The coincidences of the calendar decreed that the presentation of the “new” Metropolis strategy to the economic world (representatives and decision-makers) coincided with the first day of the Year of the Dragon (January 23), which the Chinese consider special because the Dragon is the only symbol in their calendar that is not ‘alive’.
And indeed, 2012 is also a special year for Nice and its territory, specifically the first year of this Metropolis that Christian Estrosi so passionately pursued against all odds.
Moreover, there was a strong similarity with the Chinese context of “guanxi” (networks that place personal relationships above formal contracts), due to the presence of the “ruling elite community,” i.e., those who, in one way or another, hold the political and economic command of the territory.
It was a “one-man show” for Christian Estrosi in his role as the new President of this Metropolis, whose territorial perimeter and administrative competences make it a kind of County (with a capital that dominates the others in size) and positions itself as an autonomous force in relation to both the departmental and regional communities.
It will be interesting to see how all this works out and we are curious to watch the evolution of relations between the mayor of Nice (Christian Estrosi… Minus?) and the President of the Metropolis (Christian Estrosi… Magnus?).
It is known that Christian Estrosi enjoys charming, gathering, and convincing, and he certainly delivered an extensive speech on this occasion (almost an hour and a half), alternating between grand oratory and precise commitments to present the Metropolis strategy, whose first act of governance will be the presentation and approval of the 2012 budget on February 10.
This compendium of different projects is already well-known and does not lack ambition. The aim is clear and displayed: to make the Nice metropolis a first-quality territory endowed with attractiveness on the international stage where competition will take place more and more between territories and zones of influence by their excellence, rather than between States.
Naturally, to achieve this, sheer ambition and goodwill will not be enough, and a global strategy that requires a coherent and efficient team is necessary: it is the synergy among all players that will bring about results that meet desires and expectations.
For this reason, Christian Estrosi has adopted the solemn recommendation addressed by the apostle Paul to his disciple Timothy: “proclaim the word, insist in season and out of season”. This was the framework of the meeting, between the concern to instruct, the munus docendi on the part of the storyteller, and the tireless patience of the faithful.
Finally, it may be a prophetia futura for the governance of the new Metropolis: will we have a Christian Estrosi as a “butterfly” or “cancer” (his zodiac sign)? The creative freedom of the butterfly or the powerful tenacity and dogged will of the cancer?
