{"id":2977,"date":"2013-10-18T08:11:59","date_gmt":"2013-10-18T12:11:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/?p=2977"},"modified":"2013-10-18T10:20:13","modified_gmt":"2013-10-18T14:20:13","slug":"mary-ann-davis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/mary-ann-davis\/","title":{"rendered":"Verdun Candidate for Mayor: Mary Ann Davis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"marieAssociation: Projet Montr\u00e9al – \u00c9quipe Bergeron, <\/b>
\nhttp:\/\/projetmontreal.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Campaign office: 4354 Verdun Street<\/strong><\/p>\n

How do you turn the mayor\u2019s job into a position of service in which you ensure that everyone in the community gets what they need?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re Mary Ann Davis, you announce your candidacy for mayor on May first and take six months off from your job to run your campaign. Then you begin volunteering for local community groups.<\/p>\n

The Verdun resident says that as her own career has twisted from psychiatric care to chef to MUHC union organizer and activist, she\u2019s watched her home community change too. \u00a0She says that she wanted to take some time to find out how things are functioning on the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe community groups are the heart of your community, so I need to talk to people and find out what they think,\u201d she said. \u201cWednesdays I go to hand out food baskets and get laughed at by the Quinns. I think I\u2019ve lost four pounds in a day.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As Davis cleaned up green alleys, cooked meals for volunteers and attended volunteer meetings, she discovered that the major issues she faced as a community worker at the Verdun Women\u2019s Centre in 1993 still exist. The borough still provides too many referrals to Batshaw and 42% of the children who enter kindergarten don\u2019t have the language skills they need.<\/p>\n

She also visited small businesses in the borough, where her 15-year career as a chef enabled her to hold in-depth conversations about buying food, creating jobs and feeding people with the owners of the many restaurants that have put Verdun on the map. She says that they\u2019re paying too many taxes to create jobs, and that means they have to work too many hours themselves.<\/p>\n

Other small businesses are concerned that the borough regulates them too severely, something that really hit home earlier this year when fifty irregularities with towers on Nun\u2019s Island hit the news. \u201cI was flabbergasted,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve been watching Verdun change and in my mind, I thought that those problems had improved.\u201d<\/p>\n

If people vote her in as mayor, she\u2019ll begin solving those problems step by step.<\/p>\n

She has also already shown that she and her team are willing to take controversial positions. Her position on building a school on Nun\u2019s Island, for example, is to build a bigger one immediately on the Archambeault property. \u201cThe current solution isn\u2019t good for anyone,\u201d she said. \u201cThe other property has space for a school yard, a parking lot and it can grow with the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her attitude to being mayor of a community is about taking care of people. \u201cAre there enough jobs? What are the schools like? What is the air you breathe like? It\u2019s not just about condo development, it\u2019s about everything. It\u2019s not just about land, although you have to do that too. We have to take care of everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Team: Champlain Nun\u2019s Island<\/h2>\n

Jack Kugelmass, city councillor, http:\/\/projetmontreal.org\/les-elus\/jack-l-kugelmass\/?lang=en<\/a><\/p>\n

Dolores Durbau, borough councillor, http:\/\/projetmontreal.org\/les-elus\/dolores-durbau\/?lang=en<\/a><\/p>\n

Stefana Lamasanu, borough councillor, http:\/\/projetmontreal.org\/les-elus\/stefana-lamasanu\/?lang=en<\/a><\/p>\n

Team: Desmarchais Crawford<\/h2>\n

Sterling Downey, city councillor, http:\/\/projetmontreal.org\/les-elus\/sterling-downey\/?lang=en<\/a><\/p>\n

Marie-Andr\u00e9e Mauger, borough councillor, http:\/\/projetmontreal.org\/les-elus\/marie-andree-mauger\/?lang=en<\/a><\/p>\n

