A ceremony in the Alpes-Maritimes once again, this time honoring Philippe Pradal and Christian Estrosi during the New Year’s greetings to the assembled bodies. The reception was held at the presidential lounge of the Allianz Riviera.
Red carpet at the entrance, subdued lighting, a caterer with enough dishes to cover all the tables. The tone is set, the evening guests are welcomed like royalty. After a fifteen-minute delay, almost customary for such an event, the ceremony gets underway.
A Nearly Successful Recap Video
The evening’s setting featured numerous screens, providing the involved communities an opportunity to present to the assembly a video summary of the past year. The various advancements and successes were highlighted one by one, such as the Berthemont-Les-Bains station and Euro 2016. Then came the inevitable but solemn remembrance of the July attack. A sequence approached with great sensitivity, to convey the disruption in the daily lives of the citizens of Nice (the shock, the forces deployed, the post-attack security measures, the support for the victims).
The only downside of this video blending pride and melancholy was the excerpts from Christian Estrosi’s speeches. Not due to their content or the speaker, but due to poor sound quality, far from matching the images presented throughout the video.
Pradal, Estrosi, Two Speeches with Different Motivations
It is rare enough to take note of; Philippe Pradal, the mayor of Nice, had the honor of delivering the first speech. Before an audience accustomed to long and nearly soporific greetings, Pradal delivered an excellent performance. Typical well-wishes indeed, consisting of expressions of relief, reflections, and already looking towards 2017, this “challenge to be met.”
A much shorter speech than Christian Estrosi’s. A political marathoner, as much in the media as possible, the architect of Nice’s recent projects spoke at length about the 2016 activities. A lengthy prose, less straightforward, with a message that was more about summing up than offering wishes. Regardless, the man of many roles announced that 2017 would be the year of the inauguration of the South Station’s glass roof, the opening of the tram tunnel (which the residents of Nice will discover before the continuation of the work), a new biennial exhibition themed “The Schools of Nice,” a new State-Region plan that will bring the Alpes-Maritimes department an additional 171 million per year compared to the average of previous years.
Video and speeches, about forty minutes to wait for an assembly that rushed, as usual, towards the fine dishes prepared for the occasion.
A generally large crowd was present, with many officials and just as many handshakes to wish for a new year full of positive events.
