This person had questioned him about the funding of journalist Jean Pierre Pernaut’s participation in the Andros Trophy, an ice car race held in several French winter sports resorts. A look back at this incident with Marc Concas, who explains why “how much does it cost”.
Nice Première: Marc Concas, can you explain the incident at the last session of the General Council of the AM?
Marc Concas: During the plenary session on December 18th, dedicated to the preliminary budget for 2007, we discussed a file related to the promotion of winter sports resorts.
We were invited to vote on several grants, distributed as follows:
- GREOLIERES: €50,000
- ROUBION: €50,000
- LA COLMIANE: €50,000
- VALBERG: €150,000
- AURON and ISOLA 2000 (Mercantour resorts): €753,600
I was legitimately surprised by this disparity in treatment between the winter sports resorts, considering that the smaller resorts needed significant promotional support and that the aid given to the AURON and ISOLA 2000 resorts (located in the canton of Christian ESTROSI) was disproportionately large.
On this occasion, I mentioned that LE CANARD ENCHAINE had drawn its readers’ attention to a €200,000 payment from the Mercantour resorts to TF1 journalist Mr. Jean-Pierre PERNAUT, to allow him to drive a rally car with his son in various ice races of the Andros Trophy.
It turned out that the €753,600 allocated to AURON and ISOLA 2000 actually covered the €200,000 spent on the PERNAUT family’s leisure activities.
As a General Counselor, it was my duty to denounce this kind of unacceptable expense, benefiting a journalist highly visible to the public, being the host of TF1 news.
Four months before a major electoral event, I was particularly shocked by the unusual sense of ethics of this journalist, who participates in rallies at the expense of the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes, headed by a government member and right-hand man of the UMP presidential candidate.
Jean-Pierre PERNAUT’s behavior is even more condemnable as he hosts a TV show called “COMBIEN CA COUTE,” during which he constantly denounces reckless spending and the misuse of public funds…
He thus seems the least suited to give lessons.
I also took this opportunity to remind that some journalists have a different conception of ethics during the pre-electoral period, and I commended the behavior of Marie DRUCKER, who, confessing her relationship with a government minister, publicly announced that she would no longer host the France 3 news from January 2007, to avoid any confusion in this particular period.
Finally, I asked Christian ESTROSI to publicly confirm that LE CANARD ENCHAINE’s information was false and that, under no circumstances, would the taxpayers of our department be made to fund leisure activities for Jean-Pierre PERNAUT.
Nice Première: What provoked this reaction from Christian Estrosi?
MC: Clearly, he had read LE CANARD ENCHAINE’s article but hadn’t imagined that this gift to a journalist could naturally be denounced both by the press and by his opposition within the General Council. I remind you that we were gathered to vote on the Department’s budget!
His disturbance and annoyance led him to publicly insult me.
You just have to watch the video of the plenary session on the General Council’s website (www.cg06.fr) or better yet, the incident excerpt on Patrick ALLEMAND’s blog (www.patrickallemand.canalblog.com)
Fortunately, he withdrew the insults at the end of the session. Indeed, insults are the reasons of those who are wrong.
NP: In your opinion, what are the reasons that drove the General Council to sponsor JP Pernaut?
MC: When the General Council sponsors sailor Jean-Pierre DICK, originally from the Alpes-Maritimes, whose family is connected to a major company in the Department and who has real sporting excellence, all the elected officials unanimously support this initiative.
We search in vain for Jean-Pierre PERNAUT’s sporting excellence and his ties with our Department…
In reality, the reasons are purely political and during this particular period, it isn’t useless to maintain good relations with a TF1 journalist.
NP: What do you criticize about this communication action?
MC: It is very costly (€200,000), completely useless, and on top of that, counter-productive since the following week, LE CANARD ENCHAINE reported the feats of Jean-Pierre PERNAUT and his son in its Wednesday, December 13, 2006 edition with the title “The driver PERNAUT in a bind.”
Jean-Pierre PERNAUT participated in the first competition held on the ice of VAL THORENS in Savoie. Out of 40 participants, Jean-Pierre PERNAUT finished… 40th and dead last!
Long live the General Council’s communication!
NP: JF Knecht demanded an apology from the President of the General Council. What do you think?
MC: I asked Jean-François Knecht to intervene with Christian Estrosi as the President of the Socialist group.
He immediately asked him to withdraw his remarks, which the President of the General Council refused to do.
NP: Finally, do you think this climate of tension is linked to the upcoming presidential elections?
MC: The SARKOZY clan is becoming increasingly nervous as an election event approaches that seemed acquired just a few months ago.
The upcoming electoral campaign promises to be particularly tough, but I will remain faithful to the behavior advocated by Ségolène ROYAL: defending our ideas and staying calm in all circumstances.
