Laurent Gérault and Jean Luc Rotureau' s candidacies : first distant, then maybe convergent

Laurent Gérault

Twenty four hours after it was announced, the Laurent Gérault's candidacy to Angers mayor office has triggered a lot of criticisms from the political movements close to his own party, the Union des démocrates indépendants (Udi). The Mouvement démocrate (Modem), the Parti radical, themselves members of the minority group in the Angers city council, as Mr. Gérault, bluntly expressed they were against his project of a list which could affect those of Christophe Béchu, Union pour un mouvement populaire (Ump), the main challenger of Frédéric Béatse, Parti socialiste, current Angers mayor.

If such critics don't appear to weaken the will of Mr. Gérault to involve himseil in the campaign, and be present for the second round, they neverthless cast a doubt about his capacity to get at least 10% of the votes. So that could drive him to ally with Jean-Luc Rotureau, himself candidate to Angers mayor office, against Mr. Béatse, of whom he was the deputy mayor, Mr. Rotureau having chances to overcome the 10% threshold in order to compete for the second round. The reaction of Mr. Gérault after Mr. Rotureau made public his decision to run for Angers mayor office was rather friendly. 

Jean-Luc Rotureau

The two candidates never criticize each other and even have, in their respective platforms, some points of conver-gence. These are visible in facilites schemes like the building of only the half of the second tramway line, the postponement of the iceskating and some structural changes in relationships between departments of Angers city, Angers Loire Développement or even those of the Conseil général de Maine-et-Loire. From an arithmetical point of view, those candidates would have interest to be allied. But each said that electoral considerations were not sufficient to constitute a policy.

Poverty gains power

The next municipal elections will take place with, in the background, an increase of poverty in Angers what points out that, more than ever, the economic recovery and the jobs it may generate, must be at the core of the policies candidates must have in mind. In two years (2010-2012), the number of angevins households increased from roughly 13 000 to 14 000, what is equivalent to 7%.

The proportion of inhabitants living under the threshold of poverty (i.e. with a revenue of 803 euros per month and per capita) is close to 20% of the city population (19%). In 2010, that rate was already of 17% when it was of 15% in France acccording to a survey shown to the city council last year.

Such an increase concerns first of all the youngs (people between 15 and 29 years)  and the poor workers of Angers. From a geographical point of view, the city disctricts most affected by poverty are Monplaisir (34% of its inhabitants live under the poverty threshold), then Belle-Beille (26%), Les Hauts-de-Saint-Aubin (24%), La Roseraie (23%). The others districts (Lac de Maine, Madeleine, Justices, Saint-Léonard, centre ville and La Doutre) record rates equal or under 15%.

The median revenue of inhabitants is 1 451 euros (i.e. 50% of the Angevins are above it and 50% are under it), while is in France 1 562 euros. According to the same parameter, young Angevins earn 1 110 euros per month while elders (between 60 and 74 years) earn 1 730 euros per month. But, less than 20% of Angers inhabitants are elder and more than 31% are young.

Municipal elections : trilaterally can't be ruled out

From the strategies of Angers political parties, four months and a half before the municipal elections, it is possible to forecast that the second round may be very open. According to the regulations, every list of candidates having got at least 10% of the votes is able to keep going for that second round. In Angers, many alliances may be possible which would give choice to voters between three lists after the first round.

Given Frédéric Béatse, current Angers mayors, has got the support of Europe-Ecologie-Les verts and the
Parti communiste, he will certainly be present for the second round. It is also very likely that Christophe Béchu, president of the Conseil général de Maine-et-Loire and his main challenger, will also be present on the second round. But these could not be alone because Jean-Luc Rotureau and now Laurent Gérault are themselves candidates to Angers mayor office and will not be there only to show their faces. Even alone, each of them could get results exceeding the 10% threshold.

Another player, the Front de gauche, has recently toughly criticized the alliance between the communists and socialists in Angers. Such a stance may not predict that he will support Mr. Béatse for the second round. For the two main contenders, Mr. Béatse and Mr. Béchu, an additional difficulty would come from an alliance between Mr. Gérault and Mr. Rotureau.

If the Angers city council would get nevertheless a clear majority (because the winner of the election gets the half of the seats, the other half being shared by all the lists competing for the second round), that one could be weakened by a trilaterally.

Left and right leaders repudiate the insults uttered to the justice minister in Angers

Credit pictures : Facebook page La manif pour tous

The case of the insults uttered against Christiane Taubira, justice minister, when she was in Angers on October 25th, is still making waves. In town hall, Frédéric Béatse, Angers mayor, was due, through a letter to Mrs Taubira, to apologize on behalf the city : "Those toughen behaviours do not match in no way the tempered nature of our city where debates sometimes liven up but always keep a respectful tone towards individuals. The huge majority of Angevins was particularly shocked with the misconduct of those persons in minority who understood nothing to the history and the trend of our society".

