Chomedey city councillor’s local popularity has helped strengthen opposition party
In politics – where an elected official might be expected to serve one or two terms – a full decade in office can be something to really brag about.
But that’s how long Action Laval city councillor for Chomedey Aglaia Revelakis has been a leading player in local municipal politics.
Raised to office in the City of Laval’s 2013 elections when Action Laval’s first councillors were elected, Revelakis has proven herself since then to be a key player within the opposition party.
Chomedey loves Aglaia
She has won overwhelming majorities in two elections, while retaining a large and reliable base of support for Action Laval within her district.
Last month, Action Laval councillors, as well as party members and local elected officials from other levels of government, decided to pay homage to Revelakis during a 10th anniversary celebration event held at The Palace congress centre.
Among the nearly 300 guests attending were politicians old and new, including Consul General for Greece in Montreal Katerina Varvarigou, former Ahuntsic Liberal MP Eleni Bakopanos, longtime Montreal city councillor Mary Deros, former City of Laval executive-committee vice-president Basile Angelopoulos, Chomedey Liberal MNA Sona Lakhoyan Olivier and Vimy Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis.
Known in the community
In an interview, Koutrakis recalled to the Laval News that Aglaia Revelakis had become a quiet but influential presence in Chomedey long before Revelakis’s name was widely known throughout the community.
Koutrakis said that as early as 1994, Revelakis was working for the Greek Orthodox community of Laval as a general secretary and coordinator, while Koutrakis sat as treasurer on the board.
“Aglaia was very helpful with the organization’s finances, among other things, and she’s always been a staple in our community,” said Revelakis.
Before entering Laval municipal politics, Revelakis gained political experience as a key organizer in Parc Extension councillor Mary Deros’s many election campaigns since 1998 when Deros first was elected.
Anchoring the party
Since 2013, Revelakis has been one of Action Laval’s most valuable assets. Party officials acknowledge that the Chomedey district can always be counted on to anchor support for Action Laval, based largely on Aglaia Revelakis’s continuing popularity with voters in municipal elections.
At one point, when the party’s fortunes flagged, Revelakis was the lone Action Laval councillor left on city council, but managed to hold the fort until Action Laval got back its strength. They have five elected council members now.
“She stood alone for a while and held it together,” said Action Laval councillor for Saint-Bruno David De Cotis. “Credit has to be given to the person who made it happen, and that’s Aglaia Revelakis.”
