It's time for traditional greeting ceremonies in local communities. The opportunity for elected officials to meet their constituents and interact with them. A tradition that some call into question in the name of the principle of budgetary savings.
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Greetings to the population are displayed in the streets, but nothing like direct contact. Lamballe Armor is the merger of eight municipalities. The mayor, Philippe Hercouët, plans to visit each of them: “It goes without saying that during this period, you have to be extremely sober and very vigilant”he jokes. Especially since it is a moment of exchange very appreciated by the inhabitants: “I think it is of interest because then we can keep up to date with everything that is going to happen during the year 2025”reports one of them. For another passerby, “this shows that the mayor is present with his residents”.
Also read: Faced with the drop in funding planned by the 2025 budget: “The mission becomes impossible” for elected officials
In short, an investment in people that is well worth every euro spent. “Yes, we really invest in human relationships”confirms Philippe Hercouët. “And to be precise, the cost of organizing our greeting ceremonies costs less than one euro per inhabitant, so I think that contributing to social ties for that price is a good investment in a society where we sometimes suffer from isolation”he concludes.
A less relevant reasoning when we move to the next floor. With his dual role as president of the departmental management center and the Guingamp-Paimpol agglomeration, Vincent le Meaux decided not to organize a ceremony within the agglomeration: “The mayor is in direct contact with his constituents and it is important that there are moments of conviviality with his fellow citizens. However, at the level of an urban area, we speak to insiders of the Republic, economic actors, associative actors, state authorities who already see each other throughout the year so it is not the ceremony of wishes which will change the relationships between these different interfaces.
No need to spend an additional 15,000 euros. Enough to make a nice New Year at a time of budgetary restrictions.
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