Angers 2014 : Jean-Luc Rotureau's reflection shakes the political circles

Credit picture : Jean-Luc Rotureau

A brain storming is starting to fill the minds of the Angers political represen-tatives, from left, centre and right, already involved in the 1st and even the second run of the March 2014 municipal elections. After he rejected an offer from Frédéric Béatse, Angers mayor, to come after Daniel Raoul as Maine-et-Loire senator and to to be member of the board of Angers Loire Metropole, Jean-Luc Rotureau, current Angers deputy mayor, has met Bernard Dupré, head of the centrist Modem, minority at the city council. An alliance between Mr Rotureau and the Modem is presented as "an hypothesis".

Bernard Dupré

Mr Rotureau has not, until now, made up his mind about a candidacy to the Angers mayor office, which would transform him in a frontal competitor of the current mayor. For that, he has first to consider the number of supporters he may get whatever be their political membership. The choice is planned for the end of the month.

Laurent Gérault

Because the relationship between the Angers mayor and deputy major looks to be in a dead-end, Mr Béatse could be led to turn himself towards the centrists of the city council whose components are the Modem (Mr Dupré) and the Udi (Laurent Gérault), themselves divided. These will probably be approached by the conservative candidate, Christophe Béchu, president of the Conseil general de Maine-et-Loire. Another phenomena is appearing : the Angers automatic presidency of Angers Loire Métropole is questionned. That perspective could be a new element to integrate in current reflections (Credit pictures : Angers city).

Christophe Béchu starts his battle for Angers mayor office on the ground of economy

The political agendas of the Angers mayor, Frédéric Béatse, and his main rival in the March 2014 municipal elections are, presently, completely different. While the first is involved in the duties of his office, the second has started his offensive by an occupation of the territory. Within a few days, Mr Beatse will go in Mali with the French president François Hollande, invited by the first lady, Valérie Trierweiler, native from Angers. 

So the main question will soon be : when Frédéric Béatse will, in his turn, come in the political battle? If he waits, he can be led to follow the initiatives of his rival and will have to deal with the momentum already given by the president of the Conseil général. That waiting time may even become more difficult to be understood by his supporters when other candidates will step themselves in the arena. 

As for Mr Béchu, he met some future entrepreneurs promising the economic development and employment will be the core of his campaign. The Conseil general president made already clear that he will fight for Angers mayor office on the ground of growth and jobs. Given the local and national mood, that topic is clearly a worry for many inhabitants as well as many French citizens. The economic stagnation and the subsequent level of unemployment will so be a major topic of the months to come. Even if every local candidate is far to have the command of the problem.

Wigan-Angers relationship on a throne

The item looks a little bit strange at the entrance of the Toussaint Library. The doors of the facility, with their serious and modern design made of metal and glass, stands out with the rustic, ancient and mischievious aspect of a chair recently set up near flowerbeds and bushes. That chair doesn't come from Bamako but from...Wigan, the English city whose twinning with Angers celebrates in 2013 its 25th anniversary.

"Once upon a time" is written on the back among stars and patterns about nature. Frédéric Béatse, Angers mayor who received that gift from a Wigan delegation, sat in the chair, a little bit awkward by a royal and unusual posture he is visibly not used to.

That gift looks also symbolic. The Wigan and Angers relationships are now perfectly "settled down". It is likely that numerous lecturers of the Toussaint libray will now sit there between two books researches.

"Coutless people from Wigan Borough have benefited from our relationship with Angers, mainly through exchanges... From the council's point of view, this is a low-cost, value-for-money projects that brings cultural and social benefits to borough and we want to see it continue", wrote the leader of the Wigan council. in the city website. The twinning was established in July 1988.

The Angers retail store owners want to be "heard and seen" during the next municipal administration

The perspective of municipal elections does not only trigger reflections and decisions in the Angers political circles. It also stimulates ideas among local economic decision-makers. In a video (1) he sent to Angers Daily News on September 8th after the publication of the post "The electoral campaign between two platforms", Fabrice Rebours, president of the Groupement d'entente du commerce (Gec) makes official his choice to rally the current city council minority. "If you want to be seen and heard, you have to be involved, so that is what I will do", says Mr Rebours.

