(Editor’s note) We gladly receive and publish. The statements in the text reflect the author’s opinion.
Christian Estrosi engaged in intense communication at the signing of the recovery plan in Matignon, the scene of a session of mutual admiration declarations with the Macronist Prime Minister. Strangely enough, Christian Estrosi seems to present this money as if it fell from the sky, free money, almost magical. Yet it is money coming from the State, thus the money of the French people. That Nice and the Metropolis can benefit from it is not in itself a miracle, nor even a gift. On the other hand, we wonder how the “mayor-president” would have financed his numerous and costly projects without these billions inherited from the crisis? By further increasing the debt, by introducing yet another new tax?
Above all, there is what the figures illustrate about Christian Estrosi’s political choices at the head of the City of Nice and the Metropolis. Thus, it is particularly enlightening to note that four troubled neighborhoods in Nice will receive ten times more money than all the villages in the valleys and mountains combined. One hundred million euros will be allocated to the neighborhoods of Ariane, Liserons, Moulins, and Trachel Street under the “urban renewal” initiative, whereas the redevelopment of the village centers in the highlands and mid-country will only be funded to the tune of 10 million euros. This represents only 0.4% of the entire recovery plan! And when Christian Estrosi and Jean Castex mention additional funding to come for the damages from Storm Alex, one is tempted to respond that this money has already been promised, that it is normal, but that in any case, the needs of our villages are not limited to repair and reconstruction and existed even before this dramatic episode.
While 500 million euros have already been invested in these neighborhoods since his election in 2008, Christian Estrosi continues to pour public money into them even though the social results have yet to be achieved and that, despite “urban renewal,” insecurity has exploded. Through this recovery plan, the inhabitants of the villages of the Metropolis, as well as those of many other neighborhoods in Nice, can once again see that with Christian Estrosi, electoral clientelism always prevails over territorial equity and the general interest.
Philippe Vardon, Municipal and Metropolitan Councilor – President of the “Retrouver Nice” group – Regional Councilor – Vice-president of the RN group
