La Lande-Chasles (France) (AFP)
La Lande-Chasles, 124 inhabitants, the least populated municipality of Maine-et-Loire, and ... hundreds of subscribers on social networks thanks to the overflowing energy of a mayor who wants to support his village, far of the disaster felt by some local elected officials.
Part-time coach driver, Jean-Christophe Rouxel, mayor since 2014, passes several times a day in the small town hall, located at the foot of a pine forest and where chickens sometimes venture to peck. "He always has new ideas when he arrives ...", warns the secretary Sylvaine with a smile.
In 2017, "Monsieur le maire" parodies the poster for the film "La la Land" (with a sound close to the name of the village) by staging in place of Ryan Gosling. Too many lists for the panels in the European elections? Agricultural tarpaulins are installed. The game La Lande Cash, modeled on Monopoly, is launched with the names of localities, associations and businesses in the town which are all worth the same price "to offend no one".
Five tits are on the main door of the town hall during the presidential election? It bypasses access to the single polling station: success guaranteed on social networks. And on the day of the European elections, he proposes to also vote the inhabitants to create a currency. "Nature and calm" is acclaimed and ... record participation (77%).
Every day, he sends at least two messages on Twitter and two messages on Facebook. Not always easy in a town that has no shops and no schools ...
"I must do a little addiction surely!" Recognizes this 51 year old man with a warm handshake, graying hair and well-heeled goat, not hesitating to post four photos on Twitter illustrating the best maneuver in the car for leave the parking lot of the town hall.
According to him, this activity on social networks has a double interest: "It allows the inhabitants to know where the money is going, as by posting information concerning the progress of the road works". And also, "vis-à-vis any subsidies that we can have, we have our institutional contacts like the department, the region or the State who have an eye through social networks. It allows them to see that we are moving, "says Mr. Rouxel, son of a former vice-president of the urban community of Brest, who has long traveled France, working for 25 years in the equestrian environment before settling in Anjou in 1999.
- proud to wear the scarf -
His first assistant, Jeannick Cantin, duck breeder, salutes his "passion". "In a small town, you could say + there's nothing to do there +, but when a mayor wants to spend time there, things can happen!", He explains, far from the discomfort of mayors. expressed in "Les galériens de la République" by Bernard Ravet (Kero).
In the room where retirees play belote or practice the fort ball, curious game of skill between curling and pétanque, which has remained popular in Anjou, the inhabitants appreciate that people are talking about their village, even if they admit to being far removed from social networks.
"I have rarely seen someone like that, it's a snag! It is fun but it does not hurt La Lande-Chasles", explains Jean-Luc, 57, very happy to have left Seine-Saint-Denis for this village which displays "full", no more house being for rent or for sale.
For the new mandate, Jean-Christophe Rouxel, who receives a monthly allowance of nearly 500 euros, hopes that the village, which buried the electrical network, will land a fourth at sign with the arrival of fiber optics in 2021 and that the communal room will have solar panels.
"I still have the medulla and I'm proud to put on the tricolor scarf: I'm always up for it," he says, before taking a picture of the road repair that will be found as it should on the social media.
© 2020 AFP