Mary Deros

Mary Deros is a municipal politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She has represented Parc-Extension on Montreal city council since 1998.

Mary Deros
Member of the Montreal Executive Committee responsible for cultural communities
Assumed office
November 2009
Preceded byMarie-Andrée Beaudoin
Member of the Montreal Executive Committee responsible for youth
In office
April 2011 – November 2012
Succeeded byÉmilie Thuillier[1]
Member of the Montreal Executive Committee responsible for community, social development, and families
In office
January 2009 – November 2009
Preceded byMarcel Tremblay
Succeeded byLyn Thériault[2]
Member of the Montreal Executive Committee responsible for sports, recreation, social development, and neighbourhoods
In office
1998–2001
Preceded byMartin Lemay (until 1997)
Succeeded byCosmo Maciocia (sports and recreation), Louise O'Sullivan (social development)
Montreal City Councillor for Parc-Extension Ward
Assumed office
1998
Preceded byKonstantinos Georgoulis
Personal details
BornAthens, Greece
Political partyVision Montreal (1998-2007)
Union Montreal (2007-2012)
Independent (2012-2013)
Équipe Denis Coderre (2013–present)

Deros serves on the Montreal executive committee in Michael Applebaum's administration with responsibility for cultural communities. She was previously an executive committee member in the administrations of Pierre Bourque and Gérald Tremblay. Originally elected as a member of Vision Montreal, Deros subsequently joined Union Montreal before becoming an independent councillor in December 2012; in June 2013, she reaffiliated with the new Équipe Denis Coderre.[3]

Early life and career

Deros was born in Athens, Greece, to a family of Greek and Armenian heritage.[4] During the Armenian genocide, her father escaped Turkey to live on the Greek island of Samos. She moved with her family to Montreal in 1958, when she was seven years old. She is fluent in Greek, Armenian, French, and English and was a well-known volunteer in Montreal's Park Extension District, before launching her political career.[5]

Political career

Municipal politics
Bourque administration

Deros was first elected to Montreal city council for the Parc-Extension division in the 1998 municipal election. Vision Montreal won a council majority in this election under Mayor Bourque's leadership, and Deros was appointed to the executive committee in November 1998 with responsibility for sports, leisure, social development, and neighbourhoods.[6] She also served on the executive committee of the Montreal Regional Health Board.[7] She oversaw the conversion of some municipal baseball fields to soccer parks in 2000, arguing that soccer was becoming a more popular sport in the city.[8] In 2001, she played a major role in organizing Montreal's Greek Independence Day parade.[9]

In September 2000, Deros was appointed as a city representative on the newly formed Montreal Metropolitan Community regional government.[10] In the same period, she supported Mayor Bourque's campaign to merge all Island of Montreal communities into a single municipal government.[11]

Tremblay administration

Deros was re-elected in the 2001 municipal election, in which Vision Montreal was defeated by Gérald Tremblay's Montreal Island Citizens Union (MICU). She stood down from the executive committee with the rest of the Bourque administration and served as an opposition member.[12] She was re-elected to a third term in 2005.

In 2007, Deros led a successful campaign to prevent Montreal's historic Park Avenue from being renamed after former Quebec premier Robert Bourassa.[13] She also campaigned for an indoor soccer venue in the same period.[14]

After serving as a Vision Montreal councillor for nine years, Deros joined Mayor Tremblay's renamed Union Montreal in December 2007. She said that she had considered the move over several months, commenting, "Ever since Mr. Bourque left [in 2006], the party hasn't been the same."[15] On 28 January 2009, Tremblay re-appointed Deros to the Montreal executive committee with responsibility for community, social development, and families.[16]

Deros was re-elected to a fourth term in the 2009 municipal election and was given responsibility for cultural communities following an executive committee shuffle in November 2009.[17] In April 2011, she was given additional responsibilities for youth.[18]

Applebaum and Blanchard administrations

Gérald Tremblay resigned as mayor of Montreal in November 2012 and was replaced by Michael Applebaum. Deros continued as a member of the executive committee, keeping responsibility for cultural communities while relinquishing the youth portfolio.[19] She resigned from Union Montreal on 5 December 2012, saying that she preferred the new mayor's collegial approach to government.[20] Deros kept her position on the executive committee after Laurent Blanchard succeeded Applebaum as interim mayor in June 2013.

By virtue of holding her city council seat, Deros also serves on the Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension borough council.

