This article written in french by Stéphane St-Amour was automatically translated using ChatGPT
Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier English School Board President Paolo Galati will not seek re-election for another term.
This announcement comes after the launch of an investigation by the Commission municipale du Québec (CMQ) on Wednesday, focusing on the reimbursement of unjustified expenses that Mr. Galati received in recent years as a municipal councillor for Saint-Vincent-de-Paul.
“Given the current context, I do not wish for my role as a municipal councillor to affect the Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier School Board, to which I have dedicated much energy over the past ten years and which is particularly close to my heart. I have therefore decided not to run as a candidate in the upcoming school elections to be held on November 3, 2024.”
It is worth noting that the nomination period for the school elections will open next Tuesday, September 24.
Still President Until November 13
In the statement released by the English school board yesterday afternoon, Mr. Galati added: “Moreover, to avoid disrupting the governance and administration of the Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier School Board, I will, for the time being, step back from some public duties associated with my role as school board president.”
He will remain president until his successor is sworn in during the board of commissioners’ meeting on Wednesday, November 13.
That said, Vice-President Melissa Wall is expected to chair the next council meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, September 25.
“I have proudly and with integrity represented the people of my [school] district in Laval, as well as the Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier School Board, for over a decade,” noted Paolo Galati, adding that “to this day, [he has] maintained a flawless record in public service.”
Track Record
Mr. Galati served as president of St. Vincent Elementary School from 2008 to 2014 before being elected as a school commissioner in 2014.
In the fall of 2018, the board of commissioners elected him president of the school board following the resignation of Jennifer Maccarone, who had been newly elected as an MNA for Westmount–Saint-Louis under the banner of the Quebec Liberal Party.
Regarding the reimbursement of expenses he received as a municipal councillor, which has led to the current controversy, Paolo Galati stated that he has “requested that [his] expenses as a municipal councillor be re-examined by the Finance Department of the City of Laval” and that he will act “accordingly” based on the decision rendered by the municipal treasury.
“Neither Mr. Galati nor the Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier School Board will make any further comments,” concluded the statement.
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