Montreal mayor ruffles caucus feathers

Members of Montreal Mayor Grald Tremblays party are cold to his plan to chair the citys executive committee himself andappointmembers of the opposition to positions of power,caucus sources said Monday.

Tremblay is expected to make the announcements Tuesdayas part of his pledge to clean up city hall in light of several police investigations into alleged fraud.

Following a two-hour caucus meeting Monday, neither the mayor or his councillors had much to say to reporters.

"Ihad a very positive and constructive meeting with my caucus and I will take into consideration the comment that the members of the caucus made to me this morning," Tremblay said.

Quebecs French-language network TVA suggests Tremblay is also ready to shun two long-serving politicians. Ville-Marie borough councillor Sammy Forcillo and Anjou Mayor Luis Miranda could be left offthe executive committee, the report said.

Forcillo said he hadnt had a call from the mayor.

"Its up to him, the decision," Forcillo said.

Opposition members of cabinet

It was still unclear Monday which members of the opposition would be named to the executive committee, though newspaper La Presse reported thatopposition leader Louise Harel had proposed her own right-hand-man, Rosemont city councillor Pierre Lampron.

The paper suggested Projet Montreal Leader Richard Bergeron, or his party's newly elected mayor of the Plateau-Mont Royal borough, Luc Ferrandez, could also be named to the executive committee.

Harel had said she was open to working with Tremblayand has had a brief chat with him, said her spokesperson, Marie-Hlne dEntremont.

"He told her that he would call the Vision Montreal member that he chose directly," dEntremont said.

Projet Montreal Leader Richard Bergeron also confirmed he was invited to talk with the mayor late Monday. "He is the master of the game," Bergeron said.

But, speaking on condition of anonymity, at least one member of Tremblays caucus said having members of the opposition in the mayors cabinet will be a hard sell.

Tremblay was heavily criticized in the recent municipal election campaign for presiding over a city hall riddled with corruption.

After squeaking out a third consecutive mayoral mandate on Nov. 1, Tremblay promised to change business at city hall and restore the publics confidence in municipal politics.

The mayor was re-elected with 37.9 per cent of the vote. Turnout was low at 39.44 per cent.

No Montreal mayor has ever chaired the executive committee.