Frédérique Grégoire Concas presents her project to the residents of the 12th canton in Nice, and gives an uncompromising assessment of national and local politics! It’s safe to say that political commitment is not just a family affair for this strong-willed woman. She could adopt the Latin expression “rari nantes in gurgite vasto” as her motto, given her legal background, which Virgil used in the Aeneid to describe daring individuals who bravely embark on difficult enterprises.
Nice Premium: Would you like to introduce yourself to our readers before presenting yourself to the voters of the 12th canton?
Frédérique Grégoire Concas: I am 41 years old, married to Marc Concas, and we have a 13-year-old daughter. I studied law at the University of Nice and have been practicing as a lawyer at the Nice Bar for over 12 years, together with my husband.
I have been a member of the information center on women’s rights and families since 2000, and it was only natural for me to specialize in family law.
Finally, I have been elected to the Municipal Council of the City of Nice since 2001.
NP: What motivates your engagement in politics?
FGC: I enjoy understanding the world I live in and defending the men and women who inhabit it.
This passion has guided my professional career as a lawyer. Knowing the lives of people well enables better defense. But above all, I love their stories and their daily lives. I want to share in their joys and difficulties. This need to share our experiences and hopes naturally led me to take action in the present by engaging in the political fight to serve my city and the people of Nice.
Convinced of the values of solidarity and justice, I wanted to continue the fight against inequality and defend the weakest, following the path of my profession as a lawyer.
NP: What is your political background?
FGC: I joined the Socialist Party in 1993.
In 2001, I was elected to the Municipal Council of Nice on the opposition list “Nice Plurielle” and within this group, I was tasked with overseeing the eastern districts of the city in coordination with two general councilors, Marc Concas and Patrick Allemand.
Reelected in March 2008, alongside Patrick Allemand, I am now responsible for overseeing the proper use of public funds within the Tender Commission.
NP: Why are you a candidate in this election?
FGC: In 2009, during a by-election where less than one in three voters went to the polls, the UMP took control of this canton. Many believed the promises of the candidate of Messrs. Estrosi and Sarkozy.
Twenty months later, nothing has changed for the residents of the 12th canton. Worse, things have worsened: crime problems are increasingly evident, filth invades the sidewalks, promised social and intermediate housing are neither built nor planned, and neighborhood associations, vital links to social cohesion, are now on the verge of bankruptcy.
This situation is unacceptable and solutions exist.
I chose to run because I believe in democracy and the values of the Republic.
History has shown that democratic counter-powers are essential, and on a local level, this is even more true! Absolute power is never a good thing; it carries, by its very nature, the risk of deviations.
Here, the UMP controls everything: the Town Hall, the Urban Community, the General Council. Messrs. Estrosi and Ciotti clearly state their objectives: to keep this canton and then take all the others to make a “grand slam.” This arrogant vision cannot be that of sincere Republicans, and another UMP general councilor will not change the political balance in the General Council.
In this city, only an opposition general councilor is a bulwark against the megalomaniacal excesses of the mayor of Nice.
I have the charge and privilege of carrying the values of the left in this election. All the left-wing political formations have honored me by entrusting me to represent them.
I am the candidate of the Socialist Party, but also that of all the ecologists, communists, radicals, republicans, and citizens, to carry the values of solidarity, sharing, fraternity, and secularism, which are the foundations of the citizen pact and the Republic.
NP: Would you like to tell us more about the program you propose to the voters?
FGC: The 12th canton is surprising and fascinating in its diversity. What makes it particularly endearing is above all the warmth and passion of those who live there. What unites us is stronger than what divides us: our differences enrich our neighborhoods.
Rejecting this diversity, seeing it only as a source of problems, goes against the entire history of our city and its culture, turned by the sea towards the East and Africa, an essential passageway to Southern Europe via the Alps and open to northern Europe.
Consolidating this foundation is to propose a better future for all the residents of the canton by enabling everyone to have the necessary living conditions for their fulfillment. For their children, it is to lead a policy of recapturing social ties, the only solution to truly reducing inequalities.
I want, for this canton, more adults in schools and colleges, more supervisory teams in associations by strengthening their resources, safer and cleaner neighborhoods.
We must reinvest in people in all areas.
My project for the neighborhoods: the day after my election, I want to:
-Extend the tram line 1 to La Trinité.
-Defend access to the tramway for the northern Bon Voyage estates by building bridges crossing the Paillon at the level of the AFPA, and also for the Liserons, which the Mayor decided to exclude from the tram.
-Implement a shuttle bus for the residents of the Liserons
-Implement real participatory democracy within the neighborhood council, reporting regularly.
-Achieve with the Region the “train-tram” stop at Pont Michel, allowing valley residents to take the train higher up and reduce vehicle flow on the Route de Turin, greatly decreasing automobile pollution and danger in front of the city’s largest school group.
-Energize the Bon Voyage market.
-Prioritize the urban renovation of the estates.
-Participate in the development of a cultural eco-district at the Abattoirs.
My project for the hills and Cap de Nice
- Complete the coastal path to finally connect the Port of Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer,
- Urgently secure the crossroads at Col de Villefranche, where traffic is too dense, by constructing a roundabout,
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Propose a cultural destination for Fort du Mont Boron and make it accessible to the public again,
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Continue securing the André de Joly corniche
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Establish, in alliance with the Region, better integration of the Lycée des Palmiers into the neighborhood
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Enhance all the Parks of the Observatory, Vinaigrier, and Mont Boron, which are the green lungs of our Canton.
NP: What do you think of the general political situation?
FGC: Politics is often criticized, and politicians are too. This is why politicians must be exemplary and irreproachable, especially in managing public funds.
Indeed, public funds represent the efforts of each of our citizens, and no euro spent should be a useless euro.
This is why I am enraged by the exorbitant expenses for communication and pomp both by the General Council and the city of NICE, which do not serve the interests of the population.
I remind you, as an example, that the communication budget for the City of NICE is higher than the housing budget. It is a disgrace!
NP: and in Nice in particular…
FGC: We could summarize Mr. Estrosi’s policy as follows: there is no bread, give them games!
The mayor of Nice is stubbornly pursuing costly projects that will burden the city’s finances for a long time to mask his incompetence in resolving the daily problems of his fellow citizens. After spending a fortune on a failed Olympic bid, he is indebting the city long-term by constructing an oversized stadium.
He significantly increased taxes in 2010 to realize his whims, even as the crisis increased unemployment and precariousness. Thus, even though housing is a priority issue for the people of Nice, the responses are not commensurate with the difficulties and demands of our citizens who can no longer find housing in their city.
The line 2 tramway, which was a priority, is still not under construction, and its trajectory remains just as unclear.
Mr. Estrosi is incapable of addressing security issues: even though he made it his battle horse, violent offenses against people are increasing. He even dared to declare in a municipal council session that he was not responsible for security, despite wanting to sanction lenient mayors last summer.
The residents of the 12th canton of NICE must seize this canton election to remind the Mayor of NICE of the genuine concerns of his constituents.
The defeat of his first deputy will be a good lesson!
