Handshakes, greetings galore in the sports department, and just before continuing his tour of the facilities, Christian Estrosi, surrounded by Gilles Veissière, Deputy Mayor for Sports, Eric Ciotti, Deputy Mayor for Finance, and Benoît Kandel, the Municipal Team’s “Mr. Security,” gave a speech in the meeting room in front of the municipal employees. The quiet room, only disturbed by Gilles Veissière’s Champions League ringtone, listened attentively to the mayor speak. No scoops. No revelations. The criticism of the previous municipal team continued. “You managed misery,” Christian Estrosi told the city officials. “Sport was not a priority. We sacrificed the maintenance of the facilities,” continued the new mayor. A “Swiss cheese” false ceiling could have served as a perfect example.
He emphasized the importance of sports to him, recalling that he was the Deputy Mayor for Sports back in 1983. “The sports department must be a major service. Sport is a source of balance. It is a mistake to link the words youth and sports because sports are practiced at all ages. These are not empty words, and I will prove it, but I can do nothing if the same motivation is not shared around me,” Christian Estrosi wants to mobilize the municipal employees around his projects. Budgets appear to be cut, however. The margin for maneuver is thin. But the mayor promises to rehabilitate the existing facilities within the next two or three years, and to kickstart the construction of new local sports facilities. Thus, ten new facilities will emerge in ten different neighborhoods. Finally, under the authority of the General Council of the Alpes Maritimes, he wishes to build an Olympic swimming pool in the Port district of Nice.
Christian Estrosi is currently touring the municipal services. 7,000 officials work there. He is well aware that not all of them voted for him in the last elections. Before starting major projects, he launched a major charm offensive on the municipal employees. Thursday was the turn of the sports department. Some services have already met the mayor, others will follow later. Step by step, Christian Estrosi is settling into his new chair.
