“We want to show that something is being prepared in the area of citizenship, ecology and solidarity”. The tone was set during the press conference organized on Friday January 17 by the “Haut-Doubs Citoyen, Écologique et Solidaire” (HDCES) association. One year before the municipal elections, the stakes are high in Pontarlier, while Patrick Genre has announced that he will not run again.
In the opposition of the City of Pontarlier, out of the six councilors, four will not leave either “for reasons of age, personal life, choice and for non-cumulative mandates. You don't stay mayor of a city for 25 years, or deputy for 20 years.”says Julien Toulet, municipal councilor in Pontarlier. So, the HDCES association is launching an appeal to the inhabitants of Pontarlier. “Everyone has their place, we want to bring people together to think about solutions. We want to get out of this pyramid where one person decides everything. There is a desire to work collectively”specifies Gérard Voynnet, elected from the opposition in Pontarlier. A year of debate to find areas to focus on.
Concerning citizens to avoid “fatalism”
To try to bring Pontissaliens together, the HDCES group wants to organize thematic meetings every first Friday of the month. On February 7, they will address the theme of traffic. “The question of how we live in a city is also the meeting of people, of living together”assures Julien Toulet. At the end of each meeting, the theme of the next one will be debated. The objective being to “create a program around it. Political commitment will come later”.
-“The answer must lie elsewhere. Neither left nor right, the objective is to create a Pontissalian list”continues Gérard Voinnet. During the last municipal elections in 2020, the leader of the “Pontarlier, ecological and united city” list collected a little more than 40% of the votes cast. “but we must not forget that there was more than 50% abstention. So of course, we were in the middle of Covid so that played a role, but I also think that there is a form of fatalism, an impression that things are not changing. So we want to bring citizens together, make them feel involved, so that together we can create a city that is suitable.”.
“A feeling of having lost a mandate spent making diagrams”
Gérard Voinnet has been an opposition elected official since 2014, the date of creation of the HDCES association. 10 years later, the members of the latter have a feeling of “waste”, in the words of Julien Toulet, who continues: “we could do so much better whether in terms of traffic, associations, culture, sports… We have the feeling of having lost a mandate spent making plans, studies, promising things without budgeting”. A multi-year real estate investment plan of around 61 million euros over 15 years was approved during the last municipal council in 2024. “We’ve been talking about it since October 2014. And then, it also took 12 years to finally vote for a swimming pool”assures Julien Toulet.
Another point that stirs up debate is the Chevalier house. “21 years since it was bought, and we still have nothing”continues the municipal councilor. During the presentation of his wishes on January 10, Patrick Genre announced that specifications were almost concluded and “ a call for projects will be launched and the consultation will be carried out in the coming months”. For its part, the HDCES association is considering several avenues “There is a possibility of doing something very beautiful in this Chevalier house. We could transform it into buildings for civil servants who do not work in Pontarlier or create a seniors’ home for example”tries Gérard Voinnet. While in the ranks of the majority, the succession of Patrick Genre must be decided soon, the opposition launches its offensive with great hope.
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