West Nipissing Mayor Joanne Savage says Montreal electing its first female mayor helps reduce the stigma about women’s roles in politics. In watching the election process, Savage notes that Valerie Plante is very dynamic and has a high level of energy. However Savage says that won’t be enough. She says Plante will need the support of her family because as Mayor she’ll be spending a lot of time away from home. Savage says when she entered politics she had two young children aged two and four. However she had family support which was a big help. Savage says Plante also has to be open-minded and will need to have faith and depend on the people she’ll be working with. Despite some roadblocks Montreal’s first ever female Mayor faces, Savage believes she’s up for the challenge.
