The Mayors tour is back in operation for the year 2021. We begin our year with the mayor of Rivière-Beaudette and prefect of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges RCM, Patrick Bousez.
The 55-year-old says he is proud of what he has accomplished for the citizens of his municipality and for the RCM, especially since the start of this pandemic.
According to the mayor, the Hôtel de Ville de Rivière-Beaudette accommodates a large part of the services to the population. In addition to the town hall and the municipal administration, there is the library.
“We had to work harder to make the Town Hall open to citizens by appointment, but also to the library, said Mayor Bousez. Our library book loan is functional and I’m proud of it.”
For citizens of the entire Vaudreuil-Soulanges RCM, Patrick Bousez has set up a mandatory meeting with all provincial and federal deputies regarding Covid-19. He believes it is the best thing to do when a crisis like this hits. We need a strong and unilateral response, specifies the mayor.
“During these meetings, we removed partisanship and politics from the discussions, says Bousez. We focus on the real issues that concern the population. These meetings are every Friday, this way we have some time in our schedule to analyze the situation in the region.”
Achievements
Patrick Bousez has been at the head of the Municipality of Rivière-Beaudette since 2009 and prefect of the RCM since 2017. He says he is proud of his achievements as mayor.
The most recent as mayor of his municipality is the establishment of a first responder service. According to him, this is a victory for the people of the region and of his village.
“We have received six calls since the service was launched on December 21st . Even though the number is low, we see it as a victory for citizen services. We were able to help six more citizens than if we did not have this first responder service. So, I am happy with the result so far.”
Mr. Bousez is pleased with the closeness he and his administration have with the population of Rivière-Beaudette. Being a small village of just over 2,000 residents, the mayor can afford to be more accessible, he said. It is not uncommon for the mayor to make appointments with citizens after 6 p.m. to meet with him. He knows the reality of people.
“I know very well that people don’t have the luxury of taking time out of their workday to come see me, says Bousez. They are even pleasantly surprised sometimes that I give them an appointment in the evening. I’ve been a mechanic my whole life, I know what full-time work is like and how hard it is to take time off.”
In addition to his achievements, Patrick Bousez confirmed to VIVA MÉDIA that he will be running for the next election in November. He explains that the flame is still burning for him and that in politics we know our start date, but never the exit date.
Mayor and Prefect: How to marry the two?
Combining the functions of prefect and municipal mayor is a full-time job, says Mayor Bousez. VIVA MÉDIA wanted to know a little more about the time management between the two titles and how it works from day to day.
According to him, it’s very hard to “turn the switch off”. The RCM and its municipality require constant management. He doesn’t hide the fact that the two jobs force him to work overtime and work weekends.
“I am passionate about life, he explains. I’ve always done a job to the best of my ability, so it doesn’t change when I’m mayor or prefect. It’s my straight talk that got me into politics and that’s one of my strengths.”
Asked about the guidance of the RCM, Patrick Bousez mentions that when he sits as prefect, he is no longer the mayor of Rivière-Beaudette. There is a replacement mayor who takes his place and votes for the municipality. Patrick Bousez specifies that when he becomes prefect for meetings or advice, his interest becomes regional.
“I cannot begin to combine my work as mayor and that of prefect, says Mr. Bousez. People expect me to be an unbiased prefect. That’s why I was re-elected last year for another term.”