As a result, the Angers section of the Ligue des droits de l'homme called for a demonstration on November 11th against racism in front of the justice hall. For the movement, the insults uttered by children, in their parent's company, against Mrs Taubira because she is black, "are a serious fact, in addition to a serie of similar events which every month punctuate the news". The national leaders of La manif pour tous, which took the initiative of that demonstration, have blamed those words and called for "the respect towards everyone".

The case triggered a local polemic between left and right given that one of the supporters of Christophe Béchu, candidate to Angers mayor office, was among the demonstrators. Mr Béchu said the fact one of his supporters took part, or not, in the demonstration would not change its opinion about the case : "This is absolutely shocking, unacceptable, inexcusable and untenable. Nothing, in a democracy or a republic, can justify that. My repudiation is total and absolute".

The Udi Laurent Gérault will run for Angers mayor office challenging Christophe Béchu

Frédéric Béatse (credit FB blog)

About four months and a half before the 2014 municipal elections, political alliances, on the left and the right sides, are taking shape. While the Angers section of the Parti commu-niste made official on November 7th, its choice to run for Frédéric Béatse, current mayor and candidate for a new term, the local Union des démocrates et indé-pendants (Udi) announced that it will have its own candidate to the Angers mayor office. Laurent Gérault, Maine-et-Loire delegate of that party and minority town councillor is said he will make up a list.

Christophe Béchu (credit angersbechu.fr)

If that news looks unfavourable for the opposition candidate to the Angers municipal elections, Christophe Béchu, that one has not, for all that, lost his political assets. First, Mr. Béchu had already got the support of the Angers delegation of the Mouvement démocrate (Modem). Secondly, two rounds will be necessary to choose the winner and, for all we know, the conser-vative candidate, Christophe Béchu, should get more bulletins than Laurent Gérault. So, logically, that one should call his supporters to give their voices to Mr. Béchu. But it is not sure.

Laurent Gérault

On the left side, the rallying of the communists to socialists is a good news for Mr. Béatse, weakened, for the the first run, by the candidacy of Jean-Luc Rotureau, his former deputy-mayor. Once again, logically, the supporters of Mr. Rotureau should vote for the current mayor for the second round. But, as for the Udi menbers with Mr Béchu, will they do so with Mr. Béatse? It is not sure. A third option would consist in Laurent Gérault and Jean-Luc Rotureau alliance.

For the Parti communiste, that union may give him, in case of Mr. Béatse's victory, seats in city council, a première for 30 years after it had been ousted by the former mayor, Jean Monnier. But probably, there are Angers sections of Modem and Udi which are in the most critical position while their national leaders, François Bayrou and Jean-Louis Borloo, have recently decided to unite ther forces in a new mouvement L'alternative. In Angers, with a Modem pro-Béchu and a Udi against him, the Alternative doesn't look very clear.

The electoral campaign gains in hardness

The documents about the next municipal elections which were at the agenda of the last meeting of the city council on October 4th give to the inhabitants an overview of the supposed strenghts and weaknesses of the main candidates and the topics which will be in the core of the public debate. According to the analysts of Euro Rscg, one of the largest integrated marketing communication agencies in the world, the debate will be dominated by the battle between Frédéric Béatse and Christophe Béchu (what is not really a scoop). The agency remarks that the national results of the socialist policy could hamper the position of the current mayor.

Each of the candidates has its "plus" and "less". Mr. Béchu can bet on his "perceived dynamism",  his "competence" but is also seen as a "person always running for offices" and "his capacity to change the favourite balances of the population thouroughly social democrat". On the other side, Mr. Béatse is credit of an "ability to listen" and "to federate energies" but has to work on his "charism".

Another society Conseils, analyses et perspectives (Cap) points out that if the inhabitants are confident in the assets of their town, a wide majority thinks that there is a risk Angers looses its jobs and that the economic development should be a top-priority in the years to come (what is neither a scoop). A good point is granted to the current mayor about the management of the financial resources and Mr. Béatse should continue a direct dialog whit inhabitants, especially on the issue of the new school schedules which failed to win unanimous support.

These studies and others triggered a fierce debate among town councillors, the minority considering those are part of electoral and not municipal expenses.

Electoral topics : the answers are in the questions

Few by few, questions asked by Angers inhabitants to Christophe Béchu are piling up. If some of them are mainly politician, most of them are related to the daily life in town or to the future of that one. If the answers of Mr. Béchu may interest the people who asked the questions, they are also an indication about the concerns of Angers inhabitants. Three kinds of topics, until now, are emerging.