Credit Pictures : Angers city

If that one got some satisfactions from the current majority ("the cleanliness of the town" and "the historial authorization granted by town hall to let the retail stores to open two Sundays before Christmas"), some disappointments and wishes lead him to enter in politics. Through the Gec, the Angers stores owners express future demands like the right to open on Sundays "because customers, wih the e-commerce, are able to purchase items seven days a week and 24 hours per day", points out Fabien Rebours. Another fight to come will be the access to Angers down town and specifically the costs of the car parks "which have been doubled in August 2012 during summer break", reminds the Gec president who ask to the city to implement "a true policy" in that field.


If the local store owners may be associated through Mr Rebours to the future city council, its presence could make appear that the retail trade is not the only economical topic which deserves to be part of it. Industry and tertiary are issues that some of the members of the future municipal team could have in charge, while tourism and commerce are fields current town councillors already deal with.

(1) http://www.angersmag.info/VIDEO-Fabien-Rebours-vert-de-rage-_a7647.html

With Austin Psych Fest coming in Angers and David d'Angers in New-York, the city strengthens its links with US

In a rapid succession, Angers has got itself talked about in United States. The city, already twinned with Austin and which hosts a department of Saint-Edward's University, will be perhaps better known in this country after two events, one in music and the other in sculpture, planned very soon.

The Austin Psych Fest which takes place every year in the Texas capital will soon perform for the first time abroad and it has choosen Angers. "Levitation France" evenings are planned on September 20 and 21 at Le Chabada hall and will feature performances of international bands, some of them American, others French. "This first event will be an intimate festival, held in the 900 capacity of Le Chabada.... In addition to the weekend festival, Austin Angers music will host other events celebrating psychedelic culture including an album cover an poster exhibition, film screenings and more", writes the website of Austin Angers music.

The second event will be visible in... New York where the Frick Collection will dedicate an event about "David d'Angers : the making of a monument" throughout fitfy works from mid-September to mid-December. The Frick Collection website recalls that David d'Angers "Lauded by Victor Hugo... produced many of the most iconic portraits and ambitious public monuments of the Romantic era. This exhibition assembles forty-eight works by David on papezr and in wax, terracotta, marble, bronze and plaster. Drawn largely from Norh American collections, many of these objects have never before been exhibited". The Frick is one of the preeminent smal art museums in the Us with a high quality collection of old master paintings and features some of the best-known paintings by major European artists.

Angers, at the 1st rank of the medium size cities class in higher education

The good news recently announced to Angers university by the minister of Higher Education and Research have just been justified by a ranking of the monthly L'Etudiant whose a survey points out the city is a favourable environment for students. After the French government decided to enforce the number of possible recruitments of the university in the years to come, L'Etudiant has just up-graded the position of Angers in the rating of  towns hosting students. Among all cities, regardless of their size, Angers is now 17th and has won two ranks. But, inside the medium size cities category, Angers is 2nd.

Credit : Angers University

The analysis of the magazine is detailed in different topics which let see where are the strengths and the weaknesses of Angers. According to L'Etudiant, Angers is, among the medium size city, the best choice to do for ... studies. The town is number 1 and this is not a surprise given the high proportion of students getting their licence in three years. Angers is also the best place for sports what is, especially interesting if students are under pressure to carry out their studies without additional years. L'Etudiant, in spite of the fact Angers is in the middle of the "class" in the environment field, praises the "original choice" the city made in the renting of bikes.  Angers is at the 5th position (but in progress) for the possibilities of outings.

But the survey also gives some indications in fields where Angers could do better : culture, but above all accomodations, tranports and international standing. Regarding the transports, the second line of tramway which could cross the Beille-Beille campus, should be an answer to what L'Etudiant has noticed but that one will not be implemented before years. A little bit curious is the appraisal of Angers for accomodations because the real-estate market is not characterized by a tension and high rents. on the other hand, it is not surprising Angers is not (yet) well classified for its fame abroad. This will need more time than five universitarian years. In 2012, about 20 000 students were registered in Angers.

