She had taken over this town hall for a long time on the left from the Republicans in 2020. Camille Pouponneau, 35, has just resigned during her mandate as mayor of Pibrac (Haute-Garonne). His words are strong and compelling. “Today, the deterioration of my mental health, leading to a progressive deterioration of my physical health, no longer allows me to perform these functions.”
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She took over the town hall of Pibrac (Haute-Garonne) with the passion and will of her youth. In 2020, she is barely 30 years old. 4 years later, during her mandate, she resigned to protect herself. “I have reached the end of what I could endure.”
With just under 9,000 inhabitants, Pibrac is rather a quiet town in the inner suburbs of Toulouse.
Calm ? Not so much. In any case not enough to allow a young mayor to exercise her mandate with a minimum of serenity. In a message expressed on social networks, the young 35-year-old PS mayor resigns from her mandate and explains why.
“Today, the deterioration of my mental health, leading to a progressive deterioration of my physical health, no longer allows me to carry out these functions with the necessary perspective and energy. I have reached the end of what I could endure . After 10 years of devoting myself to elective mandates in the service of others and the common good, I must take care of myself.”
Committed to the left in the PS, close to the mayor of Colomiers Karine Traval-Michelet, she sets out in 2020 to reconquer the town hall of Pibrac. Long on the left, she had been delighted by a mayor LR Bruno Costes. At 31, she will become one of the youngest mayors in the Toulouse region.
“I tried to carry out my duties as an elected official with as much sincerity, humility and voluntarism as possible, despite a constant feeling of injustice and helplessness. I took my part. Unfortunately, I meaning today a simple manager, without any room for maneuver, drowned under the weight of rigid state rules and intercommunal decisions on which it is difficult to influence, losing all the meaning of my commitment.”
However, politics has always interested her. A graduate of Sciences Po Toulouse and a MASTER in “Consulting, Expertise and Public Action”, she is doing her final internship with Carole Delga. She got involved in politics very early when she was only 23 years old. Camille Pouponneau was elected departmental councilor in 2015. She is also very active in several charitable associations. This voluntarism, this commitment to change things continued at Pibrac town hall. But today, it is no longer enough.
“As you know, my predecessor and I had undeniable disagreements on values, but I must recognize having been blocked, like him, in the face of so many ubiquitous regulatory situations which limit us in our action. Added to this is the lack of responsibility progressive citizens rather quick to take legal action A few days ago, I was again threatened with legal action over defamatory remarks, threats and insults that I had made. You know me… Let’s be serious.
She therefore resigned, without having completed her mandate but after 10 years of political action. The words with which she expresses her dismay and her helplessness are very strong and must challenge. They also raise the question of the remuneration of “small elected officials”. “At the time of leaving my functions, I realize the error of not having assumed a decent compensation for my mandate as Mayor (which today amounts to €1,127) and of having carried out two functions: that of Mayor and that of Chief of Staff In the end, I devoted at least 70 hours per week to these functions, paid for barely 80% of the minimum wage.”
A sportswoman with a passion for trail running and football, she leaves the game to protect herself while remaining fragile. “For my part, I am going to prepare my reconversion, having stopped all professional activity to devote myself to my mandates. Not being able to claim any unemployment benefit and not being eligible for the special fund dedicated to elected officials, I am therefore going to register for receive the RSA, a perception which will be effective in three months I will therefore be without income during this period. Beyond the fact that it is difficult not to be bitter about this situation, I wanted to tell you this fact so that. everyone realizes that the profile of a person with the RSA is perhaps not a lazy profiteer.”
The words are strong. She will undoubtedly express them verbally later during her last municipal council meeting as mayor this Friday, October 18 at 10:30 a.m. Obviously, his succession will be ensured by another elected member of the majority. A few days ago, another PS mayor, Dominique Fouchier, also left his mandate as mayor of Tournefeuille (31).
