Re-elected as announced with a large majority (107 votes against 8 for Marie-Christine Arnautu), the new President of the Metropolis, Christian Estrosi, has completed his consolidation of power which will allow him to manage his second term optimally: Mayor of the by far most important city and President of the intercommunal body. Here he is again in possession of all the keys to local power.
Beyond the legitimate satisfaction of being at the head of this assembly of 131 elected officials representing a territory of 49 municipalities and nearly 540,000 inhabitants, Christian Estrosi has immediately framed his future actions under the banner of “dignity and efficiency.”
We know the metropolitan President’s attachment to “his creature,” from which he doesn’t hesitate to highlight all the prerogatives: Transport, housing, environment, and especially economic development within the 1,461 m2 perimeter. This enables him to return to the other pillar of his policy: The OIN and its 10,000 hectares in the Eco-Valley and particularly its two major areas surrounding Grand Arénas and Nice Méridia.
After two and a half years of existence and in anticipation of the implementation of the December 2013 law which grants broader powers to metropolises, Christian Estrosi’s vision for the next six years is both simple and ambitious: “To make Nice and its metropolis an attractive territory and add to the economy of tourist rental, that of research, innovation, industrial production, and export,” he says with a firm voice.
The objective is clear: “By 2020, we should be able to offer 20,000 jobs to the children of the metropolitan territory; by 2020, it’s a preserved environment, reduced pollution rates, accessible housing, effective services that are fast, reachable, and responsive, which everyone expects from us. By 2020, it’s a more prosperous, more radiant, more united Metropolis that we must offer to all,” he concluded in a Lord Protector’s tone under the lively applause of his majority and the many supporters gathered in the stands. (One wonders to whom we owe this poor organization that fills the stands with fans just there to applaud the election and the speech of Christian Estrosi, only to disappear afterward without listening to the debates?)
For the realization of such an ambitious program, albeit no one can doubt who will be the captain, a team of collaborators has been placed at the helm of each commission. It can be observed that those who will manage the nerve centers and their proper functioning are the same, and in the same functions, as in the municipality of Nice. A choice that seems logical for elected officials who will focus on delegation by thinking of both the city and the territory.
For the brave mayors, the honor of the title of Vice-President will be gladly left, but the real power remains “in the family!”
The 11 COMMISSIONS
- Finance, Resources
President: Philippe PRADAL -
Housing, Urban Renewal, and Social Cohesion
President: Dominique ESTROSI SASSONE -
Employment, Economic Development:
President: Christian TORDO -
Planning, Transport, Urbanism
President: Alain PHILIP -
Tourism, International Relations, Euro-Mediterranean, Sport
President: Rudy SALLES -
Metropolitan Roadways
President: Jean-Marie BOGINI -
Water, Sanitation, and Energy
President: Hervé PAUL -
Cleanliness and Collection
President: Pierre-Paul LEONELLI -
Environment, Higher Education and Research
President: Véronique PAQUIS -
Rural Development and Digital Coverage of the Territory
President: Antoine VERAN -
Port and Maritime Activities
President: Roger ROUX
