The Municipal Council convened today by Mayor Christian Estrosi to administratively handle Benoît Kandel’s dismissal from his position as the 1st deputy loses its main argument since the concerned party preferred to anticipate the publicity of a decision expected anyway and tendered his resignation yesterday.
This is the logical outcome of a matter whose origin and full truth are yet unknown. Moreover, how could one imagine that Benoît Kandel, military-trained and known for his moral integrity, would accept a public debate with the Mayor as the accuser and his former colleagues and friends as a people’s jury with the almost certain risk of being supported by the opposition?
Thus, it was only logical for him to turn the page and exit gracefully from an almost grotesque situation whose motives we still wonder about and where all the cruelty and cynicism of politics were on display.
This decision also effectively removes the possibility for the opposition to raise their voice to demand that the Mayor of Nice explain the handling of this case, which Councilor Jean-Auguste Icart (himself ousted from the municipal majority for an “intellectual independence” offense in the tramway case and since becoming a staunch opponent of Christian Estrosi) described as “totalitarian functioning.”
Benoît Kandel’s resignation comes just in time to prevent this session from turning into a venue for reciprocal accusations and counter-accusations where the main argument (his eviction) would have served as a pretext for a verbal “rodeo.” What remains is the feeling of opacity in the management of this case, in which one can easily detect the numerous foul plays.
As widely announced, although it is the vote of the Municipal Council that should make it official, the new 1st deputy will be Philippe Pradal, a name unanimously recognized for his budgeting and financial expertise, considered by all as a loyal servant of Christian Estrosi, which, given the Mayor’s authoritarian tendencies and the previous case of Benoît Kandel, will certainly be a significant asset to secure a leading position in the upcoming electoral list.
However, this choice could also be a strategic option and a strong signal for the now imminent electoral campaign, just as Benoît Kandel symbolized the security option of the outgoing term, Philippe Pradal’s could symbolize the mastery of the City’s and the Metropolis’s finances (as the new first deputy is the president of the finance commission) for Christian Estrosi’s next mandate.
Moreover, the economic policy of the region, increasingly present in the statements and occasionally in the actions of the President-Mayor, can only be ambitious and effective if accompanied by intelligent and rigorous management of the city and the metropolis’ increasingly coordinated finances.
And to keep the ship on course, what better than a good skipper?
From this perspective, Christian Estrosi couldn’t have made a better choice: Consensus-builder Philippe Pradal is a sure bet for success.
