“When I have something to say, I say it! That’s how we move forward and avoid resentment. But I’m careful to put it into form.”
Michel Ruchonnet is indeed one of those who do not hesitate to speak, to ask questions and to react strongly if necessary during the sessions of the Imerian City Council. It must be said that the man now has some experience, since he is beginning his 15e year in the legislature, making him one of the oldest members of the office.
It was in fact during the 2009 elections that this Geneva doctor, who arrived in the region in the early 1980s, decided to dive into politics. “With my wife Aline, we were clearly left-wing but committed to no structure. We decided to join a party to see what we could bring, convinced that we are that it is by getting involved, in politics or in societies, that we can change things,” he explains.
Serve and disappear
Both will be elected. He in the legislature, his wife in the executive, which she has since left. But soon, it will also be over for Michel Ruchonnet, who will not be able to run again in the 2026 elections anyway, the regulations not authorizing more than four mandates in a row.
“Serve and disappear. I like this maxim. Even if I have every intention of continuing to get involved in the party. Activism will last until death!”, he laughs .
Before “disappearing” from the upper room, he will however have the opportunity to chair it once again, he who had already led the debates in 2012, when he had only been sitting in the legislature for a year. “It will be an opportunity to come full circle,” slips the man who celebrated his 70th birthday a few days ago.
His experience will undoubtedly not be too much to steer the debates in this year which promises to be difficult on the financial level, after the refusal of citizens to an increase in the tax rate. And it will start strong on January 15, with a session devoted to the new 2025 draft budget.
“We have major guidelines to define. This session will certainly be very political. For the right, if we give a franc, we immediately need a franc in return. But we sometimes have to accept that it is only later that “We reap the rewards. Investing is important to remain attractive”, argues Michel Ruchonnet, who expects the executive to “propose a vision for the future”.
Take care of the dialogue
In this delicate situation, to say the least, the president calls above all for a return to a better quality of dialogue between the executive and the legislature, but also between political groups. “We need to talk to each other more. Sitting on the City Council means putting yourself at the service of the city. Newcomers must understand that it is a habit that we put on, which implies duties, and a certain ethics too “Everything doesn’t have to be politicized. It’s important to keep different parties and sensibilities, but we must also be able to come together on projects, see what others can bring to us.”
And even if times are tough, Michel Ruchonnet is convinced that Saint-Imier can continue to shine. “You just have to look at this magnificent solar power plant project in Mont-Soleil. It’s a project on a global scale. Taking care of the planet starts at the municipal level,” insists he.
As for the future of the city, according to him, it must be written on a regional scale. “A respectful merger at the level of Haut-Vallon is the future. Together, we will be able to create infrastructures that, separately, it will simply be impossible for us to achieve.”
Canada
