Frédéric Béatse's fighting greetings

It sounded like a warning towards all who wish to become Angers mayor, in his own political family or in the opposition one : "To be Angers mayor gives you a sum of energy you can't imagine", said Frédéric Beatse who, for the first time of his mandate, wished a happy new year to the Angers inhabitants gathered in the Lurçat tapestries museum. The register was voluntary that Monday. While Notre-Dame-des-Landes airport opponents displayed panels claiming "NDDL airport = climatic crime", Mr Beatse didn't surrender, continuing his pledge under applauses. And pointing out his will to overcome the predictable, and predicted, difficulties of 2013, he said "That year will not be the year as it is announced, it will be the year as we shall do it".

Throughout his pledge, Frédéric Beatse made numerous announ-cements regarding the launching of projects as the Maine new banks, a festival, in 2014, about new musics, the opening of La Cité, a building dedicated to all the associations of Angers, the new swimming pool, a new centre of congresses and political initiatives like a conference on employment with local businessmen or another about the night disturbances. But, aware of the difficult period the city faces, Mr. Béastse repeated that "not a single euro will be spent or invested without a concern for the economy and the employment and everything will be done to maintain the city debt as low as possible".

Preceded by Jean-Claude Antonini, the former Angers mayor and now president of Angers Loire Métropole authority, Mr.Béatse pledge was rather direct, and even sometimes agressive when, after he recalled one of Mr Antonini favorite words, "To be mayor is always close to get a slap", he recognized that "[he] was sometimes in the mood to give some".