- Johanna Rolland was re-elected mayor of Nantes with a large lead over her opponents.
- The new Nantes municipal council is meeting this Friday.
- The socialist mayor will face at least five major challenges by 2026.
It is this Friday that the new Nantes city council will be installed. Freshly re-elected, Johanna Rolland will reveal the names and responsibilities of her new assistants. She will then attack a second mandate of six years during which the socialist mayor will have to take up at least five challenges, in a context of health and economic crisis.
Go further on ecology
The voters expressed an expectation: Johanna Rolland will have to go stronger, faster, on the ecological transition. This is also the meaning of the agreement made with the Greens. More than 60% of the initial proposals on the ecological list appear in the final program of the socialist mayor. The first measure, lowering public transit fares, sets the tone. “The ecological project is very ambitious. We are going to change gear ”, is convinced Aymeric Seassau (PC), assistant to the outgoing mayor, expected to be renewed this Friday.
Even upsetting habits and giving up on projects that Johanna Rolland and her majority defended a short time ago (construction of underground parking lots, extension of the Cité des Congrès). “We will have to go further because if we do not do so we miss the mark of global warming. It is now that it is played, argues Bassem Asseh (PS), ex-16th deputy mayor and favorite to become the first deputy.
Getting safety results
After a mandate marked by an increase in delinquency and assault, the theme of security was inevitably at the center of the electoral campaign. The health crisis has put it under wraps, but the problem is far from being resolved. And Johanna Rolland knows that she will be judged on an inversion of the curve, even if the competence of security is above all that of the State. "It will be the subject of the warrant. I am afraid that this majority will not be able to manage the problem and that it will be worse and worse, ”fears Julien Bainvel, municipal councilor (LR) in opposition. "When Laurence Garnier says" security, we're going to take care of it ", it's very demagogic," Bassem Asseh replied. We will use different levers and more than in the previous mandate. There will be additional municipal police, a metropolitan transport police, mediators ... But we will stay at our level. "
"In reality, we only weigh on a very small part of the problem," says Aymeric Seassau. You have to be clear to say it. We will do everything we can, while fighting the battle against the State to obtain more resources. David Martineau, former deputy mayor of the PS, is more nuanced. “Despite some successes, we still have a long way to go in the fight against trafficking, deal points that are now gaining ground. Admittedly, there is a deficit of means coming from the State, always it is that a large mayor must know how to find the means to resolve this dialogue of deaf. We are now obliged to resolve this issue. "
Get residents more involved
Immediately after the announcement of her victory on Sunday evening, Johanna Rolland called for a “democratic confidence shock” marked by “more citizen participation”. It must be said that the criticisms concerning the involvement of the inhabitants had been strong, despite advances in the matter. The controversy over the YelloPark case, decided on a solitary basis, has left its mark. "We have absolutely everything to refound, vilifies Julien Bainvel (LR). The Nantes-style citizen dialogue that has been touted as an example is in fact a failure. The most important subjects are dealt with directly by the mayor's office. "Yellopark made him think. I bet that this episode will not happen again, ”says Aymerick Seassau.
"Everyone learns from their experiences," adds Bassem Asseh. We have already implemented a lot of things, but we will have to take a step, including on subjects that are not close. In the fall, we will ask the residents about the impacts of the health crisis. We will also do it on 5G. "Neither do I believe in a horizontal debate which would dilute political speech. This cannot be the systematic search for the greatest consensus ”, ponders Aymeric Seassau. David Martineau insists on the lessons of abstention. “A mayor must know how to make the right choices but must also have the ability to train everyone, which is more complicated. Such abstention also shows that the municipalities have not yet been able to combat the isolation of the population of certain neighborhoods. "
Warm up your image and your voice
Her sometimes pronounced taste for the tongue of wood and oratorical formulas earned Johanna Rolland the mockery of her opponents. The public, it regrets more a deficit of smile or heat. Will Johanna Rolland be released during the mandate? "He is a person who may seem cold and reserved, but I think he is actually someone shy," says David Martineau. She must succeed in showing that she is not only an excellent technocrat, even if one cannot deny her quality of analysis, her intelligence, which make her someone exceptional. "If she wants to continue to be distant and techno, let her stay so," says Julien Bainvel. We cannot change the nature of people. "
Aymeric Seassau refers to "understandable caution" given the "pressure on his shoulders". "But I think it will give itself more freedom," he predicts. Before clarifying: "He is a modest personality. She will not exhibit her private life, she will not perform. Maybe some people will regret it but I find it quite noble. "
Play more collectively with elected officials
The criticisms came mainly from environmental allies: Johanna Rolland would not play sufficiently collectively with the elected officials who did not come from her first circle. Not wishing "to relive the last mandate", Julie Laernoes also negotiated to have, this time, an eye on all the files. Enough to work together for six years? “We will all be united and responsible for the decisions that will be made, believes Bassem Asseh. The conditions are not the same as in the previous mandate, people know each other better. We talked about it at length together in the entre-deux-tours. Communist Aymeric Seassau is confident. “We are no longer in a department where the Socialist Party is hegemonic. Johanna put a lot of energy into bringing all the camps together. She is keen not to appear isolated in decisions. "
Criticism of the collective game is also expressed by the opposition. It requires more listening, more weight in the commissions. “We made a large number of proposals and nothing ever happens behind, plague Julien Bainvel. The shared management during the health crisis worked rather well. There are things to invent around this. We'll see if it moves. "
Municipal
Results of the municipal elections in Nantes: A “clear and legitimate” re-election for Johanna Rolland (PS)
Municipal
VIDEO. Municipales 2020 in Nantes: "If there is only one message to pass on, go and vote", insists Johanna Rolland
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- Nantes
- Johanna Rolland
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