Michael Stern elected
mayor of Westmount

Council is evenly split between veteran and freshman councillors

By Wanda Potrykus and Irwin Rapoport

November 6, 2025

The November 2 municipal election in Westmount most certainly captured the imagination of the city’s residents, who responded in kind with a respectable 45.5% voter turnout to elect a new mayor and impressive tallies for the seven council races. Last Sunday, 6,384 of 14,239 eligible voters cast ballots to select the new mayor and councillors.

As a point of reference, the City of Montreal recorded a 37.13% voter turnout, a decline of 1.19% from the 2021 municipal election. So, three cheers to Westmounters for taking their democracy and democratic institutions seriously by informing themselves on the myriad of issues ranging from the controversial Southeast development to the state of the roads and city infrastructure, attending council and mayoral candidate debates, various public consultations, and being present at city council meetings to monitor the actions of council and question its decisions.

By contrast, sadly, attendance was poor at the NDG Community Council’s election debates for the CDN-NDG Borough: just over 120 for the mayoral debate, about 45 for the Loyola district debate, and roughly 25 for the NDG district debate. The election debates, which were well-organized and shared on social media, are appreciated by the community. Many thanks are in order to the NDG Community Council for organizing municipal, provincial, and federal election debates.

Many anticipated a tight race between Lynne Casgrain and Mary Gallery, the councillor who insisted that the controversial Southeast Renewal Plan had to be approved.

In Westmount, the hotly contested three-way race for the mayor’s seat was closely followed and the focus of many discussions. Michael Stern, a former accountant, is replacing outgoing Mayor Christina Smith with a solid lead of 2,554 votes (40.01%), defeating Lynne Casgrain by 410 votes. Casgrain received 2,144 votes (33.58%).

Many anticipated a tight race between Casgrain and Mary Gallery, the councillor who represented District 6 and insisted that the controversial Southeast Renewal Plan, otherwise known as the PPU (Programme particulier d’urbanisme, which translates to “Special Urban Planning Program”) had to be approved despite 1,000 plus residents calling for the September vote to be delayed until a new council and mayor were elected. Gallery placed third with 1,686 (26.41%) votes. Was that a good enough answer from the voters? From the moment the city began posting election results after the polling stations closed at 8 pm, Stern held the lead from start to finish.

The only councillor to be acclaimed was Jeff Shamie, who represents District 3. This was his second consecutive acclamation.

Several council races had the potential to be competitive. District 1 Councillor Antonio D’Amico was reelected with 369 (55.32%) votes over challenger Pierre Monaghan with 298 (44.68%) votes.

Five candidates were vying for the open council seat in District 2, which saw 55.38% of eligible voters participate. Jonathan Chomski led the pack with 398 votes (44.82%), with Thomas Rolain placing second with 240 (27.03%) votes, Jessica Winston third with 113 (12.73%) votes, Jean-François Emmanuel fourth with 76 (8.56%) votes, and Geoffrey Chambers fifth with 61 (6.87%) votes.

Veteran District 4 Councillor Conrad Peart, who was the subject of severe criticism for voting in favour of the Southeast development plan, was decisively defeated by newcomer Gurveen K. Chadha. Chadha won with 487 (52.59%) votes, while Peart garnered only 291 (31.43%). Massimo Mazza placed a distant third with 87 (9.40%) votes, and Lynda Lyness came in fourth with 61 (6.59%) votes.

It was mano-a-mano in District 5 with Shawn Moss winning by 97 votes against James Murphy. Moss prevailed with 430 (56.06%) over Murphy with 337 (43.94%) votes.

District 6, vacated by Gallery to pursue her mayoral campaign, had three candidates. Paul Levine came out on top with 442 votes (53.23%), with Jeremy Lee Jonas placing second with 257 (30.89%), and Julie Ledoux coming in third with 133 (15.99%) votes.

It was a nail-biter in District 7 with incumbent Councillor Matt Aronson winning a tight race over popular challenger Gloria Rosado. Aronson’s margin of victory was 25 votes. The incumbent secured 335 (51.94%) to Rosado’s 310 (48.06%) votes.

District 8 Councillor Kathleen Kez, who has won the trust of her constituents, was reelected with the largest lead of all the council races – 67.48% or 489 votes. Alex Chamlian placed a very distant second with 129 (18.56%) votes, and Christian Laurin came in last with 97 (13.96%).

‘Council now consists of four incumbent and four freshmen councillors, and an untested mayor.’

