His name has made headlines in the local press several times recently. A new political recruit after education and a military background, he had quickly become one of the key elements of municipal life.
Some already see him climbing further steps towards power, others think… too many steps and too quickly. We know that human nature feeds on passions and, unfortunately, on hatred.
But political life is also made of disappointment and, after accepting the cruel disappointment, Benoît Kandel is back in the starting blocks of the azurean political life.
So, ready for a new political adventure?
Nice Premium: Benoît Kandel, don’t you feel a bit targeted in recent months?
Benoît Kandel: Indeed, and without wanting to play the victim, many clues and more or less recent events lead me to think that some people are trying to remove me from local political life today. In the absence of being able to attack me on the record of my years as Deputy Mayor of Nice or reproach me for any lack of loyalty, they scheme and try to destabilize me. These pettinesses do not surprise me, as I know human nature. They dismay me. But, in the end, it may be the fate promised to every Deputy Mayor, as the precedents in Nice are numerous!
NP: You have been excluded from the UMP for a rapprochement towards the National Front under the guise of a meeting with Marine Le Pen. In hindsight, what is your feeling?
BK: If simply meeting a political leader, which I confirm was done in a strictly private setting, is enough to exclude you from the UMP, then many officials and party activists will soon have to explain themselves… I clarified my position in writing by sending a letter to Jean François Copé. I am awaiting his response. As for those conducting the trial, they would do well to be cautious because some meetings they themselves have had, discreet as they may have been, are very real…
NP: It seems that someone may not have your best interests at heart?
BK: It is quite possible, but it is not rational. No specific grievance is officially held against me by Christian Estrosi, except for having given an interview to Nice Matin without his approval… Throughout these last five years, I modestly believe I have contributed to the record of the current majority. Many projects I led for the City of Nice have succeeded, many ideas I brought forth were followed through. The reasons for my eviction must therefore be sought elsewhere…
NP: You mention “funny methods”… Such as?
BK: In life, including political life, it is possible to have disagreements, even conflicts, one day. What I regret is the manner. The brutality of the measures taken against me when I believe I committed myself without career calculation or restraint, in favor of my City. The fact that the withdrawal of all my delegations was announced to me by a cabinet member and not by the mayor himself disappointed me. The absence of dialogue and simply the most elementary respect we owe each other do not align with my vision of what the relationships between elected officials of the same municipal team should normally be.
Today, Christian Estrosi works only with his own cabinet. He is cut off from the elected officials of his own majority whom he hardly ever sees, and more seriously, he has lost contact with the people of Nice. It is not surprising because, when you know things as I have seen them myself, his only obsession is to be in the newspaper every day to be able to continue accumulating as many mandates as possible and exist politically. The result: His feet are occasionally in Nice but his head is always in Paris!
NP: Benoît Kandel is often mentioned in a municipal list, and not necessarily in the one people would like to believe. If you were not to run on a potential Nice list, where would you like to be a candidate, or in a good position on the list of a candidate?
BK: As I have had the opportunity to say, I am taking time to reflect. These things are not decided on a whim. In any case, if I join a list, it is to be useful to the people of Nice. Certainly not to nurture any resentment.
NP: You have tasted politics in various forms. Satisfied or rather eager to discover more?
BK: I was elected General Councilor of the twelfth canton in 2009 and then in 2011. It is a very rewarding mandate because, like that of city councilor, it keeps you in direct contact with the public and its daily challenges.
As for my future, the only thing I can say is that I do not like looking in the rearview mirrors!
