THE TALENTS OF EX-MAYOR OF MONTREAL GERALD TREMBLAY -

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1.com) - 
The former Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay is a man of intelligence and of great kindness. What he is not, however it is a tough manager... 
Gérald Tremblay was born on September 20,  1942 in Ottawa. He is 70 years old. Tremblay is a graduate in law from the University of Ottawa in 1969 and he holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard Business School in Boston obtained in 1972. He was a teacher and lecturer at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) from 1974 to 1977, ran a consulting firm and the famous "Fédération des caisses d'entraide économique du Québec" in 1981 and 1982. He was then shareholders of various companies in the areas of hospitality and retail sales from 1982 to 1986, including "Dans un Jardin", a company which would, they say, put him well off financially. 
In 1989, he decided to go into politics and was elected Liberal MP for Outremont and appointed Minister of Industry, Trade and Technology in Bourassa cabinet where he invented the famous "Grappes industrielles". 
Taking advantage of the declining popularity of Pierre Bourque, after the "mega-merger" of the 29 municipalities of the island of Montreal into a single entity, he was elected mayor of Montreal in the municipal elections of November 4, 2001. He will be mayor until his resignation November 5, 2012. 
With hindsight, we can say that his decision to become mayor was the worst of his career, if not in the achievements, certainly in terms of his personal history. 
Running a city is not an intellectual task, what is fundamentally Gérald Tremblay. He would have made an excellent ambassador or rector at a large university as retirement job but not the mayor of a city. 
Tracking the Mayor of Quebec, Régis Labeaume, also an entrepreneur who succeeded, is comparable to that of the former mayor of Montreal except that Labeaume is not an intellectual. He is a tough guy! 
Labeaume would not have caved in front of a Prime Minister not warm to him...
Another tough guy was Mayor Jean Drapeau, who despite his financial failures both on a personal level as in the Olympic Games, we can say that he knew how to give a boost to Montreal as an international city and he made history in this regard. 
It is very sad to see the career of Gerald Tremblay completed as it did and his mistake has been to take one risk too much, outside his talents, thinking he could win because he won a lot in the past. 
The key to success in life depends on two specific elements: 
1. Discover and exploit our personal talents; 
2. Know when to stop playing once a winner and never risk all his winning on a new game in life! 
In conclusion, we hope that the next mayor of Montreal will be tough, honest and man or woman of vision. To be continued ... 
Photo 1: Gérald Tremblay;
Photo 2: Pierre Bourque;
Photo 3: Régis Labeaume;
Photo 4: Jean Drapeau;
See website of Montréal City ; 
See website of Québec City ;