Luc Gagnon, borough councillor, http:\/\/projetmontreal.org\/les-elus\/luc-gagnon\/?lang=en<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Association: Projet Montr\u00e9al – \u00c9quipe Bergeron, http:\/\/projetmontreal.org\/ \u00a0Campaign office: 4354 Verdun Street How do you turn the mayor\u2019s job into a position of service in which you ensure that everyone in the community gets what they need? If you\u2019re Mary Ann Davis, you announce your candidacy for mayor on May first and take six months […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"0","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-verdunposts","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2buQs-M1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15601,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/reluctant_federalist\/","url_meta":{"origin":2977,"position":0},"title":"Reluctant Federalist Briefly Becomes Verdun Election Issue","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"March 25, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Despite announcements by election candidates about potential investments in schools (PQ), hospitals (Liberals), social housing (Quebec Solidaire and CAQ) and bridges (all parties), the person who got the most attention in the riding of Verdun last week was Mary Ann Davis. Davis is an Anglophone, a union organizer, a housing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Verdun"","block_context":{"text":"Verdun","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/verdunposts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"marie ann davis_6479_1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/marie-ann-davis_6479_1-240x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16707,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/last-minute-campaign-to-fill-holiday-food-baskets-in-verdun\/","url_meta":{"origin":2977,"position":1},"title":"Last-minute campaign to fill holiday food baskets in Verdun","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"December 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Volunteers from Westwood High School in St. Lazare and Lester B. Pearson officials were at St. Lawrence Academy in LaSalle today to sort and deliver food and toys to some of the larger families who need help in Verdun and LaSalle. You can still drop off funds at any of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "LaSalle"","block_context":{"text":"LaSalle","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/lasalleposts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3078,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/verdun-council-split\/","url_meta":{"origin":2977,"position":2},"title":"Verdun Council Split between \u00c9quipe Coderre & Projet Montreal","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"November 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Voters in Verdun split their choices between all the candidates who represented change. \u201cEveryone in Verdun wants change and our position is not so far from that of Projet Montreal or even M\u00e9lanie Joly,\u201d says Jean-Fan\u00e7ois Parenteau, who is now mayor-elect of the borough. \u201cAs long as there\u2019s change we\u2019re\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Verdun"","block_context":{"text":"Verdun","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/verdunposts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Parenteau","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Parenteau.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16732,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/verdun-fights-to-keep-riverview\/","url_meta":{"origin":2977,"position":3},"title":"Verdun fights to keep Riverview","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"December 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Earlier this week, Verdun\u2019s mayor joined Riverview parents and teachers and his opposition councillors in expressing shock that the English school will close after the current school year ends. I think this decision is irresponsible,\u201d said Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Parenteau in an English-language press release late Monday afternoon. \u201cIt shows a lack\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Verdun"","block_context":{"text":"Verdun","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/verdunposts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Riverview welcomed in 1962; to close in 2016. Photo of article courtesy of Rohinton Ghandi.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Riverview-397x600.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3061,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/advance-polling-in-verdun\/","url_meta":{"origin":2977,"position":4},"title":"Busy Advance Polling and Debate in Verdun","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"October 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"All three advance polling stations in Verdun were packed last Sunday. The heavier than usual crowds were in part due to the time it took for each voter to fill out five different ballets\u2014for the mayors of Montreal and Verdun, for a city councillor and for two borough councillors. All\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Journalism"","block_context":{"text":"Journalism","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/writing\/notable-nonfiction\/journalism\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15979,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/english-commissioners-verdun-lasalle\/","url_meta":{"origin":2977,"position":5},"title":"English commissioners in Verdun and LaSalle","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"October 23, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Voters in Verdun and LaSalle have to choose between two and four school-board commissioner candidates, depending on where they live. People living in Lester B. Pearson\u2019s ward 1, which includes Nun\u2019s Island and mainland Verdun plus the Bronx in LaSalle, will choose from among Sergio Borja, Jim Bytheway, Mary\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Journalism"","block_context":{"text":"Journalism","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/writing\/notable-nonfiction\/journalism\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/38FRANK-di-BELLO.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2977"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2977\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2983,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2977\/revisions\/2983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}