The first video-verbalization devices due to be set up in Roë street in September

Within the next weeks, video-verbalization systems will be set up along Roë street. About six cameras will be operate along that way regularly used as a car park by numerous vehicles in spite of the local regulation. After a reflection was launched at the begining of the current year, the Angers municipal decision-makers have made up their mind in June. Informations will be distributed to Roë street residents and night club managers because the people who use that way as a car park facility are their customers.

According to Jean-Pierre Chauvelon, in charge of security at the city council, the system will first work during nights but could be extended to days if necessary. Cameras will take pictures of the number plate of the wrongdoers' car and those will later be fined.

The first reactions noticed on the web are rather negative. But the video surveillance could be a supplementary mean to prosecute authors of more serious offenses that are regularly recorded in Angers during nights and sometimes days. If persons parking, voluntarily of even by accident, their car on wrong places have to be prosecuted thanks to cameras, why serious offenders should not?

The Angers University gets 175 additional positions for the next five years

Geneviève Fioraso

After a worrying financial situation one year ago, the perspectives of Angers University are improving. On September 9th, day of the come-back of students in classrooms, the French ministry of Higher Education and Research, Geneviève Fioraso, announced that 35 additional positions would be authorized each year during five years for Angers University. If Mrs Fioraso recognized that the campus was "historically under-provided" in resources, she nevertheless pointed-out that the organization had recruited 96 major positions in the past, a hardly disguised critic to the local management according to some local medias.

The Angers university president, Jean-Paul Saint-André, said that it was a good news because, originally, additional positions had only been permitted for the next three years. In the meantime, the Angers higher education department got € 350 000 to financial urgent repairs of disorders which threatened the use of some places.

The future aspect of the Iut of Angers (Credit : Angers University)

It is possible that such an help is linked to good results Angers university got during the last months. In May the Angers won a national prize in robotics and a few weeks before, that university was ranked second in France for the number of students getting their licence in three years. The minister was also due to attend the works on the Technology Universitarian Institute of Angers and to talk with students and managers about the interest of work-study training programs.

The Accroche-coeurs on the Maine hook the Angevins

The Accroche-coeurs have not only met the faithfulness of the Angevins but have also caught their attention to the interest of a reunification of the rivers around the Maine. The public was present in large numbers on the Savatte embankment and on the narrow area between the water and the wall of the speedway. The organizers of the event had planned a lot of animations like The "Guinguette-barge", "Angers plage", "Les passeurs de rives" and "Rives et dérives" : a "show-walk" along the Maine.

On Sunday evening, the audience has had an idea of what the Maine was a long time ago, a way of communication, and what it could become in the future, a link between the the two rivers. A plaform had been set up in the middle of the river and a little pontoon reminded the footbridge the architectural bureau in charge of the Maine reconquest plans to create in order to allow the crossing of the water by pedestrians.

Such hustle and bustle year after year around the city river will make difficult a dropping by any Angers mayor the architect's ideas that the current city council made its own. Few by few, the Accroche-coeurs and other events have instilled in Angevins' mind that the Maine has a potential which "flows like water".

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Angers railway station esplanade : from car park to car trap

It is said that the opportunity to make a first good feeling is never given twice. If such a proverb may fit to travellers arriving to Angers Saint-Laud railway station, it is also valuable for people going there to welcome passengers but in that case, those may ask themselves when they will have a good opinion about simply parking a car. Completely redesigned in 2001, the facility looks, twelve years later, more and more difficult for drivers to use.

The number of parkings spaces has decreased along the years and a large part of the remaining spots is now charged. On the opposite, an important space is dedicated to the municipal bikes that travellers arriving in Angers do not use... And, field of questionning since a few months, a part of the way around the centre of the square has been closed and remains empty... So it is as difficult to come in the railway station esplanade as to leave it.

