The City Council meeting went smoothly: the information regarding the current situation of the Saint-Roch gunman likely tempered the fervor of the opposition and the traditional aggressiveness of the session president’s response.
Indeed, the Mayor of Nice, who was on-site, handed over to his first deputy, Philippe Pradal, allowing the numerous deliberations to proceed with technical confrontation and without political deviation, proving that such deviations are unnecessary.
However, upon returning to the assembly hall, the controversies resumed their place, but fortunately, the agenda was nearly complete. Yet, there was an appendix involving Councilor Gaël Nofri, who dared to propose that former Mayor Jacques Peyrat’s name be used for a public space.
Controversy? Provocation? A play on words from the opponent who was shut down and faced the regional component, as election campaigns dictate, of Christian Estrosi’s plea, involving Peyrat, Le Pen, and references to Petainism and anti-Semitism.
Regarding the most important deliberations, it should be noted that the matter of the future mosque for some and cultural center for others on Pontremoli Street (Var plain) has been resolved with the City’s acquisition of the property from its owner, a wealthy Saudi donor. The large premises are to become a daycare center. End of the story?
The highlight of the meeting was the allocation of subsidies to dozens of associations and collective organizations across different sectors, which prompted Councilor Benoît Kandel to question whether there was any reason to reduce them given the state of public finances.
More suspiciously, the frontist-marinist Marc-André Domergue provided “his” answer: “This is the day for thank-yous after the departmental elections. I don’t need to explain why…” Could the timing support this suspicion? The fact remains that the distribution was generous, much to the beneficiaries’ delight.
Moreover, it would be interesting to know the number of municipal subsidy recipients and their total. We will return to this…
Another noteworthy point is the resolution of the dispute with financial institutions concerning the 8th and final so-called toxic loan inherited from Peyrat’s administration, allowing this financial misadventure (in fact common to thousands of European municipalities) to be relegated to memory with a satisfactory compromise and minimal damage.
Furthermore, the City’s PLU (Local Urban Plan) will be proposed for modification for the third time to the Metropolitan Council’s deliberation: how could we imagine discussing housing without Paul Cuturello and Mrs. Dominique Estrosi-Sassone exchanging their usual pleasantries? And indeed, they didn’t miss the opportunity…
On the economic front, Nice will participate in the electricity procurement group as part of the law ending regulated tariffs: it was the occasion for the eco-socialist Juliette Chesnel to refocus the debate on the opportunity to use renewable energies more extensively.
Also to note are the renewed ambitions for the CUM’s cultural activity program, overly targeted at retirees (they are the ones with free time…) and book presentation activity.
A workgroup resembling a royal parterre, coordinated by Agnès Rampal, will have the task of “promoting the quality and relevance of globally renowned conferences.” Nothing less! We could have settled for less, but faced with such ambition, all we can do is wait for the transition from poetry to prose! And so much the better…
Recent memory infused emotion into the deliberation naming the Olympic pool of the Var plain as Camille Muffat, as well as naming streets or public spaces after José Balarello, Alain Mimoun, Georges Janvier, Sébastien Giaume, Marcel Volot, Hervé Gourdel, André Compan, Alain Margaria, Robert-Edoaurs Davril, Jacques Taddeï, Brigitte Engerer, Henri Betti, Sam Joubij, Marcel Mignone, plus the Alpine Hunters.
A small political note remains: Madame Alziari-Nègre, elected with the Bettati group, regained her independence a few weeks ago and quickly found a new affiliation: it will be the group chaired by Pierre-Paul Leonelli (UMP-UDI). The question of Madame Martine Martinon (ex-FN and ex-Independent Elected Officials) remains… Will she sit alone for much longer?
