Jean-Marc Governatori presented the fifth theme of his municipal project for the 2026 elections this Wednesday, January 14, 2026, during a press conference organized in Nice: the involvement of the ultra-rich of Nice in the city’s energy autonomy.
Jean-Marc Governatori, candidate of The List for Quality of Life, for the 2026 municipal election, supported by Ecology at the Center and Generation Animal, explained that his first decision, if elected mayor, would be to “inform the people of Nice” about what he considers significant yet insufficiently addressed issues. “There are three pieces of information we never give to the people of Nice: the food situation, the energy situation, and the fact that the Nice economy relies on nine raw materials that are going to run out”, he stated.
According to Jean-Marc Governatori, the local economy depends notably on gas, oil, coal, zinc, copper, uranium, sand, iron, and bauxite. These resources are expected to become scarce in the coming decades, he believes. “These nine raw materials are what allow everyone to work in Nice. Their scarcity, if not anticipated, leads to mass unemployment”, he claimed, criticizing what he sees as the lack of transition towards a circular and regenerative economy.
A Strategy Based on the Local
When asked how to concretely achieve food and energy autonomy, the candidate advocated for organizing the city within a community-oriented proximity scale. “We need to work on Nice as a community of villages because local efforts are much more efficient”, he explained. Jean-Marc Governatori specifically proposes creating community gardens in each neighborhood with dual social and environmental objectives. “People need to learn to talk, communicate, and understand that the future is not about buying, but about repairing, reusing, recycling, and re-employing”, he added.
These orientations highlight the energy renovation of buildings, the development of solar energy, urban heating and cooling networks, and geothermal energy. His program also emphasizes the energy vulnerability of Nice, which depends on a single major high-voltage line, and estimates the share of renewable energy in the local mix at 8%, below the national average.
The Role of the Ultra-rich in Nice
Finally, Jean-Marc Governatori clarified the role he wishes to see played by the 16 ultra-rich individuals identified in Nice. “I need their money, I want them to do their part”, he declared, while excluding any tax increase.
“I do not condemn them; they earned their money. But it would be totally unacceptable for them not to work on two crucial issues, which are food autonomy and energy autonomy”, he added, stating that their refusal would expose them to being “singled out.”
The List for Quality of Life also emphasizes energy poverty, asserting that 36% of households in Nice are affected, and underlines the need, according to the candidate, to change the democratic model by more actively involving the population in energy-related decisions.
Now, it remains to be seen who these 16 ultra-rich individuals in Nice are, those who are called upon to contribute to the project…