The topic will not be at the core of the next municipal campaign but the contenders and the future city council would be well advised to think about a possible redevelopment of the place, unaccessible to private cars which are the only vehicles designed to take passengers with luggage. Until that moment, the Angers Saint-Laud car park will be the Angers Saint-Laud car trap.

The Angers electoral campaign between two plaforms

Credit Christophe Béchu's blog

As it was already waited for months, Christophe Béchu made official on September 6th his candidacy to the next Angers municipal elections planned on March 23rd and 24th. Even though that project was not a surprise for the political circles of the city, the announcement of his decision nevertheless triggered a lot of comments from potential and assured foes or allies.

Jean-Claude Antonini (Wiki)

On left, the most notable stance was the one of Frédéric Béatse, Angers mayor, who, from the Accroche-coeurs platform choose to be silent and to focus his attention to the annual festival. But some of his friends spelled it out. Jean-Claude Antonini, previous mayor, was ironic, recalling the former candidacies of Mr Béchu, in an attempt to make it appear like a professionnal of politics. For the Ecologists, Gilles Mahé, deputy-mayor, saw in that candidacy an indication that Mr Béchu is "a bulimic" while Grégory Blanc and Luc Belot (Socialist Party) severely criticized the financial results of the policy led by the president of  the Conseil général de Maine-et-Loire.

On the allies camp, Mr Béchu received the support of Emmanuel Capus, general secretary of Union pour la majorité présidentielle (conservative) who praised "his vision and dynamism" that Angers "desperately needs". But the candidate, who was waited for his platform, made several promises. While he thinks the Maine banks reconquest is "necessary", he said he will suit the project to the economic situation and make it feasible in the six years of his mandate.

Credit : Frédéric Béatse's blog

About the way to manage the city, Christophe Béchu said he will constitute a municipal team whose half of the members will come from the "civil society" and he will no make alliance with another candidate between the two rounds of the municipal elections. The next step for Mr Béchu will be the details of his political platform.

The Accroche-coeurs : festival-goers embark

The Angers inhabitants were faithfull to the yearly rendez vous of the Accroche-coeurs which, opened by the Angers mayor, Frédéric Béatse, from Ligny embankment on the evening of September 6th. At 7 pm, hundreds were already gathered for that event which lasts three days and whose topic is turned towards West and, specifically, towards Atlantide.

From a platform set up near the Ligny fountain,invited by Calixte de Nigremont, the conductor of that edition, Mr Béatse opened the Atlantide general consulate which thereafter granted the first passports to festival-goers. These will have free access on Saturday and Sundays to a lot of activities. And Friday night, Angers down town streets were already crowded by inhabitants of all ages.

The main point of interest of Saturday will take place on La Rochefoucauld square for a parade which is planned at 9 pm and whose theme is shells. The mayor said that one of the main wishes of the organizers of these Accroche-coeurs was to stimulate inhabitants participation. Unless storm warning, the Atlantide should attract a lot of travellers.

Political summer break close to be over

Credit : Frédéric Béatse's blog

The end of the summer break is not only for kids. Two Angers politicians have that week leaked news about their possible candidacy for the mayor office. After the Laurent Gérault's attenpt to gather the Centrists, it was said that week about Jean-Luc Rotureau, deputy-mayor in charge of urbanism and housing that he rejected an agreement with Frédéric Béatse, current mayor. It is widely believed that Mr Rotureau will  "cross the Rubcon", i.e. to be a candidate against Mr Béatse what could make impossible an agreement between the two men later.

Credit : Christophe Béchu's blog

And today, Christophe Béchu, senator and president of the Conseil général de Maine-et-Loire, should make public, exactly like in 2007, his candidacy for mayor office. If it is the case, he will be the first official candidate and surely he will not wait his adversaries to enter in campaign. So the months to come could be tense. Mr Béchu remebers he missed the point by a very thin margin in 2007 against the previous mayor, Jean-Claude Antonini.

