At just 21, Isabelle Lessard becomes one of Quebec's youngest mayors
CBC
When Isabelle Lessard saw that no one else was running for mayor in Chapais, Que., the 21-year-old decided to put her name forward despite having no experience in municipal politics.
"I was looking for new challenges," she said, adding that she felt it was an opportunity for her to step up and help her town when no one else would.
"I told myself 'well, the worst that can happen to me is that I go through the campaign and lose, and I'll move on.'"
The circumstances played in her favour.
Someone else did end up deciding to run as well, the outgoing municipal councillor Jacques Fortin, but he withdrew his candidacy in early October, making her mayor by acclamation. She was sworn in on Nov. 2.
"When I found out, I jumped with joy in my living room. I couldn't believe it! I didn't understand what was happening," recalled Lessard, who quit her job of three years working with seniors and paused her studies in massage therapy to focus full time on her new role.
She said she was stressed, but also really proud to lead the town she's called home since she was born.
Located in northern Quebec, more than 500 kilometers northwest of Quebec City, Chapais has about 1,500 residents, according to the 2016 census.
At just 21, Lessard is one of the province's youngest mayors. Only three per cent of Quebec's 1,091 newly elected mayors are between the ages of 18 and 34, according to the province's Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Some people in the community worry about having such a young mayor, said resident Diane Gendron. But Gendron, 62, isn't one of them.
"It's time to let the young people help us and tackle the issues that we have here in Chapais," she said.
Gendron knows Lessard from working with her at Rayons de Soleil, a local volunteer group that organizes activities and rides for seniors.
She said she is confident the young woman will excel in her new role, despite her lack of political experience.
"She'll learn. We all have to start somewhere in life," she said, noting Lessard will have a team of councillors to help her.
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