Senator René Vestri from the UMP party passed away from a heart attack during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. Mayor of the commune of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat for over thirty years and a key figure on the Côte d’Azur, the 74-year-old man contributed greatly to the town and its residents.
In Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, the merchants and residents are emotional. Many of them learned the news with surprise, “I was in a café with friends before work, I found out he had died at 8 am. It saddens me, two days ago I had just eaten at the same table with him,” says Armand, who works at a restaurant near the port, sadly.
A mayor very close to his citizens, it was apparently not uncommon to see him on the street or at events. He reportedly was very approachable. Those of his age who attended the same school counted him among their friends. For them, the news is difficult to process, with some having only learned of his passing just hours ago. “He was very appreciated here. He was an active man who did a lot for the community,” according to Christian, manager of the restaurant La Frigade. In addition to his many initiatives, he also founded “SOS Grand Bleu,” an association for the protection of cetaceans living in the Mediterranean.
However, the elected official had been charged in April 2010 with money laundering and influence peddling in a presumed corruption case related to the construction of a tower in Monaco. The investigation, overseen by Marseille investigative judge Charles Duchaine, is still ongoing.
Mr. Vestri had been the mayor since 1983 of this town, which has become one of the most expensive places in the world with its pine forests and secluded villas. He managed to develop tourism while maintaining the lifestyle of its 2,200 residents.
This morning, the mayor was supposed to attend a breakfast at the National Assembly. His parliamentary assistant went to his hotel to take him there, but the senator’s death had just been confirmed by firefighters and the Senate doctor who were called to the scene.
Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, spoke and expressed his condolences to René Vestri’s relatives and the residents of St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat: “I honor the memory of a lover of the Big Blue and of the one who led the destiny of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat for thirty years.”
Similarly, Eric Ciotti, president of the Council, wanted to recall René Vestri’s political past: “Senator, mayor of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, former general councilor of the canton of Villefranche, he was committed to ‘his’ commune of which he had been mayor since 1983, then to the canton of Villefranche where he was the general councilor from 1985 to 2011.”
