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2 Three-quarters of mayors confirm their discomfort
87.7% of those questioned confirm that there is currently a “discomfort” among mayors, even if less than half (45.6%) say they are directly concerned and 28.1% have already been tempted to resign. One of them even indicates that he has gone to live in a town other than his own, 21 km away, for three years. Among the main ones mentioned to justify the discomfort: the difficulties in reconciling the mandate with professional activity, the work overload and the stress linked to criminal and legal responsibilities, the pressure from residents and social networks which exacerbate verbal attacks and/or or physical, the weight of disputes before the administrative court, the feeling of helplessness and loneliness, the lack of remuneration and the lack of engineering in the municipalities. Consequence: 89.5% of respondents fear a vocations crisis and 77.2% a drop in participation in the next municipal elections.
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3 Lots of incivility but few complaints
The feeling of insecurity and violence against elected officials is shared by 84.2% of respondents, 89.5% of whom consider that the phenomenon is increasing, mainly over the past three years. The majority of them (61.4%) were victims: 75.7% were verbal attacks and 13.5% were physical attacks. In almost all cases (81.6%), the mayors concerned knew the perpetrators. This proximity, the concern “not to inflame situations” or facts that are not sufficiently characterized have often dissuaded them, they say, from filing a complaint. Only 30.8% used it.
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4 Overwhelmed by “overregulation”
82.5% of the mayors questioned said they were clearly overwhelmed by regulations, above all national (97.9%). More than half (54.4%) also suffer from a feeling of “dispossession of their power for the benefit of intermunicipal structures”.
Another source of stress: the sword of Damocles of illegal taking of interests. If it officially only concerned 19.2% of those surveyed, it has, for example, already forced three-quarters of the elected officials questioned to change the way municipal council meetings are held.
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5 The status of the elected official enormously questioned
Training, remuneration, recognition, work-life balance are a major concern for Finistère mayors, who are still waiting for status from local elected officials.
Here is an anthology of “priority areas to work on”: “Increase elected officials. I earn less with two mandates than with my previous salary in the private sector”; “Validate the quarters for retirement in the event of cessation of professional activity”; “For young professionals, possibility of being mayor without loss of salary”; “Increase the overall operating allocation for small municipalities, to allow the hiring of competent agents”; “Securing the return to employment after a mandate”; “Less regulation and more freedom to act”.
