Get to know Director General Julie Mandeville
Our City welcomed a new Director General on February 20, 2023. A historic appointment, Julie Mandeville became the first woman to hold this position in Westmount. Working alongside Mayor Christina M. Smith, Julie Mandeville counts among several women in high responsibility roles at the City. Despite the many dossiers already on her desk, our new DG has been diligent in meeting with each of the City’s Departments as she begins mounting a strategy for this exciting new chapter in Westmount.
Julie Mandeville is no stranger to the City, having previously served as Director of Finance, Assistant Director General and Treasurer. Now, she is taking on the role of behind-the-scenes champion for all of the City’s operations. “I am a woman of action. I love being involved in various projects and working in a team,” Mandeville says of how she is approaching her new role. She preaches a collegial approach where proximity is key to effective collaboration. “I have this feeling of belonging in Westmount. It’s a family,” and as Director General, Julie is keen on developing even better collaboration and truly unifying the City’s different departments and the community.
“We need [the residents of Westmount] to feel part of the City because they’re the reason it exists.”
– Julie Mandeville, Director General
In fact, the community is top of mind for our new DG. “The primary goal of a municipal administration is to serve all its residents,” she states. “We need them to feel part of the City because they’re the reason it exists.” In five years from now, Julie foresees better community outreach, and she is particularly passionate on communicating about climate change. “A few years ago we were talking about it, but now we’re seeing it,” she says. “Seven degrees in February? That used to be unheard of.” Many existing green initiatives within the City are little known or not yet fully adopted by residents. From optimizing waste disposal operations to updating infrastructure, Julie sees now as a time of great opportunity. “We’re going to really reach out to our residents – what do they want to see?” For our Director General, the answer to that question is clear. She is working toward “a greener City.”
Julie Mandeville will surely bring her own style to the Director General’s office. Empathy is a core value that she hopes to infuse throughout the administration. Westmount is also an employer, and she believes better employee respect and recognition, among other value-based efforts, will help the City retain and attract more top talent to tackle the great projects ahead. “I will likely arrive at results a little differently [than my predecessors],” she reflects. “Whether that’s because I’m a woman or simply because I’m Julie…” What matters most, as far as our new DG is concerned, is getting a move on toward the future we all want to see.