A new step was taken during the Municipal Council held this Tuesday, November 12, 2024, in the conflict between 11 municipal councilors (out of 15) and the mayor, Patrick Benoist. Organized at the initiative of these 11 elected officials – declared an opposition group – the session included only one deliberation on the agenda: “withdrawal of delegations of powers from the Municipal Council to the mayor”.
By ten votes for and five votes against, the mayor was stripped of the 28 delegations that had been granted to him during the first meeting of the deliberative assembly following the 2020 municipal elections.
Already under financial supervision
The tit-for-tat policy currently reigns in Josse: on March 26, a majority of elected officials rejected the initial budget of the commune, which was placed under the financial supervision of the Landes prefecture, which established a budget of minimum operation.
A month later, Patrick Benoist withdrew their delegations from two deputies with whom he disagreed, namely Annie Jégun, in charge of finances, and Christelle Ferrandis, who was in charge of social affairs and youth.
On July 31, during a stormy municipal meeting marked by a suspension of the session, a third elected official, Sylvie Dubertrand, resigned from her position as town planning assistant (however remaining a municipal councilor) in order to avoid being put in difficulty on questions for which she did not have enough information, according to her.
Today, only Jean-Marc Piton has retained a deputy role. This situation means he is in enormous demand, and the elected official deplores this state of affairs. He declares that he does not know if he will be able to continue and take on this additional work for the municipality for any longer.
At this stage of the mandate, everyone is sticking to their positions. Patrick Benoist refutes any idea of resignation while the majority opposition is calling for his departure. Therefore, the question arises: how can this situation last, considering that there are still eighteen months before the next municipal elections in 2026?
Delegations are granted for the entire duration of the mayor's mandate. However, they can be withdrawn at any time by the Municipal Council. This repeal only has effect for the future.
