Mary Deros

Mary Deros
Member of the Montreal Executive Committee responsible for cultural communities (Also responsible for youth after April 2011)
Incumbent
Assumed office November 2009
Preceded by	Marie-Andrée Beaudoin
Member of the Montreal Executive Committee responsible for community, social development, and families
In office January 2009 – November 2009
Preceded by	Marcel Tremblay
Succeeded by	Lyn Thériault
Member of the Montreal Executive Committee responsible for sports, recreation, social development, and neighbourhoods
In office 1998–2001
Preceded by	Martin Lemay (until 1997)
Succeeded by	Cosmo Maciocia (sports and recreation), Louise O'Sullivan (social development)
Montreal City Councillor for the Parc-Extension Ward
Incumbent
Assumed office 1998
Preceded by	Konstantinos Georgoulis
Personal details
Political party	Union Montreal

Mary Deros is a municipal politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She has represented Parc-Extension on the Montreal city council since 1998 and is a current member of mayor Gérald Tremblay's government, serving on the Montreal executive committee with responsibility for cultural communities and youth. She previously served in the administration of Pierre Bourque. Originally elected as a member of Vision Montreal, Deros is now a member of the Union Montreal party.

Early life and career

Deros was born in Greece to a family of Greek and Armenian background. During the Armenian genocide, her father escaped Turkey to live on the Greek island of Samos. She moved with her family to Montreal in 1958, when she was seven years old.

Deros is fluent in Greek, French, and English and was a well-known volunteer in Montreal's Greek community before starting her career as an elected official.^[1]

Political career

Municipal politics

Deros was first elected to Montreal city council for Parc-Extension in the 1998 municipal election. Vision Montreal won a majority on council in this election under mayor Pierre Bourque's leadership, and Deros was appointed to the city's executive committee in November 1998 with responsibility for sports, leisure, social development, and neighbourhoods.^[2] She also served on executive committee of the Montreal Regional Health Board.^[3] Deros oversaw the conversion of some municipal baseball fields to soccer fields in 2000, saying that soccer was becoming a more popular sport in the city.^[4] In 2001, she played a major role in organizing Montreal's Greek Independence Day parade.^[5]

In September 2000, Deros was appointed as a city representative on the newly formed Montreal Metropolitan Community regional government.^[6] In the same period, she supported Mayor Bourque's campaign to merge all Island of Montreal communities into a single municipal government.^[7]

Deros was re-elected in the 2001 municipal election, but Vision Montreal was defeated by Gérald Tremblay's Montreal Island Citizens Union. She stood down from the executive committee when Tremblay took office.^[8] Deros was re-elected to a third term in 2005, and in 2007, led a successful campaign to prevent Montreal's historic Park Avenue from being renamed after former Quebec premier Robert Bourassa.^[9] In the same period, she campaigned for an indoor soccer venue.^[10]

After serving as a Vision Montreal councillor for nine years, Deros joined Mayor Tremblay's renamed Union Montreal party in December 2007. She said that she had considered the move over several months, and that "Ever since Mr. Bourque left [in 2006], the party [Vision Montreal] hasn't been the same."^[11] On 28 January 2009, Tremblay re-appointed her to the Montreal executive committee with responsibility for community, social development, and families.^[12]

Deros was re-elected to a fourth term on council in the 2009 municipal election. In November 2009, she was reassigned with responsibility for Montreal's cultural communities on the executive committee.^[13] In April 2011, she was given further responsibilities for youth.^[14]

Federal and provincial politics

The Montreal Gazette reported in February 2003 that Deros was considering a candidacy for the provincial Action démocratique du Québec.^[15] This rumour came to nothing. She sought the Quebec Liberal Party nomination for a by-election in Laurier-Dorion the following year, but withdrew from the contest before the nomination meeting.^[16]

In 2007, Deros sought the Liberal Party of Canada nomination in Papineau for the next Canadian federal election. She finished second against Justin Trudeau.^[17]

Electoral history

References

1. ^ Mike Boone, "Park Extension councillor is one for the books," Montreal Gazette, 8 April 2003, A6.
2. ^ Aaron Derfel, "Stability takes top priority," Montreal Gazette, 3 November 1998, A1; Aaron Derfel, "Mayor taps Fortier as chairman: Executive committee is experienced," Montreal Gazette, 13 November 1998, A3; Note biographique de Mary Deros, conseillère de la Ville au district de Parc-Extension, City of Montreal, accessed 7 July 2011.
3. ^ Rick Mofina and Rachel Pulfer, "Want to live longer? Go West, study shows," Montreal Gazette, 19 August 1999, A10.
4. ^ Michael Mainville, "Fields of dreams make way for soccer: Soccer has become so popular among children that Montreal says it must create new fields," Montreal Gazette, 7 April 2000, A1.
5. ^ Allison Hanes, "It's Greek day, snow or shine: Weather won't derail parade this time, organizers promise," Montreal Gazette, 1 April 2001, A4.
6. ^ Michael Mainville, "Bourque's bloc choices: Opposition furious that all his MMC team is from Vision Montreal Party," Montreal Gazette, 12 September 2000, A3.
7. ^ Allison Hanes, "Petition push falls short: But Bourque still confident he'll get 100,000 pro-merger signatures," Montreal Gazette, 18 December 2000, A1.
8. ^ "How Montreal voted," Montreal Gazette, 5 November 2001, A8.
9. ^ Jan Ravensbergen, Anne Sutherland, and Rene Bruemmer, "People power finally wins – 'Park Ave.'s safe'," Montreal Gazette, 7 February 2007, A3.
10. ^ James Mennie, "Council has tripped over its own feet on soccer issue," Montreal Gazette, 24 October 2007, A8.
11. ^ James Mennie, "Get set for musical chairs," Montreal Gazette, 13 December 2007, A6.
12. ^ "Mayor's cabinet shuffle isn't just a snow job," Montreal Gazette, 29 January 2009, A12; Note biographique de Mary Deros, conseillère de la Ville au district de Parc-Extension, City of Montreal, accessed 7 July 2011.
13. ^ "The Municipal Vote," Montreal Gazette, 3 November 2009, A8; James Mennie, "Mayor tries multi-party gambit; Will it work?; 'Tremblay was very courageous'," Montreal Gazette, 18 November 2009, A3.
14. ^ James Mennie, "Opposition out in city's cabinet shuffle; Tremblay appoints Applebaum to oversee finance," Montreal Gazette, 7 April 2011, A7.
15. ^ Linda Gyulai, "Vision left floundering: Ex-mayor's party might lose more," Montreal Gazette, 1 February 2003, A2.
16. ^ Linda Gyulai, "Councillor seeks Liberal nomination in Park Ex," Montreal Gazette, 6 July 2004, A6; "Deros takes hat out of Liberal ring," Montreal Gazette, 8 August 2004, A2.
17. ^ Allan Woods, "'A man with a dream'; Trudeau, who handily defeated two opponents, insists that despite his famous name he's more than just his father's son," Toronto Star, 30 April 2007, A06. Trudeau received 690 votes, while councillor Deros received 350 and Basilio Giordano received 220. (These numbers may be approximations.)

Persondata
Name	Deros, Mary
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Date of birth
Place of birth	Greece
Date of death
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