The first female mayor in the history of Waltham

The first female mayor in the history of Waltham

For the first time in its history, a woman will be the mayor of Waltham, an upper Pontiac municipality with approximately 378 inhabitants. Last week, Odette Godin was elected without opposition, replacing David Rochon, who decided to retire from political life. Godin said that Waltham is a municipality that often goes unnoticed and that it will be important to promote the needs of residents in relation to high-speed internet and cell service.

“Well, Waltham … we’re the forgotten part of the Pontiac, so I think we have to make a little bit more noise,” she said. “We have no cell service … Internet’s so bad we might as well not have any. When the kids were out of school, they couldn’t do the virtual online learning because our internet wasn’t good enough.”

She spoke highly of her predecessor Rochon, particularly regarding the work he did protecting homes and property during the 2019 floods that hammered the community, which sits at the confluence of the Ottawa and Black Rivers.

“He worked very hard, he got hardly any sleep, that man,” she said.

The full interview with Godin, is available here.