Federal and provincial politics

The Montreal Gazette reported in February 2003 that Deros was considering a candidacy for the provincial Action démocratique du Québec.[21] This rumour came to nothing. She sought the Quebec Liberal Party nomination for a by-election in Laurier-Dorion the following year, but withdrew from the contest prior to the nomination meeting.[22]

In 2007, Deros sought the Liberal Party of Canada nomination in Papineau for the next Canadian federal election. She finished second against Justin Trudeau.[23]

Electoral history
2009 Montreal municipal election results: Councillor, Parc-Extension division
2005 Montreal municipal election results: Councillor, Parc-Extension
2001 Montreal municipal election results: Councillor, Parc-Extension
1998 Montreal municipal election results: Councillor, Parc-Extension

References
  1. Thuillier was given responsibility for social and community development, family, seniors, youth and the status of women.
  2. Thériault was given responsibility for social and community development, family, and seniors.
  3. "Denis Coderre unveils eight more candidates for his party". The Gazette, 17 June 2013.
  4. Hrag Vartanian, "Building Bridges: Armenians Enter the Canadian Political Arena," AGBU, 30 June 2000, p. 9.
  5. Mike Boone, "Park Extension councillor is one for the books," Montreal Gazette, 8 April 2003, A6.
  6. Aaron Derfel, "Stability takes top priority," Montreal Gazette, 3 November 1998, A1; Aaron Derfel, "Mayor taps Fortier as chairman: Executive committee is experienced," Montreal Gazette, 13 November 1998, A3; Note biographique de Mary Deros, conseillère de la Ville au district de Parc-Extension, City of Montreal, accessed 7 July 2011.
  7. Rick Mofina and Rachel Pulfer, "Want to live longer? Go West, study shows," Montreal Gazette, 19 August 1999, A10.
  8. Michael Mainville, "Fields of dreams make way for soccer: Soccer has become so popular among children that Montreal says it must create new fields," Montreal Gazette, 7 April 2000, A1.
  9. Allison Hanes, "It's Greek day, snow or shine: Weather won't derail parade this time, organizers promise," Montreal Gazette, 1 April 2001, A4.
  10. Michael Mainville, "Bourque's bloc choices: Opposition furious that all his MMC team is from Vision Montreal Party," Montreal Gazette, 12 September 2000, A3.
  11. Allison Hanes, "Petition push falls short: But Bourque still confident he'll get 100,000 pro-merger signatures," Montreal Gazette, 18 December 2000, A1.
  12. "How Montreal voted," Montreal Gazette, 5 November 2001, A8.
  13. Jan Ravensbergen, Anne Sutherland, and Rene Bruemmer, "People power finally wins – 'Park Ave.'s safe'," Montreal Gazette, 7 February 2007, A3.
  14. James Mennie, "Council has tripped over its own feet on soccer issue," Montreal Gazette, 24 October 2007, A8.
  15. James Mennie, "Get set for musical chairs," Montreal Gazette, 13 December 2007, A6.
  16. "Mayor's cabinet shuffle isn't just a snow job," Montreal Gazette, 29 January 2009, A12; Note biographique de Mary Deros, conseillère de la Ville au district de Parc-Extension, City of Montreal, accessed 7 July 2011.
  17. "The Municipal Vote," Montreal Gazette, 3 November 2009, A8; James Mennie, "Mayor tries multi-party gambit; Will it work?; 'Tremblay was very courageous'," Montreal Gazette, 18 November 2009, A3.
  18. James Mennie, "Opposition out in city's cabinet shuffle; Tremblay appoints Applebaum to oversee finance," Montreal Gazette, 7 April 2011, A7.
  19. René Bruemmer, "City hall shuffle: Mayor Applebaum unveils executive committee," Postmedia Breaking News, 22 November 2012.
  20. René Bruemmer, "Mary Deros leaves Union Montreal", Montreal Gazette, 6 December 2012, accessed 15 January 2012.
  21. Linda Gyulai, "Vision left floundering: Ex-mayor's party might lose more," Montreal Gazette, 1 February 2003, A2.
  22. Linda Gyulai, "Councillor seeks Liberal nomination in Park Ex," Montreal Gazette, 6 July 2004, A6; "Deros takes hat out of Liberal ring," Montreal Gazette, 8 August 2004, A2.
  23. Allan Woods, "'A man with a dream'; Trudeau, who handily defeated two opponents, insists that despite his famous name he's more than just his father's son," Toronto Star, 30 April 2007, A06. Trudeau received 690 votes, while Deros received 350 and Basilio Giordano received 220. (These numbers may be approximations.)
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