During that time, Frédéric Béatse is fully involved in his duties : his presence at the Accroche-Coeurs, in schools, in exhibitions are indications he will try to be, in mind of the inhabitants, an active mayor, worried by what is at stake for the city, giving to Mr Béchu's candidacy a more politician touch. As a symbol, the weather, till there so sunny over Angers, took this morning an Autumn colour.

Nocturnal uproar : the city will have later to make itself heard by students

The girl, headset on the ears, is visibly overexcited by the music she is listening. Her eyes are closed and her mouth largely open because she is shouting a song. She holds in her arms a guitar which doesn't exist. But she may not hear the noise coming from her own voice because of her headset. She is alone on the poster what may indicate that nobody is disturbed by her behaviour.

That invitation to free concerts directed to students will surely catch their attention. The announce of Angers city is promising "a supercharged welcome" on September 26th to the Chabada hall with "Les Naïves New Beater" for all the Angers students and, as a bonus, one free ticcket for one ot the concertas planned in september for the first year students.

Such an initiative, which contributes to make the city more familiar for students may be understood by these like an invitation to have a ball in Angers, but not only at the Chabada. Many residents living in the city down town could understand differently such an idea given the fact themselves complain about the nocturnal uproar attributed to students. A situation Angers city itself has some difficulty to control all year long. But after all "Music has charms to soothe the savage breast"...

With Angers Technopole, heritage comes from future

Within a few days, Angers inhabitants will have the opportunity to visit numerous monuments of their city and, through them, to go back to past and history. That news about the "Heritage Days" published by the Angers city website is followed by another one, smaller, but turned towards future. Angers Technopole, a non-profit making organization set up in 1986 to boost innovations, value and jobs, has launched its 13th  call for proposals.

These ones will be challenged in their economical and technical feasability. Then comes a new step through the construction of the project before another phase consisting in strategy and business plan. That one is itself followed by the search of partners and finances, the process being "over"... with the set up of the innovative company during an incubating period (until 18 months).

Some of the candidates of previous editions thereafter succeeded in the creation of their own companies (some of them do not have Angers sounding names : Bio Live Scale, Innov Extract or Tool Team Software...). All these young businessess will also have their own "Heritage Days" : the "Start-ups Heritage Days" on September 12, 13 and 14, just before the monuments event. In the minds of the Angers city, it seems there is no opposition between past and future : the picture used to announce the Heritage Days looks to have been done in 3D...

Terraces until mid-october authorized by town hall : (extra) "time is money"

Given the Angers inhabitants and tourists benefit of a summer extra-time, the streets will keep until mid-october an atmosphere of holidays : cafés terraces will stay opened for the greatest pleasure of customers, bar owners and... town hall. That one recently said that it had decided "exceptionaly" to break with the principle of the closing of terraces planned for the end of september. Maybe it was not too difficult to grant that.

 

Indeed, the owners of such terraces must pay fees to Angers city because these facilities are set up on the public domain. If this is not specifically unfair, because storekeepers of the Lafayette or Monplaisir open-air markets, or store owners whishing to set up billboard, have to pay taxes, it is clear the Angers town hal has interest to authorize that added time.

In a press release, Angers city indicates that "this is the third  successive time such a measure is implemented" what "should... grant to store owners a more favourable end of season". If these deserved that opportunity because the start of the  summer season was rather difficult and the customers generally spend less than before, the city doesn't loose money. Moreover, some customers and store owners may vote later...

the new Angers Sco stadium should be forfeit at the next municipal campaign

In the months to come, many issues should b part of the electoral campaign for the 2014 municipal elections. But, there is one which could withdraw from the debate : the project of a new stadium for the soccer club Angers Sco. The local press of the city has recently reported that one of the companies of the Angers Sco chairman, Saïd Chabane, had been victim of the precarious health of the Le Mans soccer club, unable to refund the cost of its new stadium, the "MM Arena".

