Jacques Marcoux was born to Canadian parents in Greenville, Maine, in 1945 and moved to Canada with his family two years later. He worked for many years as a teacher, civil servant, and small business owner.[1] He was a councillor in Potton from 1981 to 1985 and was elected as the community's mayor over his cousin, incumbent André Marcoux, in 1989. He served for one term before being defeated in a 1993 election rematch.[2] In 1988, he helped defeat a municipal by-law that would have permitted three new developments in the town; Marcoux said that he wanted to preserve Potton's rural character.[3] He later served as president of the board of directors for the Centre de Sante Memphremagog in the early 2000s.[4] In 2008, he undertook an eleven thousand kilometre bicycle journey in the United States and Canada to raise thirty-six thousand dollars for community groups in Mansonville.[5] When he launched his mayoral campaign in 2009, he was sixty-three years old and described himself as retired.[6] One of his first initiatives after winning the election was to help pass an initiative to bring high-speed internet to the entire community.[7] By virtue of being the mayor of Potton, Marcoux also serves on the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality. In March 2010, he announced an increase in the region's rural transportation services.[8] In January 2011, he became chair of the region's local development centre.[9]
Louis Veillon has operated La Vieille Buche Pub in Mansonville.[10] He served on the Potton municipal council from 1993 to 1997 and again from 2001 to 2009; he first sought election as mayor in 1997 and lost to André Marcoux. Veillon was sixty years old in 2009 and listed himself as retired.[11]
^Corrinna Pole, "Off his bike and into the running; From raising funds to winning votes," Sherbrooke Record, 15 January 2009, p. 5; "No shortage of candidates in Potton," Sherbrooke Record, 1 November 2001, p. 8.
^"Potton County townsfolk rally to defeat development bylaw," Montreal Gazette, 22 February 1988, A4.
^Nelson Afonso, "Push is on for hospital expansion," Sherbrooke Record, 12 February 2003, p. 1.
^The Sherbrooke Record devoted several articles to his journey. See for instance Murielle Parkes, "Snow, hail, headwinds; Crazy Guy still has time for email," Sherbrooke Record, 21 April 2008, p. 2.
^Corrinna Pole, "Off his bike and into the running; From raising funds to winning votes," Sherbrooke Record, 15 January 2009, p. 5.
^"Council adopts hi-speed Internet plan," Sherbrooke Record, 22 February 2010, p. 2.
^Doug McCooeye, "New public transport to provide greater access in Magog region," Sherbrooke Record, 10 March 2010, p. 3.
^"Jacques Marcoux elected as CLD President," Sherbrooke Record, 24 January 2011, p. 2.
^Morri Mostow, "At home at La Vieille Buche Pub," Sherbrooke Record, 23 June 2000, p. 2.
