Nice Premium: Emmanuelle Gaziello, how are you approaching this second campaign for the cantonal elections?
Emmanuelle Gaziello: One year after the crisis caused by capitalism began, we have decided to show the population that another system is possible. We have chosen a combative left to build an alternative for social and especially ecological transformation since we are supported by Nicea and the Alternatives. As a municipal opposition councilor for a year, I have been able to get a closer look at all the problems of public services.
NP: What image do you have of the 6th canton?
EG: It’s a disparate and contrasting canton. There is also a significant lack of space, especially in Pasteur. The residents of Cimiez are not the same, sociologically, as those in the Pasteur neighborhood. It is a canton that needs help but is also very neglected by local authorities. The Pasteur neighborhood needs to be de-siloed by extending Line 1, as promised by the previous municipality. In Cimiez everything is very well connected, you can go anywhere in Nice from this neighborhood! Why not in Pasteur! This reinforces the isolation and ghetto effect. There is a form of social racism behind all this. The municipality had promised the extension of Line 1 of the tram up to Ariane, but this project was overshadowed by the project of Line 2 on the Promenade des Anglais. The “showcase” of Nice is privileged once again despite the importance of the economic activity zone of Ariane.
NP: What would you say to the inhabitants of the 6th canton to convince them of your candidacy?
EG: We are here to voice the legitimate anger of the people of Nice. The municipality sees no other solution than to increase local taxes by 15% in September 2009. This choice could be avoided. It’s always the same people paying for the faults of others. We plan to create a cantonal council, but with a preponderant voice, unlike the parody that are the community neighborhood councils. We want the people of Nice to be consulted on every proposal and not just when the project is already launched.
NP: What are the main points of your program?
EG: We have several priority files. Employment in the public sector is threatened by the risk of privatization. The Pasteur University Hospital construction site is abandoned because the companies that had the contract ask for more funds. Consequently, health care provision is disorganized. I want everyone to be able to receive care in all hospitals. The Duruy College, in the Pasteur neighborhood, is the last to have a metallic structure. This is not conforming to safety standards and it’s the only college in this popular neighborhood. Promises were made by the municipality concerning the acquisition of new land, but to date, there is still nothing. We want to propose a solution. In 2008, Christian Estrosi had also promised the construction of a new detention house. Nothing came of it. The one in the Pasteur neighborhood is one of the most dangerous in France. The unworthy conditions are generated by overpopulation [estimated at 200% according to the left and ecology gathering] and electrical installations that risk triggering a fire at any moment.
NP: And your opponents… what would you say about them?
EG: There are divisions on the left but also on the right. The fact that the election of the UMP candidate Jean Pierre Mangiapan was not validated shows there are dysfunctions within this party. And everyone sees what is happening within the Socialist Party. On the side of the Greens, with their success in the European elections, they call themselves ecologists but they still impose taxes like the carbon tax. We, on the other hand, have opted for a rallying candidacy.
Corrections made on August 18, 2009 at 10 AM.
