In one of his strongest statements yet, reacting to an accusation that some community activists continue to make — and which has come up at virtually every recent meeting of the borough council — Applebaum told a resident last Monday night that he's had just about enough.

Margareth Rumscheidt had pointed out that, in addition to his duties as borough mayor, Applebaum serves as president of the consultative committee on urban planning (CCU), which makes decisions on zoning and the demolition of buildings. Despite a lingering controversy over his role, Applebaum's mandate chairing the CCU was recently renewed for a sixth term.

"You are a licensed real-estate agent in the province of Quebec," said Rumscheidt. "While I cannot say you are in conflict-of-interest while wearing a second hat to hat one, the reality is that your simultaneous pursuit has the appearance of a conflict-of-interest.

"This does not inspire confidence from the citizens that the mayor of Côte des Neiges and NDG borough has their best interests in mind at all times when he's doing the work that he was elected to do.

"How do you intend to change this apparent problem?" she asked. "We strongly urge you to change the situation by opening up the CCU to public scrutiny and relinquishing the chairmanship to an impartial chair."

After explaining, as he has many times before, that provincial law allows elected municipal officials to hold other jobs, Applebaum replied, "At a certain time, I'm going to get a little fed up.

"And at a certain time, if my character or my credibility is being attacked, then I will probably afterwards look for legal advice and possibly make sure that that individual — if it's a person, or from the public, or if it is an elected representative — to ask them to correct the situation, or possibly have a legal procedure brought against them.

"Because I think at a certain point enough is enough when credibility comes into play …" When it comes to real-estate, Applebaum added, "I can assure you once again that there is a code of ethics, there's rules, and you may feel that there is a problem.

"But I can tell that I have the support of the city councillors — that they haven't made any requests whatsoever toward the (provincial) Minister of the Metropole or anybody of that nature to ask that city councillors who are also real-estate agents, or lawyers, or anything else, remove themselves or give up their license.

"I have a license, absolutely, and I hardly practice it … And I do not hide it whatsoever."