Advertisement 1

City plans to honour late Greater Sudbury councillors, mayor says

Michael Vagnini and Gerry Montpellier died earlier this year

Article content

Mayor Paul Lefebvre began his State of the City remarks on Thursday with tributes to his late colleagues, Michael Vagnini and Gerry Montpellier.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

“Michael and Gerry were known as passionate and fierce advocates for the communities they represented, Wards 2 and 3, respectively,” Lefebvre told the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. “Michael was beloved for his unique sartorial sense, and his care for the community was evident in his annual No One Eats Alone community Christmas dinner,” Lefebvre noted.

Article content

“Gerry was a visible presence at so many community events, and he certainly knew his way around a classic car. I look forward to providing further details about our plans to honour them with public dedications soon.”

The former councillors passed away in February.

Vagnini’s body was found on Feb. 13 in the Lake Panache area. He had been missing for about two-and-a-half weeks, prompting an unprecedented outpouring of love and goodwill, and a massive manhunt. He was 62 years old.

Montpellier, 69, passed away on Feb. 21 at Health Sciences North, surrounded by family. He had been ill for some time and had been in hospital since before Christmas.

Ward 2 Coun. Eric Benoit was appointed to replace Vagnini; and Ward 3 Coun. Michel Brabant, to replace Montpellier.

“Both have demonstrated a sincere desire to represent the interests of their constituents and have proven they can dive in headfirst and deal with important decisions at the council table,” Lefebvre said.

mkkeown@postmedia.com
X: @marykkeown
Facebook: @mkkeown

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

News Near Sudbury
    This Week in Flyers