinet by handing each member wide-ranging portfolios. It will be their job to establish committees related to those issues and then make recommendations to the council as a whole which will continue to act as the decision making body.  Residents will also be able to contact councillors responsible for specific portfolios for information in addition to contacting the mayor or their own local councillor.

•Mayor Housefather will himself oversee human resources/collective agreements/legal issues/external relationships with other cities and government entities and be the city’s representative on the agglomeration council.  He will work with all councillors in their portfolio areas and serve as the primary spokesperson for the city.

• Public Safety will be in the hands of District 6 Councillor Glenn J. Nashen, who will oversee a portfolio encompassing Emergency Medical Services, Fire, Fire Prevention, Police, Public Security and the updating and publication of the City’s Emergency Measures Plan. Nashen’s ties to EMS date back more than 25 years and he has chaired the Borough’s Emergency Services Committee together with Mayor Housefather for the last four years.

• Public Works and Engineering will be the responsibility of District 7 Councillor Mitchell Brownstein, a lawyer with 11 years of past city council experience.  Brownstein’s mandate will be to get these vital services back to pre-merger levels.

•District 8 Councillor Ruth Kovac will take care of Recreation, handling responsibility for all sports and recreational programs (outside of library and culture) and  parks. She has a strong background in this area, having volunteered for many years in local sports and recreation programs prior to serving as a councillor for 11 years.  In her tenure as councillor she remained heavily involved with recreation programs and will focus on improving the quality of camps, sports programs and recreation facilities.

•District 4 Councillor Steven Erdelyi, a high school teacher by profession, will handle  Library and Culture. He is responsible for library, all cultural programs and joint programs and special events such as Canada Day.  At McGill University, Erdelyi set up an endowment fund which has raised millions of dollars for the McGill Library.  

•District 2 Councillor Mike Cohen, a journalist and communications professional with 25 years of experience, will be in charge of Corporate Identity, Communications and Inter Community Relations. This entails  responsibility for improving internal communications and external communications (newsletter/signage/branding/pr/website) for the mayor and council, fundraising, the toponymy commission and forging relationships with churches/synagogues/schools through round tables/ setting up joint programming and serving as council link to the communities.

•District 3 Councillor Dida Berku will oversee. Finance and Environmental  Issues.  A lawyer by profession, Berku will be working on  the budget, pension and audit committees and overseeing Cote Saint Luc finances.  She will also have responsibility for expanding recycling and waste management. Finally she will have special responsibility for working to bring  the extension of Cavendish Blvd. to fruition  and preserving Meadowbrook as a green space. During her 11 years on council, she has been deeply involved in these areas.

•District 5 Councillor Allan J. Levine, another veteran with 15 years of experience takes on responsibility for Town Planning and Railway. He is responsible for all matters related to town planning, including the renewal of the city centre and Cavendish Mall area.  He is also responsible for trying to improve the quality of life for citizens living near the railway tracks and dealing with the railway company on this issue.

•District 1 Councillor Sam Goldbloom will concentrate on Traffic and Seniors Issues. He will focus on traffic calming, road network improvements and working with Hampstead and the CDN/NDG borough on completing the synchronization of lights on Fleet Road. He will also be responsible for relationships with the Seniors Clubs and Legion (location, improvements to facilities, liaison with Legion on construction of Veteran’s Park on Marc Chagall, behind City Hall).

“I am thrilled to be working with such an exceptional team,” said Mayor  Housefather. “As someone who served as a member of council for 11 years, I strongly believe in giving members of council responsibility for dossiers in which they develop an expertise and can be Council’s eyes and ears.  I believe this format was a long time in coming. Finally, citizens will know whom to approach not only on matters related to their district but on a certain dossier. This all lends itself to a stronger and more active council which becomes accountable to the public.”

 Mayor Housefather says he looks forwards to working with his council on a wide range of standing and advisory committees in the coming months which will include citizens with expertise.
“I can already announce that former Councillor Harold Greenspon has agreed to be part of our finance committee, an entity he chaired for some 25 years,” said Mayor Housefather. “We have some talented minds in the community and we will make use of them.”

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Contact:

Anthony Housefather

Mayor

Côte Saint-Luc

Direct Office Line: (514) 832-3577

or

Mike Cohen

City Councillor, District 2

Responsible for Corporate Identity, Communications and Inter-Community Relations

City of Côte Saint-Luc

(514) 483-7200, ext. 7243