This article is the author's opinion. Think you have something to say about Montreal culture or community? Get in touch. We want to hear your pitch.

Municipal elections are not the same as provincial or federal ones: we are free to vote for talent, not party. We can vote for mayor and for city councillors separately, even if they don’t belong to the same team.

In fact, we can build our own Montreal team. It’s an empowering realization that should make many of us feel better about November 2, 2025. It’s also the most disruptive action we can take if we want to see the beginning of change.

There’s a general consensus that none of the leading mayoral candidates have the grand vision and spark Montreal needs to fulfill its potential. We run a heavy risk of being stuck with the same two parties that have governed our city since 2013 — which should thrill you if you like the way things have been governed, or terrify you if you don’t.

But it doesn’t to have to be so.

While we might be forced to pick the lesser-worse mayor, we are under no obligation to bring along his or her team. We can allocate an hour between now and election day to read through the platforms and résumés of all the local candidates in our district, and vote for those who are most competent or most aligned with our values.

Clockwise from top left: Futur Montréal leader Jean-François Kacou, Action Montréal leader Gilbert Thibodeau, Transition Montréal leader Craig Sauvé, Projet Montréal leader Luc Rabouin, and Ensemble Montréal leader Soraya Martinez Ferrada

Here’s a dirty little secret about municipal elections: too often, parties run candidates based on availability, not talent. To ensure representation across the island, they often give nominations to whoever has the guts to leave a job, enter politics, and put up with the complaints and insults of constituents for four years. Once all the spots are filled, emerging talent has no choice but to sign with new parties. This is where we come in—discard party politics and become headhunters for the most qualified people to run our city.

It’s a shockingly easy step to take if we want to create change: oblige our new mayor to collaborate with a plurality of voices instead of yes-men and yes-women who will rubber-stamp every decision.

This is the year to remind ourselves that, in municipal politics, change happens locally — and that there is no need to vote strategically. We can actually support someone.

Vote for talent, not for party. Isn’t that a crazy idea?

With support from readers like you.

Even being a free subscriber helps: Be part of a growing audience of Montrealers who want stories like this.

SUPPORT THE MAIN

Fede Sanchez

Opinion: Vote for talent in Montreal's upcoming election, not the party