With a big smile on his face, Christian Estrosi appeared at the reception held in his honor on Thursday evening. For the occasion, hundreds of people had gathered at the Alpes-Maritimes General Council. It was the President of the council, Eric Ciotti, who was the first to speak. He made sure to convey his congratulations to Christian Estrosi. He expressed the immense pride that this appointment generated for the department. Eric Ciotti had accompanied the Deputy Mayor of Nice during his trip to Paris. He was by his side when Claude Guéant, the Secretary General of the Elysée, announced the news. The President of the General Council continued his speech by showing his gratitude to the new Minister for his commitment to the region. A commitment he described as “National and Republican.” According to Eric Ciotti, this was a double honor due to the skills and loyalty of the Mayor of Nice. “Today, we count on him,” concluded the President of the General Council before giving the floor to the man of the evening, the new Minister of Industry.
The first acknowledgments from Christian Estrosi went to the local elected officials who supported him. He then made sure to thank France. The Deputy Mayor expressed his pride, not a personal pride, but a collective one and for the department. For several long minutes, the Mayor of Nice recalled the projects that had been achieved under his leadership, including the six labeled competitiveness clusters. He then addressed the question on everyone’s mind: how will he manage his two mandates? On this matter, Christian Estrosi reassured the skeptics who feared he might neglect the mayoralty for his ministry: “The President, Nicolas Sarkozy, asked me to be 300% dedicated to my ministry. I will be 300% in service of Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes, so I will be at 600%!”
