Dean François Rabut, 25th on the Nice Together list, opened the session by stating that the ballots had spoken and that “minds are like parachutes, they only work when they are open,” quoting Louis Pauwels. After reviewing the results and the composition of the new city council, the call to elect was finally made.
Representatives of the Republican Agreement abstained and two candidates, Christian Estrosi and Patrick Allemand, were nominated. No surprises after the count, as Christian Estrosi won with 49 votes to Patrick Allemand’s 11, and therefore received the tricolor sash before taking his seat as Mayor.
Christian Estrosi could then make his first official speech as Mayor, reiterating the promise he made to implement most of his projects in the next 100 days. To achieve this, he set ten key areas on which his team will start working in the coming weeks.
Security: “Security has nothing to do with being secure. I wish for zero tolerance. Security is also about prevention, and we must give everyone equal opportunities. No act of incivility will go unanswered. When one is not safe, one is not free. Victims should be treated as well as delinquents, which is not always the case.”
Cleanliness: “Nice is a dirty city. I will set up a rapid action cleanliness force that will operate 24/7 to make Nice a clean city again.”
Childhood: “At the moment, we talk about equal opportunities between women and men, but it is not by depriving 1,400 mothers of daycare that we will achieve this. It will take us a few months, but we will create the necessary daycare places. Until then, we will allocate a €200 allowance for home child care.”
Housing: “This city is fractured. Natives of Nice live in unsafe buildings with poor quality facilities. I will implement an emergency plan with Côte d’Azur Habitat so that dignity can find its place in Nice’s housing again.”
Schools: “The school should represent equality of opportunity, and during ‘playground’ meetings, I have been able to see the condition of Nice’s schools. We will rehabilitate schools as we have done for middle schools with the General Council of Alpes-Maritimes. We will open the doors of schools to the sports world to provide one hour of sport per day to Nice’s school children. I invite teachers who are eager to give their best in transmitting knowledge and expertise to Nice’s schoolchildren.”
Seniors: “I want to ensure the health of Nice’s seniors. We must anticipate catching up because during our mandate we will see a 10% increase in the population over 85 years old. We are required to augment the departmental gerontology plan.”
Transport: “I want to organize transportation excluding certain areas. A transport plan will help reduce inequalities. The €1 rate has been a success, we must continue. For regional trains, we can have a unique ticket in the Alpes-Maritimes. We will also soon have a Velib’ in Nice with blue bikes like the blue chairs on the Promenade des Anglais available at all strategic city locations.”
Municipal administration: “I will propose a new municipal organization chart for a more reactive, available, and closer administration. Public service is a wonderful profession, and we must provide the means to realize it best.”
Current projects: “I will cancel the construction market of the grand town hall and the planned project on the Sulzer land.”
Some big promises from Christian Estrosi, aiming to improve a rather tarnished reputation, and no doubt everyone has taken note of his ten proposals, concluding his speech by stating that he is “the Mayor of all the women and men of Nice, whether they voted for him or not.” A final tribute will be paid to Jean-François Knecht, former member of this municipal council, thus inviting the opposition to directly intervene in municipal decisions by taking the lead of the tender committee, a proposition ultimately refused by Patrick Allemand and his running mates.
Christian Estrosi is thus prepared to run a new grand prix, with the countdown of the 100 days officially started this morning by the new Mayor of Nice.
