Olivier Bettati is an outgoing councilor and a “dissident” of the municipal majority, a general councilor for twenty years, a business owner, a winemaker in Bellet, married and the father of two little girls. This is his first municipal election as the head of a list.
Just two days to go, and the ballot boxes will deliver their verdict to determine, barring a (surprise) victory for a candidate in the first round, who will have the right to run in the second week, most likely accompanied by Christian Estrosi and Patrick Allemand.
And, the question sparks debate, from the aisles of Nice’s markets to various and assorted meetings: Will Olivier Bettati’s list make it to the second round of the Nice municipal elections? It’s a given for the candidate and all of his running mates and supporters, another story for some of his opponents who would like to see him below the 10% threshold and eliminated in the first week. It’s anyone’s guess who will be able to say, before Sunday, what the final choice of the people of Nice will be.
Just hours before the poll, Olivier Bettati takes stock…
Nice Premium: You are a candidate in the upcoming municipal election. In one word: Why?
Olivier Bettati: I love my city and no longer recognize the outgoing Mayor who is carried away by his megalomania.
Nice Premium: What are your three main campaign focuses and, in fact, your three projects inherent to those?
Olivier Bettati: If elected Mayor, I will cancel the underground tunnel of tram line 2 to create an above-ground passage.
I will be the Mayor of tax reduction by initiating a tax decrease to achieve a 5% reduction in local taxes.
I will be the Mayor of Proximity by creating 5 districts: 3 urban and 2 hillside with a mayor and a city hall per district. I will launch a vast renovation plan for our sidewalks, streets, and urban furniture, which are all in very poor condition.
Nice Premium: A candidate implies a list. Can you already tell us about some of your running mates?
Olivier Bettati: The seriousness of Nice’s financial situation demands a sacred union. We have freed ourselves from the control of political parties to provide innovative responses to the people of Nice.
The city of Nice is rich with talented men and women whom I have gathered, regardless of their backgrounds, and who aspire to serve the people of Nice, like Benoit KANDEL, General Councilor and former 1st Deputy Mayor, Michèle MULLER BOLLA, Professor, Marc CONCAS, General Councilor, Nicole SPITZ, former General Manager of the Hotel Negresco, Louis BAUME, Business Owner, Andrée ALZIARI-NEGRE, former Deputy Mayor, and Brigitte TANAUJI-DAHAN, City Councilor…
Nice Premium: An election also means opponents. How do you gauge yours?
Olivier Bettati: Patrick ALLEMAND, the eternal and ideal loser against the outgoing Mayor, caught in his ideological straitjacket; For Christian ESTROSI, Nice is just a stepping stone to Paris, already on the way to the 2017 Presidential elections; Robert INJEY, a man I respect with strong convictions but from another century, and Marie Christine ARNAUTU, who only knows the airport in Nice.
Nice Premium: What is most urgent in the city is to…?
Olivier Bettati: It is a priority to stop the underground tunnel of tram line 2, which will indebt the city for generations. Besides the financial risk, the technical risks, which will be borne by residents along the underground line 2 route, are extremely significant, with risks of collapsing nearby buildings and water seepage…
Nice Premium: It’s the evening of the first round. How do you imagine yourself?
Olivier Bettati: I will feel ready to tackle the last week and the second round of the municipal elections.
Nice Premium: There is a lot of talk about the rise of extremes, what is your opinion on this topic?
Olivier Bettati: The far right will be divided in Nice with 4 lists, which leaves them little chance of being present in the second round.
Nice Premium: You will be a happy candidate if and only if…?
Olivier Bettati: I am elected Mayor of Nice
