“Withdrawal” of the mayor of Périgueux: the underside of a decision

LThe Place de la Clautre is packed with people this Saturday, December 14 in the evening. The mapping projected on Saint-Front Cathedral will begin. Contrary to custom, it is not the mayor of Périgueux (Dordogne) who speaks, but her first deputy. “Enjoy your loved ones and have a great holiday!” », Wishes Émeric Lavitola.

The absence of Delphine Labail is not accidental. The day before, “under the effect of significant professional burnout”, the socialist announced that she was “stepping back” from her mandates: town hall, urban area, regional council.

Since then, the majority and opposition have been unanimous in wishing him a speedy recovery. All aware of the weight of the burden, many point to other reasons for this bracketing.

The drop of water

Delphine Labail has not appeared in public for several days. The last time was at the municipal council on December 4. Santa Barbara of the firefighters, planting of the tree of secularism, meals for the elderly: no one saw her there. At the same time, his weekly agenda was no longer communicated.

“It felt like something was going on,” retrospectively analyzes the former right-wing mayor and opposition leader, Antoine Audi. Others speak of “emotional fragility” dating back “several months”. The sedimentation of causes would therefore be ancient, but the exhaustion is recent.

Many put it down to a diagnosis examining in particular the governance of the town hall. Not made public, but known to the mayor and those close to her, her conclusions would testify to a deleterious atmosphere. They would be “catastrophic”, said this elected official. “We’ve known better,” says another.

Governance

The mayor would be specifically targeted for her management of human resources, several of them believe. Which does not surprise the former first deputy and right-wing departmental advisor, Laurent Mossion, who identified “numerous departures of historical executives and recruited executives who do not stay”. “The overall rate of medical absenteeism has almost doubled between 2020 and 2022,” noted opponent Michel Cadet. “This demonstrates significant psychosocial risks,” analyzes Antoine Audi.

The criticism of ultra-centralized governance is old. From 2022, François Carême, member of the majority, explained his resignation: “The mayor wants to see everything, control everything, trusts no one. » “It’s not tenable,” regrets this other elected official.

More prosaic, the opposition points the finger at the City's finances which are “going to the wall”, honks Michel Cadet. Vice-president of the finance committee, he explained the situation in a letter sent to the Regional Chamber of Accounts in September, coupled with a report to the general prosecutor's office this month. “The sports park construction site has gotten out of control,” says Antoine Audi. From 8 million euros at the start, we will end up with around 18 million. »

The rumors

Since Friday, rumors have been rife. “She wanted to resign, but they prevented her from doing so with this withdrawal,” we say on condition of anonymity. Who is this “we”? “His entourage”, they whisper, targeting “the cabinet” and “a few close friends”.

In its first version, the mayor's announcement mentioned a withdrawal “for several months”. Testimony to the excitement reigning within the majority, on Friday evening, the deadline was quickly reduced to “several weeks”. Just as messy was the management of crisis communication this weekend of December 14 and 15. The first deputy, Émeric Lavitola acting as mayor, first refusing to respond to “Sud Ouest”, then accepting, and finally declining on Sunday. The cabinet's communication explained that it was reserving its statements for the Municipal Council scheduled for Wednesday, December 18.

A situation which amused this astute observer of municipal political life: “Émeric is the first federal member of the PS, a pure and hardline politician. He will take a liking to the position and will not give it up so easily. »