Vevey: citizens “relieved” by the return of trustee Yvan Luccarini

For the first time in almost three months, Vevey woke up with an operational trustee on Tuesday morning. Yvan Luccarini announced it the day before: he’s back in business. His absence was linked to a rare neurological disease (Charcot-Marie-Tooth type), which he discovered with horror this fall and which involved multiple medical examinations.

On this market day, the people of Vevey are happy to comment on the news. “We no longer saw him as often as before in the places where he is accustomed. It also seemed to us that he was limping (editor’s note: the disease causes walking problems) during an appearance in August. Today, everything is explained,” reports a trio of retirees, who want to congratulate him for his “combativeness.”

“All my respect”

On the square in front of La Grenette, Olivier agrees: “I disagree with his political ideas, but I am very happy that he can find his place again. My daughter also has neuropathy, so I know what it’s like… He has all my respect.” A woman who was eavesdropping on the conversation comes closer to give her opinion. “I didn’t sense any disturbance while he was gone. His colleagues in the Executive have closed ranks admirably.”

Others were unaware of this eclipse. “You tell me that,” smiles Jules, 28, biting into his sandwich. I imagine that this is a good signal and that the authorities are doing their job well, with complete discretion.” At Librairie La Fontaine, we are above all relieved that the gossip can finally stop. “People made a big deal out of it even though there was nothing political about his absence… The controversy will finally be able to be silenced,” says bookseller Claude Georgi.

Announcement too late?

But the return of the trustee does not only make people happy. Some traders do not hold it in their hearts, seeing in it the incarnation of “anti-car” policy. Boss of La Civette, a store specializing in the sale of cigars, Michele Dingeo even calls for his resignation, although the illness does not alter his cognitive faculties: “If his health is affected, I believe that he would not is not able to govern. I obviously wish him all the best, but if his condition deteriorates, we risk repeated absences.

The trader also criticizes the timing of the announcement, which would have played into the hands of risky speculation: “The trustee should have been transparent from the start of his absence instead of leaving his citizens in the dark for three months.”

The complete opposite of what Alain thinks, sitting on a bench at the station: “Politicians are human beings like all the others. When they go through a bad patch in their private life, they have the right to withdraw for a while, without anyone coming to quibble with them.”

Chance puts a municipal councilor on our path. Yvette Bonjour, representative of the UDC, welcomes Yvan Luccarini’s comeback with a nice dose of empathy. “It must have been a very complicated phase for him… I am delighted that the Municipality is back to full strength to start this new year in the best conditions.”

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Thibault New Weme is a journalist for the Vaud section. After a Bachelor in political science, he obtained his Master’s degree at the Academy of Journalism and Media (AJM) at the University of Neuchâtel. He also worked with the editorial staff of Le Temps.More info

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