WMA keeps the spirit alive

In a city like Westmount, where blatant discord among organization members is usually kept to a minimum, it was refreshing to see some good old-fashioned verbal fireworks at Monday's annual general meeting of the Westmount Municipal Association.

In a nutshell, the key players in this brief but dramatic scenario, Stan Grossman and past-president Dr. Henry Olders, went at each other after Mr. Grossman, who is seeking the WMA presidency; accused Dr. Olders of shenanigans over the nomination process. Dr. Olders ably defended himself, but not to Mr. Grossman's satisfaction. The matter was resolved, at least for the time being, by a motion to postpone the election to sometime next month.

This may not be a rosy situation for either party, nor indeed for those WMA directors who are closely involved with the nomination process, but it has certainly attracted more attention than any other WMA election in recent memory. Now, all eyes will be on Mr. Grossman and Dr. Olders when the ballots are finally cast next month. And this added attention can only be good for the WMA.

The rest of Monday evening was devoted to happier subjects, such as the keynote speech by popular MP Marc Garneau, and, of course, the presentation to Mary Anne McNally — this year's Derek Walker Volunteer Citizen of the Year. A quick glance at the litany of Ms. McNally's accomplishments, most notably in the service of Centre Greene, Westmount's premiere youth-oriented community centre, tells us that once again the WMA has chosen a very worthy recipient for its annual award for volunteerism. Certainly, the Centre Greene we all know today would not exist without Ms. McNally's tireless efforts over the years.

Having known Derek Walker for the last few years of his life, I can state two things without fear of contradiction: that his own modesty would have prevented him from allowing his name to be honoured by such an award, and that he would have wholeheartedly approved of adding Ms. McNally's name to the WMA's plaque of outstanding volunteers. And judging from the high quality — and quantity — of people who devote their personal time to various organizations and events in the Westmount community, there can be no doubt that this annual tradition, begun back in 1998, will endure for many more years to come.