Who wants to dethrone 'King Rgis' of Quebec City?

Quebec City is the province's second largest city, with 538,000 residents.

Here's a snapshotof the main candidates running for mayor in the Nov. 5 municipal elections.

Rgis Labeaume, quipe Labeaume (incumbent)

Rgis Labeaume was elected mayor in 2007 in a byelection after his predecessor Andre Boucherdied while in office.

The former businessman and political attachwas re-elected in 2009, with 80 percent of the vote.

In 2013, he won with 74 per cent, while his party, quipe Labeaume, clinched all but three of the 21 positions on city council.

This time around, Labeaume says he will make public transita pillar of his campaign, and he's already projecting running for the mayor's office in 2021.

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Labeaume, known for a quick tongue and abrasive relationship with local media, is sometimes called "King Rgis" for his iron-clad hold on city hall and his management style.

"If you want to be a politician but just beat around the bush, you won't take much initiative,"Labeaumehas said.

His time in office has been marked by a combative relationship with municipal unions over city workers'pension plansand theconstructionof the controversial Vidotron Centre.

Thatarena wasbuilt in the hope of attracting an NHL team back to Quebec City, 22 years after the departure of the Nordiques. Funded by bothprovincialand city taxpayers, the final bill came to $370 million.

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Anne Gurette, Dmocratie Qubec

An architect by training, Gurette is leader of the opposition at city hall and has been a councillor since 2007. She created Dmocratie Qubec in 2012but gave up her leadership of the party for the 2013 municipal election, following a merger with another opposition party.

Dmocratie Qubec won only three seats that year.

Gurette's two fellow councillors left to sit as independents, blaming friction with her, leaving Gurette as the only sitting member of her party. Constant internal conflict has hindered the party's ability to challengeLabeaume's reign effectively.

If elected mayor, Guerette says she will end Labeaume's "authoritarian, hierarchical and unilateral" management style.

"It's not just one person who can be mayor of a city," said Guerette, who is also proposing that a mayor be limited to two terms in office.

She is promising to "give the city back to residents," by giving borough councils more power and by creating an independent public consultation office.

Jean-Franois Gosselin, Qubec 21

Gosselin is the new face in this race.

A former professional hockey player with an MBA from New York's Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, this is his first foray into municipal politics.

In 2007 he was elected to National Assembly in the riding of Jean-Lesage under the Action dmocratique du Qubec banner, only to lose in the 2008 election.

In 2012, after the Maple Spring when students took to the streets, wearing red squares, to protest against tuition hikesGosselin ran again, this time for the provincial Liberals in La Peltrie.

He said he wanted to "represent citizens in their fight against the red squares," but he lost toCoalition Avenir du Qubec's ric Caire.

Gosselin says he used to support Labeaume but now feels the mayor is "disconnected" and has imposedunfair taxes on residents to finance his high spending habits.

He says he will focus on three main issues during the campaign:

• Transportation: Gosselin believes there is a "war against cars" in Quebec City, given proposals to transform vehicle lanes into reserved lanes for busesor bike paths.
• City services: Gosselin says services such as snow removal need to be made more accessible and effective.
• Construction: Gosselin says he'll focus on building another link between Quebec City and Lvis, beyond the current pair of bridges and the ferry service.

• Quebec municipal elections are underway. Here's a primer

All candidates for the municipal elections across Quebec have until 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 6 to register to run for office.

Quebecers in 1,105 municipalities and 16 regional municipal counties head to the polls on Sunday, Nov. 5.