On Monday, July 6, at the Theater of Verdure in Nice, approximately a thousand people attended the presentation of Eric Ciotti’s first 100 days in office as mayor of Nice. An evening that proved to be very engaged and theatrical.
Significant staging
Even before the mayor’s arrival, the audience was already chanting his name with applause. He then made his appearance from the top of the bleachers, descending toward the stage while shaking hands to a musical backdrop.
On stage, virtually all of his deputies and several mayors from the metropolitan area were waiting for him. As for the audience, predominantly composed of elderly people, they applauded at each measure announced throughout a lengthy speech, which opened with these words: “Tonight is the first moment to give you an account.“
“We said it, we did it”: the fiscal report
Substantively, Éric Ciotti presented a report structured around five communicated priorities: “Give purchasing power back to people from Nice, reduce the spending of elected officials, strengthen public authority, invest in useful services and make efficiency of public action a permanent requirement.”
On taxation, he indeed boasted of 52 million euros in tax reductions for residents of Nice, also mentioning a one-point decrease in the garbage tax.
Regarding elected officials’ allowances, he announced “a 30% reduction for the metropolitan area and a 12% reduction for the municipal council“, supplemented by a reduction “in half of communication expenses“.
Not forgetting the halt to subsidies for private sports events, mentioning “2.2 million euros in savings.”
“Public money is not ours (…) it’s yours“, he summarized.
“Order in the streets”
The security section was also a central point of his speech. The mayor notably highlighted the opening of a police station at Place des Amaryllis, which according to him led to “nearly 80 arrests of drug traffickers or users” in the Moulins district since the end of May.
Announced figures followed, such as “422 arrests, or 34% more than over the same three months in 2025.” The next objective would be accordingly “170 recruits” of municipal police officers by the end of next year.
Major projects: schools, transportation, reconstruction
As for the daily life of people from Nice, Éric Ciotti announced air conditioning in the “150 schools in Nice“, which for him is the response to increasingly intense heat. A project that the mayor ensures will be completed during 2027. He also announced the elimination of gas and oil boilers with a savings of 64,000 tons of CO2 over his entire term.
Not forgetting “free transportation (…) for those over 65 starting September 1st and the confirmation of two hours of free parking” voted by the municipal council.
He also mentioned a seawater thermal energy project in the Bay of Angels representing “over 100 million euros in investment,” and over 30 million euros in investment dedicated to the reconstruction of valleys affected by Storm Alex. A set of projects that raises questions about their financing.
Finally, for Nice’s future, the city aims to strengthen “business tourism offerings.” Regarding conference services, the demolition of the OcéaNice hall is planned for 2027 to rebuild “a place of excellence in Nice” intended to host “prestigious events” to complement the future conference center in the western part of the city.
An assumed political line
The speech concluded with a strong political stance.
The mayor of Nice indeed claimed the choice of “the alliance of true right-wing men with the National Front“, stating: “With us, no ambiguity. With us, no surrender. With us, no rallying.”
The evening finally closed with an eagle presented on stage, as a nod to the city’s symbol, before Jean Jacques Goldman’s music brought the event to a close.
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