Westmount hires expert Clerk from Outremont

BY DON WEDGE Westmount’s new City Clerk will be Mario Gerbeau, currently head of the Outremont Borough Office. He will also take the title of Director of Legal Services.

Gerbeau was chosen from 44 applicants. One of his colleagues described him as “being the city clerk the other city clerks check things out with!”

Westmount city council has to officially confirm the appointment, but he was offered and accepted the post after being on a short-list of four who were interviewed several times. Gerbeau will begin his new job on Aug. 27.

After working in northern Canada, Gerbeau was hired by Outremont. He was one of the relatively few managers of the forced-merger cities to move to the mega-city for its launch in 2002. Another was Westmount’s Marie-France Paquet, and both became assistant clerks to the mega-city Gerbeau did not stay long, returning to Outremont as Secretary in February, 2003, to an Outremont now down-graded to a borough. In joining Westmount, he resumes his career as City Clerk.

The appointment fills a vacancy left when Lucie Tousignant — also a former Outremont manager — resigned in the summer of last year. Since then the Assistant Clerk, Nancy Gagnon, has deputized, although she is currently on sick leave.

Alan Kulaga, Assistant Director-General and head of Human Resources, is acting as Interim Clerk.