Experienced politicians running under the Coderre banner who both won and lost during last night`s muncipal election are offering up their views on what went wrong and what could be in store for Montrealers.
"I would think that if the mayor had to do it again, he would probably run a different campaign," said St. Laurent mayor Alan DeSousa, who warded off the Projet Montreal wave by getting twice as many votes as his closest opponent.
"You can't just rely on what you've done, you also have to be able to let people know where you are going."
Russell Copeman wasn't as lucky, losing the mayor's job in the Côte-des-Neies/NDG borough.
"There was a strong sense of dissatisfaction with Denis Coderre's administration and that translated into a very difficult campaign over the last 45 days," said Copeman.
Copeman said he wishes mayor-elect Valérie Plante well so the city can succeed, noting she has her work cut out for her.
"Running the city of Montreal is a complicated task: huge budget, large population, huge challenges and she's got a very slim majority on city council," said Copeman, who was defeated by former Gazette reporter Sue Montgomery of Projet Montreal.
"I think it's important we find ways in which we can bring people together on council on common issues and that's how you build confidence," said DeSousa.