Cevery detail counts. The slightly more opulent chair of the mayor of Périgueux (Dordogne), Delphine Labail, was changed for that of a simple elected official drawn from the ranks of the opposition. Émeric Lavitola took his place on it to open the Municipal Council which was held this Wednesday, December 18.
Five days after the socialist mayor’s announcement that she was “stepping back”, the moment was important. First of all for his first deputy who is acting in the interim and whose session served as a grand oral.
“The indelible mark”
For the public, more numerous than in normal times, the big question was to know more about the conditions of the withdrawal of the first magistrate. Because since Friday December 13, rumors have been rife: is this a disguised resignation? Was she sidelined by her own majority?
Émeric Lavitola immediately closed the debate without responding: the mayor “needs rest, is exhausted, needs to take care of herself, her family and the most precious asset, her health”. Above all, he turned to his advantage the announcement of the right-wing opponent, Michel Cadet, of his candidacy for the 2026 municipal elections: “It is the indelible mark of an unworthy candidate. »
Although the person concerned said that “the opposition is in no way responsible for this exhaustion of the councilor, resulting from an internal putsch”, he was no longer really audible. But, always pugnacious, he renewed his concerns regarding the agents, among whom he noted “resignations, transfers, burn-out, exhaustion, very long work stoppages”. And Michel Cadet in turn accuses: “You are all collectively responsible for this unprecedented and pathetic situation. Madam Mayor was not alone, you were there, her close guard. »
“Yes, the bills are paid”
Émeric Lavitola, federal leader of the Socialist Party of the Dordogne, accustomed to heated partisan meetings, did not fall for the trap. In sharp contrast to the sometimes strong reactions of the one he replaced, Delphine Labail, he remained stoic, recounting the achievements of the mandate: Place de la Clautre, rue Taillefer, André-Boissière school, Sans Réserve…
But also the Sports Park site, the subject of a thousand and one questions brushed aside by the elected finance official, Anne Marchand, during her presentation of the deliberation authorizing certain investment expenses. “Yes, the invoices are paid, the companies were paid in 2024. We are in the envelopes. »
Often questioned on the subject, the majority presented the total amount of the project: 17.8 million euros including tax. The opposition did not flinch, yet the sum is significantly larger than that presented during the Municipal Council on September 25. The total of the operation was then 15.6 million euros including tax.
The matter was decided when Émeric Lavitola took up Michel Cadet who challenged the elected representative for culture: “If you allow it, we are the ones who will choose the people who respond to you. » The first deputy then showed that he was indeed installed in the mayor’s chair.