One curiosity of the Westmount election was why Jeff Shamie in District 3 managed not to have anyone standing against him since his neighbour and another District 3 resident both felt they had to run in another ward. In a City that is supposed to have eight independent councillors, it’s not democratically healthy to potentially have too many councillors from the same neighbourhood ward on council. As the past has shown, councillors who live in a different district from the one they represent do not have the same interests and do not take the same care of their district residents as those who live among and represent the needs and wishes of their neighbours.

Had a contender appeared in District 3, would the result have been similar to District 7 – a squeaker even with a late-arriving candidate – or would the result have been like District 4, where another member of council supporting the outgoing mayor was soundly beaten?

Council now consists of four incumbent and four freshmen councillors, and an untested mayor who will not only lead the city but also represent it on the Agglomeration Council and engage in critical discussions with Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada. The affairs of state, or at least those of the City of Westmount, will be closely monitored and analyzed by its citizens.

Reactions around Westmount to the results have been mixed. Quite a natural response, given all the renewed interest in this hotly contested 2025 election. Those who lost out and their ardent supporters are understandably disappointed, while those who won are elated. That’s democracy in action. Contested elections are part and parcel of a vibrant democratic system in action.

In the days after the results were posted, people are still discussing this election. Below are some snippets of conversations that have been expressed:

“Michael Stern as Mayor-elect must, of course, be congratulated. The job ahead of him is daunting. It is not just a matter of re-installing financial and administrative prudence, but he will need to recreate (as he has promised to do) the vital bond of trust that used to exist between Council and the citizens they are supposed to serve.”

“The energy of the current election campaign was good to see – but I am concerned by what I perceive to be the elephant in the room – and that is the potentially very large, uncapped tax increases that are embedded in the zoning changes passed in the last meeting of the outgoing Council. Personally, I have no interest in paying tax increases that exceed the rate of inflation.”

“It is my opinion that the outgoing Council was playing checkers while the developers were playing chess. Concessions and incentives were granted far too early and too generously in what will be a long, protracted and multifaceted negotiation process where Westmount citizens would have been much better positioned today by their council if they had just waved the ‘carrots’ while keeping a firm grip on the ‘stick.’ ”

“What happened was a sweeping repudiation of the prior regime that ran Westmount. This is why Mary Gallery’s two-term stint on Council was, in a way, seen as a liability – and not the asset that she claimed.”

“Four of the councillors elected were newcomers and two of those re-elected weren’t former mayor Christina Smith’s supporters, especially as concerns the Southeast sector redevelopment.”

“Sometimes in a democracy we get the mayor or councillor we think we want but not the mayor or councillor we need.”

“Westmounters opted instead for the blander ‘safe’ financial guy, so reminiscent of mayors from a time long gone by. Why is that? Perhaps the overwhelming worry that Westmount’s financial footing is in trouble and will lead to increased taxes? We may never know for sure but I am still not at all convinced he is the mayor Westmount needs at this crucial time.”

“The good news is that the new Council will be less dogmatic and wedded to the previous Council’s actions.”

“I am excited about moving forward to keep the citizens’ momentum going. We need to ensure Stern doesn’t screw up.”

“I’m disappointed Lynne Casgrain didn’t win. She is a natural leader. She engaged with both passion and ‘doigté’ in the debates and media encounters. She took the high road, projected competence and human concern, responding to the clear desire for change in the air. It was a pleasure to meet and discuss with her.”

“Lynne Casgrain was the best mayor Westmount never had.”

“It was truly inspiring to see Westmounters get out there and be heard. We need to keep it up!”

That last comment is the overwhelming takeaway from the Westmount 2025 election. Renewed civic energy has created a more engaged and dynamic community. Let’s all hope Mayor-elect Michael Stern takes it to heart and does what he promised: Bring citizens back into the equation and implement the changes at City Hall that Westmounters voted for. Listen, lead and deliver indeed.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of its author and do not reflect the views of WestmountMag.ca, its publishers or editors.

Feature image: courtesy of Michael Stern

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Wanda Potrykus is a writer, editor, translator and poet. A graduate of McGill, she has spent most of her career in marketing communications, PR, event and media relations specializing in international aviation, telecommunications, education and the marketing of the arts.

Irwin Rapoport is a freelance journalist and community advocate from Westmount with bachelor’s degrees in History and Political Science from Concordia University. He writes extensively on local politics, education, and environmental issues, and promotes informed public discourse and local democracy through his writing and activism.