Par
Augustin Bouquet des Chaux
Published on
Nov. 21 2024 at 6:00 p.m
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After the legislative elections, you took a break and stayed away from public life. Did you feel the need?
I announced it on election night. It was a need, a salutary need to rest with my loved ones. Which I did by taking more vacations than I had ever taken before.
This break lasted because I never carry out my mandates half-heartedly. I did not pretend as mayor and deputy. It was exciting and exhausting, and the election shock led me to think that it would do me good to rest a little.
Have you thought about quitting politics?
I did a lot of thinking over the summer. I was stunned, I've already said that. There was a moment of hesitation where I said to myself “all this investment for this”. Commitment is something that fulfills me, which is my driving force, which gives meaning to my life, in addition – obviously – to the love of those close to me.
“I was stunned, I thought a lot”
There was a moment of doubt. I asked myself if the sacrifices requested from my loved ones were worth it. I took some time to analyze the election results: what played a role, what I could have done…
Did you understand the result?
The President of the Republic has damaged the country in every way. He multiplied the reasons for anger and the acts of humiliation that fueled the anger. As a counterpoint to this, there was the European election in which the RN embodied this anger.
The left has proven incapable of embodying this anger nationally, by being disconnected from what people experience in territories like ours.
When the president decides to dissolve, which all French people consider stupidity, it results in a very short campaign and the same votes as in the European elections.
The RN over-mobilized an electorate who had not voted for a long time and gained 16,000 votes compared to 2017. I cast more votes too, but that was not enough. It was a very national election that came down to: “Do you want Bardella as prime minister?” “.
The aftermath Mim is already preparing
The president of the Dieppe-Maritime Agglomeration, Sébastien Jumel, wanted to react to the closure of the Manche marine industry shipyard: “We were dealing with a rogue boss. Besides, the people of Fécamp are in the process of understanding it after us.”
The former MP is now working on a recovery of the company and more particularly on saving jobs. Several files are under study: “It’s too early to give names because I am committed to maintaining confidentiality,” he said.
On November 1, Sébastien Jumel also participated in a meeting with a possible buyer: “The idea is not to weaken the port ecosystem and to maintain shipbuilding capacity in Dieppe.”
You are therefore returning to the forefront of the local political scene as president of the Dieppe-Maritime Agglomeration. You are replacing the mayor of Dieppe, Nicolas Langlois. How was this return organized?
This proposal is that of the mayor of Dieppe. I never thought about that during the summer and will never allow myself to think about it. At the start of the school year, Nicolas came to find me to tell me that people had not noticed the fact that I was disappearing from the landscape.
He thought I could be useful for the territory. I told him I needed to think about it. I was still a little in shock, I thought people would have moved on. But on the market, a large majority of residents asked me not to give up.
This movement of opinion emanating not just from my political family but also from local stakeholders, combined with Nicolas's proposal, led me to accept this proposal.
Your access to the presidency of the Agglomeration also looks like a political rescue seen from the outside. And it can be seen by locals as an arrangement allowing you to stay in the spotlight…
This is not a consolation prize for me. I will exercise my mandate with the same combativeness and the same investment that motivated me in previous mandates.
“It’s not a consolation prize”
Those who think that, and they have the right to think so, are in the minority in town. This is not an arrangement between friends. This was validated by elected officials with a very broad sensitivity such as Frédéric Canto, the mayor of Saint-Aubin-sur-Scie for example, or Patrick Boulier and the mayor of Grèges.
It’s not a choice I made to make money either. If I had wanted to earn money, I would have done something else and I was offered to do something else.
Since we are addressing the question of remuneration, the elected officials decided to restore, just after your election, the original compensation of the president of the Agglomeration which had been lowered under Nicolas Langlois. This may have raised eyebrows among your political opponents and some residents. How do you explain it?
I will speak to you frankly, I find that the way in which this story was handled is not very honest and not very thorough. I earn a little more than the minimum wage as president of the Agglomeration. I earn €1,507 net to be precise.
I don't have the impression that it's a lot, even if there are a lot of people who live on a salary lower than that. If you had searched a little, you would have seen that other agglomeration presidents had equivalent or greater compensation.
Nicolas Langlois being mayor and general councilor, he had not decided to lower the compensation, but it was capped by law. Those who exploit this story are dishonest.
If you were in their place, perhaps you would have made the same criticism?
No because I never did it. I hope that I will not be forced to state the compensation for each one if I am pushed to do so.
We must understand that even if it is symbolic, in reality, the presidency of Sébastien Jumel costs residents more than the presidency of Nicolas Langlois…
No, because that’s not quite how it arises. I tell you again, I am not anathema, but Jean-Jacques Brument had a higher compensation, Patrick Boulier, it was approximately the same.
When you dedicate your life to others with ethics and honesty that I challenge anyone to question, these are words that are not pleasant to hear.
The Delaune swimming pool, priority of the mandate
Among the highly anticipated projects in the area, Sébastien Jumel will have to manage the construction of the intercommunal swimming pool which will be built next to the current Delaune swimming pool. “We are in the process of scheduling a meeting with the regional director of Youth and Sports for this project,” assures the president of Dieppe-Maritime.
The latter adds that this project will be the priority of his mandate: “There are still some adjustments to be made, but the objective is to start the project next year.” Among the adjustments, there is the signing of a territorial contract with the Region, the Department and the State so that the Agglomeration can be supported in its investments for the years to come.
The last question will concern taxation. The intermunicipal share of the property tax has recently increased. Will this increase continue?
This was decided before I arrived, but I take responsibility for the decisions made by those who preceded me. The road map is I don't want a property tax increase as long as I'm here.
And even if we could harmonize the household waste collection tax across the city by lowering it a little where it is higher, that would be good. But I'm not sure I'll succeed.
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