# Hasmig Belleli

Hasmig Belleli is a politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She served on the Montreal city council from 1994 to 2005 and again from 2008 to 2009 as a member of Vision Montreal.

## Early life

Belleli was born Hasmig Vasilian in Lebanon, to a family of Armenian background. She moved to Canada with her husband in 1967. During her time on council, she fought for a memorial to the Armenian genocide to be constructed in Montreal.

## City councillor
### 1994–2005

Belleli was first elected to city council in the 1994 municipal election in the Ahuntsic ward. Vision Montreal won a council majority in this election, and Belleli served as a backbench supporter of Pierre Bourque's administration. She supported the mayor during the Vision Montreal internal party crisis of 1997, and in February 1997 she was appointed as chair of the city's urban planning commission and to the Montreal Urban Community's administration and finance committee.
Belleli was re-elected in the 1998 municipal election, in which Vision Montreal won a second consecutive council majority. She continued serving as chair of the urban planning commission following the election. In March 1999, her committee approved a controversial housing project in one of the city's largest remaining greenspaces, at the foot of Mount Royal. The committee later approved initiatives to construct condominiums on the Redpath Refinery, transform the Rialto Theatre into a dance club, and launch a Loblaws store in Ahuntsic. (Belleli abstained from voting on the last two decisions and voted against the Loblaws plan when it came before council.)
In 2001, Belleli's committee voted to support demolition of the dormant York Theatre in order to permit an expansion of Concordia University. She defended this decision against the complaints of heritage groups, saying, "It seems to me that in no case do these groups make a gesture (like) a financing campaign each year to collect money to buy these buildings and conserve them. It's easy to say conserve, conserve, conserve."
Belleli supported Mayor Bourque's successful campaign to create a single municipal administration for the Island of Montreal. She was elected to a third council term for the Acadie division in 2001, as Gérald Tremblay's Montreal Island Citizens Union (MICU) defeated Vision Montreal across the city. She served in opposition for the next four years and was defeated in her bid for re-election in 2005.

### 2008–2009

Belleli returned to city council after winning a by-election for the Ahuntsic division in 2008. Tremblay's party (renamed as Union Montreal) still held a majority on council, and Belleli again served as an opposition member. She sought re-election for the neighbouring Bordeaux-Cartierville division in 2009 but was defeated by Harout Chitilian of Union Montreal.
By virtue of holding her seat on city council, Belleli was also a member of the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough council from 2001 to 2005 and again from 2008 to 2009.

## Federal politics

Belleli was nominated as the Liberal Party of Canada's candidate for Alfred-Pellan prior to the 2008 federal election. She withdrew from the contest after being re-elected to city council.

## Electoral record

vte2009 Montreal municipal election: Councillor, Bordeaux-Cartierville :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Union Montreal | Union Montreal | Harout Chitilian | 3,040 | 37.71 |
| Vision Montreal | Vision Montreal | (x)Hasmig Belleli | 2,578 | 31.98 |
| Projet Montréal | Projet Montréal | Pericles Creticos | 2,040 | 25.31 |
| Parti Montréal Ville-Marie | Parti Montréal Ville-Marie | John Gentile | 403 | 5.00 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 8,061 | 100 |
| Source: Election results, 2009, City of Montreal. |||||
vteAhuntsic-Cartierville municipal by-election, 21 September 2008: Councillor, Ahuntsic :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Vision Montreal | Vision Montreal | Hasmig Belleli | 2,244 | 36.43 |
| Union Montreal | Union Montreal | Michel Hamel | 2,185 | 35.48 |
| Projet Montréal | Projet Montréal | Émilie Thuillier | 1,652 | 26.82 |
| Independent | Independent | Christian Prévost | 78 | 1.27 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 6,159 | 100 |
| Source: Official results - Ahuntsic electoral district, Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough, September 21, 2008, City of Montreal, accessed 19 January 2013. |||||
vte2005 Montreal municipal election: Councillor, Ahuntsic :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Montreal Island Citizens Union | Montreal Island Citizens Union | (x)Pierre Lapointe | 3,956 | 44.38 |
| Vision Montreal | Vision Montreal | (x)Hasmig Belleli | 3,628 | 40.70 |
| Projet Montréal | Projet Montréal | Pierre-Léo Mongeon-Bourbonnais | 1,329 | 14.91 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 8,913 | 100 |
| Source: City of Montreal official results (in French), City of Montreal. |||||
vte2001 Montreal municipal election: Councillor, Acadie :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Vision Montreal | Vision Montreal | (x)Hasmig Belleli | 5,493 | 59.51 |
| Montreal Island Citizens Union | Montreal Island Citizens Union | James Kromida | 3,737 | 40.49 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 9,230 | 100 |
| Source: Election results, 1833-2005 (in French), City of Montreal. |||||
vte1998 Montreal municipal election: Councillor, Ahuntsic :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Vision Montreal | Vision Montreal | Hasmig Belleli (incumbent) | 3,900 | 50.04 |
| New Montreal | New Montreal | Jimmy V. Capogreco co-listed with Jacques Duchesneau | 2,119 | 27.19 |
| Team Montreal | Team Montreal | Pierre Veilleux | 793 | 10.17 |
| Montreal Citizens' Movement | Montreal Citizens' Movement | Renée Millette | 754 | 9.67 |
| Democratic Coalition | Democratic Coalition | Néomie Larocque de Roquebrune | 137 | 1.76 |
| Montreal 2000 | Montreal 2000 | Yvan Tremblay | 91 | 1.17 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 7,794 | 100.00 |
| Source: Official Results, City of Montreal. |||||
vte1994 Montreal municipal election: Councillor, Ahuntsic :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Vision Montreal | Vision Montreal | Hasmig Belleli | 3,458 | 46.19 |
| Montreal Citizens' Movement | Montreal Citizens' Movement | Michel L'Allier | 2,182 | 29.15 |
| Montrealers' Party | Montrealers' Party | Michel Bureau | 943 | 12.60 |
| Independent | Independent | Ghassan Saba | 572 | 7.64 |
| Democratic Coalition–Ecology Montreal | Democratic Coalition–Ecology Montreal | Jean-Pierre Le Blanc | 203 | 2.71 |
| White Elephant Party | White Elephant Party | Christian Coutu | 128 | 1.71 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 7,486 | 100 |
| Source: Official Results, City of Montreal |||||