While the first day of school is in full swing, sad news begins to leak out: the president of the Le Puy-en-Velay urban area and mayor of Chaspuzac, Michel Joubert, has died at the age of 75.
Tributes are starting to pour in, especially on social media. Hospitalized last week, he died in the night from Sunday to Monday in a Clermont hospital.
An unexpected entry into the political world
He was re-elected as head of the Agglo in 2020 “for a final term”. He will not be able to complete it.
He had been mayor of the commune of Chaspuzac for forty-seven years. A position he had not necessarily planned to hold, much less for so long.
In 1977, when he had barely settled in the town, a tense issue (the D906 project) got the better of the municipal team in place. The resigning mayor had asked him to put forward a list to restore calm, he who headed an agricultural development organization. That’s what he did. He has not left his seat as mayor since.
At the head of the Agglo since 2009
Two years later, he became a general councilor (formerly a departmental councilor) and vice-president of the departmental assembly in 1992. He brought his skills to the field of agriculture, but also to finance. It was only on October 1, 2020 that he resigned to leave his place to his substitute, the mayor of Blanzac, Jean-Marc Boyer.
He had assured that his functions as president of the urban community of Puy no longer allowed him to properly carry out his role within the Department.
Since 2009, Michel Joubert has been at the head of the Agglo with his legendary frankness. In 2020, the community elected representatives had once again entrusted him with the presidency with 79.2% of the votes.