Four candidates debated Monday evening on the set of Ici Côte d’Azur. Urban, fiscal and security issues sparked lively exchanges. The campaign is characterized by a tense climate and marked divergences among the candidates.
The debate brought together Mireille Damiano (Nice Popular Front), Juliette Chesnel‑Le Roux (United for Nice), Eric Ciotti (All with Eric Ciotti) and Christian Estrosi (All for Nice). For nearly 1.5 hours, the candidates confronted their visions for the city. Urban and cultural projects concentrated a significant portion of the interventions, often disrupted by heated exchanges that could have been avoided.
Mireille Damiano advocated for “better coherence of major projects and increased consideration of environmental risks.” The head of the Nice Popular Front list emphasized the necessity of planning and safety for future construction.
Juliette Chesnel‑Le Roux presented several proposals for the Auvare district: “We need to do work in schools, that’s our priority”. The United for Nice candidate proposed a convention center, a business district and a theater. She also wishes to relocate the East police station to the site of the former Saint-Roch hospital, freeing 29,000 m² in the Vauban district for cultural and educational projects.
Eric Ciotti criticized the management of previous cultural projects and announced: “we will build a theater hall in the South station, with the largest possible capacity.” The deputy presented himself as a developer-mayor capable of bringing together different political currents in Nice.
Christian Estrosi defended his record and ongoing projects: “when I took over this city, it was 15 years behind. The deputy supported each of my projects.” He recalled his contributions in reducing unemployment and investments in infrastructure, particularly tramway lines.
Taxation, housing and transport at the center of debates
The question of taxation sparked sustained exchanges. On the subject of the property tax increase of 19.6% in Nice, Eric Ciotti promised: “taxes will decrease, if I am elected a new decision will eliminate the increase.” Christian Estrosi replied by justifying the increases through investments in transport and cited figures from the Lignes d’Azur network: “between 2008 and today, we went from 50 to 150 million users per year.”
On housing, Juliette Chesnel‑Le Roux denounced Airbnb pressure: “the price of land has exploded because there aren’t enough homes in Nice. Nice residents can’t find housing, there are 14,000 Airbnbs.” Christian Estrosi mentioned the SRU law and 1,200 homes to be produced each year, while Eric Ciotti recalled the accumulated debt: “we have a debt of two and a half billion euros.”
The tramway was at the heart of the exchanges. Line 5 is to serve Ariane and line 4 to connect Nice to Cagnes-sur-Mer. Several candidates support partial or total free fares. Mireille Damiano stated: “there is an important environmental aspect, cars need to be abandoned.” Juliette Chesnel‑Le Roux proposed free travel for all Nice residents, while Christian Estrosi wants to grant it to children and retirees. Eric Ciotti was more skeptical about the creation of line 5 and would prefer to prioritize bus use in certain municipalities like Cagnes.
Security and personal tensions
While the campaign climate has been described as tense, Mireille Damiano felt: “I tend to say [that the campaign] is quite disrespectful toward Nice residents.” Éric Ciotti replied to her: “we can debate, and if the debate is rough, sometimes that’s the salt of democracy.”
The confrontation between Christian Estrosi and Éric Ciotti resulted in heated exchanges. The outgoing mayor stated: “I know your lies”, while the deputy replied by evoking hotel expenses: “your Mercure hotel bills…” Juliette Chesnel‑Le Roux highlighted their past proximity: “Christian Estrosi created Eric Ciotti. It’s the same right-wing.”
On security, the divergences were clear. Juliette Chesnel‑Le Roux would like more municipal police and a clearer role between national and municipal police: “this issue is being mistreated, it’s treated as communication, but it’s a really serious issue.” Éric Ciotti recalled the shortage of police on the ground: “in reality, every day, there are no more than 50 police officers present on the streets.” Christian Estrosi defends his record: “when I took this city, there were 150 municipal police officers, today there are 600” and aims for 1,000 agents in the coming years.
The exchanges showed highly contrasting positions on major projects, taxation and security. The candidates presented different visions for the city and its development. The confrontation highlighted the importance of these issues for Nice residents and tensions between the candidates. The face-to-face was an opportunity to measure the ambitions and divergences, without reducing the complexity of municipal stakes to slogans.
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