Embattled Montreal mayor to speak at 3:30 p.m., amid demands for resignation

MONTREAL – Montreal could soon have its third mayor in less than a year.

A city spokesman says interim mayor Michael Applebaum will make a statement at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Speculation about his resignation has been rampant since he was slapped yesterday with 14 criminal charges.

As for the nature of today’s statement, the city’s No. 2 politician is hinting that it will be a departure announcement.

“From what I understand the statement will be in keeping with what appears to be a quasi-unanimity in the media since yesterday,” Laurent Blanchard said, in an apparent reference to numerous calls for Applebaum to step down.

The provincial government has explicitly urged him to resign.

Blanchard, the city’s executive committee chairman, says the mayor is working on his statement with a lawyer.

“There are legal questions to settle. Mr. Applebaum, as a result of what happened yesterday, is consulting a lawyer,” Blanchard said. “And the lawyer wants to ensure that the statement respects all the conditions that must be taken into account.”

Applebaum became interim mayor in a vote at council last November, upon offering to build a multi-party coalition to root out corruption. He was replacing Gerald Tremblay, who had quit amid controversy over rampant corruption within their political party.

Applebaum won support from rivals in other parties. He promised them he would not run in the upcoming municipal election, which is scheduled for November.

Applebaum is the first Anglo mayor of Montreal in 100 years.

But his reign was torpedoed by his arrest Monday on charges including fraud, conspiracy, breach of trust, and corruption in municipal affairs. Applebaum’s arrest made news internationally.

The charges against him stemmed from alleged acts that occurred between 2006 and 2011, before Applebaum became mayor.

While police offered few details, they said the charges relate to real-estate projects in the west-end borough Applebaum led.

Police said they believe bribes were paid to influence zoning and permit decisions. They said the transactions were worth “tens of thousands of dollars.”

Meanwhile, the scandal-soaked political party Applebaum and Tremblay both belonged to, Union Montreal, was dissolved last month.