After a solo election race (there was only one list, so no suspense or surprise) and despite a very disappointing exercise in participatory democracy (barely more than 6% of businesses exercised their right/duty to vote), the new President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jean-Pierre Savarino, took office during a ceremony in the presence of the new Prefect, Mr. Leclerc.
The composition of the executive board was a skillful balance between economic categories and the various sub-territories of the department. The UPE candidates (like Jean-Pierre Savarino) who were defeated in the primary (indeed… one can’t do without it anymore!) were incorporated with roles commensurate with their electoral weight.
Particularly, Bernard Chaix, who rumors suggested lost by a single vote, was granted the delegation to commerce (a sector he comes from) with a substantial program to support small independent businesses and those in the city center (the most affected by the wave of shopping centers) and a significant budget (1 million euros over 5 years).
For now, unity holds!
The new President thus affirmed his creed: method and teamwork. A scientist by training, he believes in the complementarity of functions and project-based work. The “enterprise” style indeed!
As for the rest, the line remains the same: to serve businesses effectively through increased proximity. As Jean-Pierre Savarino himself said when addressing his peers, citing Jean-Jacques Rousseau: “I will not waste my time saying what needs to be done; I will do it or I will remain silent.”
For the moment, it’s all about fine words, it’s time now to move to action.
