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A man sitting on a park bench holding onto a dog leash asks softly and with uncertainty in his voice: “Valérie Plante?”

The voice is so low that the person whose name he’s calling almost walks past without noticing because she and her coterie are busy chatting as they cut across the park.

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“I heard my name,” Plante suddenly says to her two companions who are helping her campaign in Ville-Marie borough. She immediately stops, turns and makes a beeline for the man and his Boston Terrier.

The man is clearly impressed that he has recognized the woman whose face is on posters zip-tied to poles all around the city.

After a handshake and introduction, Plante asks the man a battery of questions — where does he live, what kind of dog does he have and what’s his opinion on some of the issues he raises about municipal administration, including a recent and controversial bylaw that bans certain breeds of dogs.

“Things must change. We must change mayors anyway,” the man finally says, indicating that the candidate has clinched his vote.