The news was marked by two resignations of mayors in Haute-Garonne in just a few months. Should this be seen as a worrying phenomenon or are these isolated cases?
Camille Pouponneau (Pibrac), Dominique Fouchier (Tournefeuille), Jean-Clément Cassan (Caraman), Philippe Plantade (Bruguières), Didier Cujives (Paulhac)… In the space of a few months, the resignations of mayors in Haute-Garonne, notably in the Toulouse region, followed one another. Is this a phenomenon that could increase in the department? The president of the association of mayors of Haute-Garonne and mayor of Soueich, Brigitte Sgard, wants to be reassuring. “Resignation is still something relatively rare,” she believes. Especially since, as she points out, if Camille Pouponneau and Dominique Fouchier, to name but a few, decided to give up their mandate, it is for different reasons. Thus, for the former mayor of Tournefeuille, it is a “personal, responsible decision which aims to prepare for the future”. In short, a strategic choice with a view to the next municipal elections. “Having decided not to run for a third term as mayor in 2026, my decision allows for a more efficient transition », declared Dominique Fouchier in a press release. Moreover, it was Frédéric Parre, his deputy for finance and human resources whom he had appointed as his successor, who was elected mayor of Tournefeuille by the municipal council on Thursday, November 28.
For Camille Pouponneau, whose resignation surprised Brigitte Sgard, the reason is quite different. Indeed, the ex-mayor of Pibrac, in addition to mentioning a “deterioration of her mental health”, explained that she was facing a “progressive disempowerment of citizens who are rather prone to judicialization” and “ a constant feeling of injustice and helplessness “. “There is a very heavy weight weighing on the shoulders of mayors,” believes the president of the Haute-Garonne mayors’ association. A weight that some can no longer carry. “In our community of communes Cagire Garonne Salat, a mayor resigned because she realized that the task was too complicated and did not wish to continue,” she reports. Once again, Brigitte Sgard tempers: “We have some resignations from mayors in Haute-Garonne because we often deal with citizens who are more and more demanding and we have fewer and fewer answers to provide them. But a majority of them are fighting and continue to carry their community loud and clear.”
Difficulties piling up for mayors
Not without facing some difficulties, particularly financial. “We were removed a lot of fiscal autonomy by removing the housing tax. From now on, there is a decorrelation between the services provided by municipalities and the tax paid by residents. The disappearance of the housing tax has been poorly compensated,” judges the mayor of Souiech. In addition to that, Michel Barnier's government announced significant budget cuts for communities. In all, they must make an effort of 5 billion euros in savings to reduce the public deficit to 5% of GDP within the framework of the 2025 finance bill. “We are being taken back from our budgets in a scandalous manner and we are being made to carry a responsibility that is absolutely not ours. This reflects a negative view of mayors which is extremely perverse. But we are not thugs who spend public money indiscriminately, since by obligation, our budgets are balanced,” she recalls.
Brigitte Sgard thus denounces a lack of respect on the part of public authorities, but also of those administered. “We have to deal with a lot of incivility, such as illegal dumping, non-compliance with town planning rules, cabanisations and sometimes very violent outbursts of temper, which are difficult to manage,” confides the mayor. which specifies that “all municipalities” are affected. “In small ones, like mine, there is a strong proximity. Many people have my cell phone, in fact, I'm within pocket range. Which no longer guarantees limits to the bloodshed of one or the other. And if it doesn’t happen every four mornings, it’s heavy, violent and difficult,” reveals Brigitte Sgard, who reports that “many mayors denounce the absence of civic-mindedness.” “Our society is becoming extremely individualistic and everyone is pursuing their own personal interest and the common interest is falling by the wayside,” she denounces.
The mayor, not an endangered species
So many reasons why the mayors “are angry”. Not to mention their low compensation. Camille Pouponneau thus regretted “not having assumed decent compensation for her mandate (which today amounts to €1,127) and having assumed two functions: that of mayor of Pibrac and that of chief of staff”. “Given our working time and our investment, the remuneration is indeed derisory,” agrees Brigitte Sgard, who continues: “But we are aware of this when we embark on a mandate as mayor.” And fortunately, everything is not dark. “There are powerful moments, which help us move forward like the congress of mayors,” she smiles, estimating that the mayor is “ the first elected official who garners respect and the benevolent look on the part of the citizens”. “It’s also the one whose work you can see on site. We know that he is there, that he is helping,” she declares before emphasizing that the mayors have also “held down the house at the local level when the national level was no longer there, during the Covid-19 health crisis for example.”
For her, mayors, who have “a major function in matters of civil status, police and representation of the State”, are not not destined to disappear. Quite the contrary. And this, even in the small villages of the department. “During the last municipal elections, we observed municipalities with only 50 inhabitants where three lists were submitted,” she informs. And for the next ones, the president of the association of mayors of Haute-Garonne wants to be confident. “Some councilors will stand again, to carry out projects that they have launched. Perhaps some existing mayors have had enough and will not run again. But other people will succeed them,” concludes the elected official. Answer in 2026, therefore.
