“Residents are becoming more and more disinterested in public affairs. » Jean-Luc Bléher, mayor of Guer (Morbihan), is disappointed: the public neighborhood meeting that the municipality organized on Friday November 8, 2024 in the evening at the media library was a flop. Only two residents made the trip. “Probably there are no more problems in Guer city center! »quips an elected official.
In a circle around the mayor, the municipal team tries to find explanations. “On a Friday evening at 6:30 p.m., you exclude the traders! »says one of them. “ On the eve of the November 11 bridge, you have to be really courageous to come…”, added another. Jean-Luc Bléher nods without being completely convinced: “The reason is undoubtedly deeper…”
“The attendance has diminished over time”
These public neighborhood meetings have existed for more than twenty years. “I put them in place from my first mandate, specifies Jean-Luc Bléher. The objective is to dialogue, to debate with the population on themes as varied as traffic, parking, security, businesses, but also to address lighting and road issues. »
Organized several times a year, they are held in the five districts of the city: Guer-Nord, Guer-campagne (between the four lanes and Guer-Centre), Guer-centre/south, Guer-centre/north and Guer /South-La Telhaie. “At the beginning, we had people, remembers the mayor… And then, the crowds thinned out over time…”
So what to do? Remove these meetings? Probably not. But perhaps review the formula, their content. “People's little worries, their sidewalk problems, that no longer necessarily interests everyone, estimates Damien, a 39-year-old from Guérois. On the other hand, organizing one or two thematic meetings per year on major municipal subjects such as waste and soft travel, with, if necessary, monitoring committees, would make sense. »
“We’re going to put everything on the table”
Alain, 47, is of the same opinion: “Let’s not remove this beautiful tool of direct democracy. Let's keep it evolving with the times. Why wouldn't elected officials travel through neighborhoods, knocking on the doors of shops, businesses and even homes, to take the pulse of the population? They would learn things from it, believe me. »
In short, there is no shortage of ideas. And Jean-Luc Bléher takes it very seriously. The future of neighborhood meetings was on the agenda of the meeting he had with his team Tuesday evening. “We are going to put everything on the table. » It is not impossible that a new version of these meetings will emerge in the spring.