Le Mans, which believed in its capacity to play in the first League a few years ago, was desillusioned and, after a comme back in League 2, lacked the necessary revenues to refund its debt. The last campaign of 2008 for the Angers municipal elections saw one of the main candidates to appeal for a new stadium. The fact he finally didn't won the mayor office and the economic crisis ruined the hopes of the Angers Sco to get a new facility, due to take place at the Eastern side of the city.

Mr Chabane's company, which had a € 220 000 claim against the Le Mans soccer club, was led to closure and immediately liquidated. So that one should choose a more cautious stance that his predecessor regarding a new stadium project.

"Shots" of soul

If it is a platitude to say that every city has a soul, it is a much more difficult task to define it, and above all, to take a picture of it. Nervertheless, that is what Marc Legros, an Angers photographer, tried to realize with the help a hundred inhabitants in a project en titled "L'âme d'Angers". Mr Legros gave to each of them a camera, then let them go throughout the town where they took thousands of pictures in accordance with their own view and feelings for their city. The method, a little unexpected and whose results even disappointed (temporarily) Marc Legros, could be nevertheless faithful of the mood of Angers.

What is in common between a tree of the Botanical Garden whose branches look roots, the bottom of an old wall, the way out of the railway station, the entrance of the Les 400 Coups cinema or the quay of the Maine under the plane trees of the La Rochefoucauld square : the fact all these places "speak" to their photographers. These, with Marc Legros' help, selected one picture, then were invited to define it with a word. "Roots", "to withstand", "temporal", "bitter sweet moment", "freedom", "to meet", "to go away" are some of the definitions of the pictures.

These pictures "develop" the collective feeling of the Angevins (and even one of their collective character traits : they hate to be in the forefront) which is not always flattering. These appear like people trying to escape from something, feeling that things are precarious but who neverthess love their territory and seem convinced that, gathered, they are able to overcome the challenges.

The Maine reconquest scheme introduces itself in the next Angers Heritage Days

The next Heritage Days, planned on September 14th and 15th, will be used by Angers city to push forward once again its project about the Maine banks reconquest. Two new topics dedicated to the river appear in the program of that event : the inland water shipping on the Maine and  a ride along the river. These animations may give to the Angevins an idea about the appearance and the interest the river will have for them, once re-designed the banks.

But that integration above all indicates the importance the city council grants to such a project which, if implemented, will surely change the face of the Maine and the look the Angevins have on it. The city council dedicated an evening to the banks of Maine issue last June which was, here and there, questioned by the audience regarding specifically its consequences on the traffic. But the project is not limited to the Maine and entails a lot of change in the urbanism in the river area.

The main candidates to the office of Angers mayor do not share the same opinion about what to do and how to do it. So the Maine bank reconquest scheme should be, at least during the municipal campaign, an issue of debate, and even of split, between Angevins what could be their political leaning. More than even, the reconquest of the Maine depends on the reconquest of the minds.

The students' sign to Angers

One of the most obvious indication that summer holidays are over and activity is going to resume is the presence in Angers streets on Sunday of  numerous cars and vans unloading beds, desks, shelves, personal computers, lamps, cardboard boxes full of blankets or clothes. Are removal companies working on Sundays? 

No, the removal men and women, of all ages and conditions, were so busy that day because the following morning is the begining of a year year for students. While the city pavements are abandoned by cars on Sundays, on September 1st, it was possible, from place to place, to watch the efforts deployed sometimes with difficulty by no professional removal employees. It is not an easy task to unload a scooter from a people carrier and to make it wheel on a thin board, especially when only two persons are at the manoeuver... The move of a student furnitures is not a familiar work for a retired veterinary surgeon who can only rely on the help of his grand-daughter who comes to Angers to study classic dance.

The number of panels indicating "to rent" were perhaps a little bit less numerous in town on that weekend thanks to the students'arrival. Their quick going and coming from the cars to the apartments allow tthe pedestrian to find out places it was impossible to imagine they could be rent, like that tiny attic room Sainte-Croix square from where the smoke of a cigarette is escaping. Probably a student who enjoys a moment of rest after such a busy day and just before the dive in the books...