[9] A mayoral by-election was held in September 1984, and Renaud defeated Moschella in what proved to be an extremely divisive contest.
Renaud later stated that Moschella had run a "malicious" campaign against him; in December 1984, he launched a $41,000 suit for alleged defamatory remarks.
Moschella threatened to counter-sue, saying that the new mayor would "wind up paying [his] legal fees and then some" if the matter came to court.
He also said that Renaud's lawsuit would be harmful to the democratic process, as politicians might become reluctant to speak openly if they were concerned about provoking legal action.
[11] He ran for re-election under this party's banner for the city's twelfth ward in the 1986 municipal election and narrowly lost to Robert Zambito, a candidate of Renaud's slate.
Zampino defeated Renaud for the mayoralty and the Parti municipal won a majority on council; Moschella was one of only two opposition councillors to be elected.
The result was heavily impacted by incumbent candidate Robert Zambito's late withdrawal from the race on corruption allegations.