It’s easy to understand why the upcoming municipal elections are already seen as predetermined when we observe the powerful mobilization and organizational capacity that the “candidate” Estrosi knows how to and can implement.
Honestly, a competition between a super-professional and good amateurs, even if full of goodwill, lacks the basic condition: balance.
Supported by a vast surrounding network (public administrators, economic actors, cultural personalities, association leaders), Christian Estrosi is reminiscent of those lords who shaped the Renaissance (the Medicis in Florence, the Visconti and then Sforza in Milan, the Este in Modena and Ferrara to mention the most well-known dynasties) – first in the peninsula, then in Europe – an original political organization model for the time, the “city-states” whose governance was ensured by oligarchies – jurisconsults, bankers, guild representatives, and men-at-arms.
Moreover, Nice, this county that pledged allegiance to the Kings of Piedmont while maintaining autonomy, is a good example.
Is this ancient model, successively replaced by the Nation-State, not the precursor to this pendulum swing that sees – on a global level – cities and metropolises affirm the principle of subsidiarity, so that the management and development of the city are conceived “in situ”?
In this frame of reference, listening to the program speech of Christian Estrosi during yesterday morning’s convention at the Acropolis, one finds this vision of a “walking society”, of a community that moves forward in a complex and competitive global context, which has a vision of its future, charts the path, sets its objectives, and provides the means to achieve them.
At its head is a Mayor who possesses and declares the passion and ambition to make it a city more beautiful and grander than it has ever been.
Moreover, he has renounced all roles within public institutions and his party [for several years, I am Niçois and free! Free to say that together we are stronger] to fulfill his local mandates.
In front of two thousand and more people, after a long recap of the achievements (the Promenade du Paillon, the securing of the Prom’, Place Saint-François, Parc du Ray, the Gare du Sud, tramway lines 2 and 3, the candidacy for UNESCO World Heritage being among the most significant) of the term nearing its end (the 2020 budget has been voted, the inaugurations of the projects are practically completed except for a university institute in the Eco-Vallée scheduled for January 30), Christian Estrosi presented the plan for the next six years and the main projects. A dense and ambitious plan that, once realized, will represent a new step in the transformation of the city and its beautification and modernization.
In summary:
Green City of the Mediterranean
The transformation into a garden city envisions 50 new hectares of green spaces. (30 hectares of tree-lined park and leisure areas in the west and 20 hectares in the neighborhoods, mainly in Saint-Jean d’Angély).
The redevelopment of the Mathis expressway, by greening it and making it a source of energy, through the development of photovoltaics by installing a green roof and solar panels to produce electricity.
Then the extension of the Promenade du Paillon with the demolition of the TNN—which will find a new home in the recently renovated Church of the Franciscans—and the Acropolis Palace, replaced by the new Congress Palace in Nice-West as part of the intermodal center Airport-TGV station in Saint-Augustin.
Palace of Sports and Culture
The Exhibition Palace, linked to the Acropolis Palace, will lose its complementary utility function with the removal of the latter. It will be transformed into a sports and cultural facility that is much needed for high-level activities of major sports clubs and will allow hosting international competitions akin to the Allianz Riviera for football.
Security
The file for the new police station, which will bring together the national police, municipal police, and the urban supervision center, will remain a significant undertaking.
However, having embraced Artificial Intelligence and the potential of all its applications,
the installation of a hypervision center connected to all modern devices is strongly considered, despite the difficulties of its acceptance by the CNIL in the name of the principle of defending individual freedoms.
A Niçoise Citizenship Card
While Nice will increasingly be a city of tourism and an international economic center with its attendant benefits, resident inhabitants remain the pillar of daily life, and it is the municipality’s duty to promote their well-being.
A “Niçoise citizenship card” will allow Niçois to benefit from financial advantages in the city’s sports, cultural, or leisure infrastructure.
Additionally, the extension of the operating hours of administrative services will facilitate access for citizens, sometimes constrained by professional obligations.
In conclusion, the path for the next term is set; it is “audacious.” The team remains to be formed.
Christian Estrosi, who, after much hesitation and controversy, received support from his party, Les Républicains, assures having free rein to make choices about his running mates. According to a statement, the list will be unveiled on February 27.