The most numerous are related to Angers itself and express an expectation about what could be done by the future city council whatever be his political direction : the Ralliement square (Mr. Béchu would like it as the symbol of the vegetable vocation of Angers), the traffic by bikes which could be improved (Christophe Béchu promises an inventory of fixtures and to work on the safety aspect of cyclable lanes), the relations between townhall and Angers retail store owners, the closure of the Gaumont Variétés... A lot of topics may point out the wish of a more enlived downtown and are often connected (like the access to the centre by bikers and drivers).

Others issues reflect concerns which are quite national like the fiscal pressure, the possible rising-up of the Front national (on which the candidate says the responsability is common to left and right parties) and the opening of stores on Sundays (Mr. Béchu says, like Frédérique Béatse, he is favourable to the opening of retails stores before end of year Sundays but is less open-minded to the opening of superstores on Sundays). The politician questions are the less numerous but the candidate doesn't avoid them. That formula of exchanges between the candidate and inhabitants looks to match their wishes of direct dialog with candidates.

An unfortunate publicity for Angers after racist insults to the black justice minister

A mobile phone video recorded by a simple pedestrian walking near Angers justice hall on October 25th where supporters of the mouvement La manif pour tous were gathered was broadcasted by local then national medias. According to that video, the minister of justice, Christiane Taubira, was indeed victim of racist insults shouted by Angers children and their parents in spite of the denegations expressed by officials of La manif pour tous and the Front national Maine-et-Loire delegate, present on the scene.

Many French medias having territorial and national audience, as well as others abroad, dedicated coverages to that topic in which Angers is, unfortunately, associated with details about that insane misconduct. Mrs Taubira who came in Angers to visit new facilities inside the justice hall, was also caught by the Angers lawyers about the scheme of a new prison. Those issues were, of course, completely overshadowed by the behaviour of the persons gathered by La manif pour tous, a movement hostile to the openess of the marriage to persons of the same sex even if that measure is now legal.

That event was mentioned in the national assembly and triggered numerous fierce - and justified - disapprovals. The american Mail online reported the case and pointed out the insults were due because of Mrs Taubira is black. It is sure the city didn't want to see its name associated to such shameful misconduct.

All Saints Day : Crisis Anthem

The economic crisis has an impact on the All Saints Day and on the funeral business. According to profes-sionals, the expenses dedicated by families for their relatives who passed away have lowered and the sell of chrysanthemum is also declining. In fact, the attention persons dedicated formerly to their relatives is now less important than it was. People are maybe more self-centred and less wealthy what, given the economic situation, is rather understandable.

The time for graves made of marble and granite is perhaps "passing away". The mood is rather on little and collective monuments where only memorial stones are set up for members of a family. Angers city itself promotes for environmental reasons cementaries having the look of gardens like those which exist in English speaking countries with their graves dispatched in lawns planted of trees and bushes. By itself, such a  mood is in accordance with the French public opinion which is always looking for equality in life. Why that goal would not be sought out for the deads.

Credit pictures : Angers city

The chrysan-themum producers of the Angers area also make a long face. Their turnover has declined this year and the All Saints Day is one of the most impor-tant event for their business. And the trend in favor of natural gardens could not be a favourable element. 

All Saints Day : family outings... at the superstore

Are the Angevins schizophrenic or is there a split between what their represen-tatives at city council or at the board of Angers Loire Métropole think about the opening of stores on Sundays and no working days and what they really think them-selves? If there is uncertainty about which is the relevant question, there is no doubt about their common answer which is, clearly : yes. On November 1st All Saints Day, when French pay tribute to their relatives who passed away, the supermarket of Les Banchais district, was overcrowded.

The parking lots were full of cars and some of them were even parked on the greens because of the lack of available spots. And inside the supermarket prevailed a hectic atmosphere. Given that the Super U had to close at 12.30 pm, the access to stocks was closed and an employee, rather tall, was explaining to the customers that he could not let people come in because that would make impossible for the store to close at the scheduled time. "There is no more bread", explained that one to a woman visibly angry by the situation while the sixteen checkout assistants had, each of them, to deal with the purchases of customers standing in line on 15 meters in the middle of the rows, many of them with trolleys full of items...


It was as if the store planned to close for a month even if, in fact, it was just closed for the afternoon and once again opened on the following day! It 's sure that the raining weather which prevailed over the city that day wasn't very propicious to open air leisures. But it is clear that going to stores in family is clearly a leisure, alas or not, for many inhabitants. Those one have got the products they needed. The employees have worked and been paid. The turnover of the store will allow public authorities to get revenues through taxes. The debate about the opening of stores on no working days is far from to be dead.

Economy and employment : lack of means and a top-priority for a mayor

A fact has just illustrated, once again, the narowness of influence from local represen-tatives on economical issues. After the closure of Angers Technicolor, suspicions about the viability of the Ardoisières d'Angers and rumors of relocation abroad of a call center, another major company of Angers, ThyssenKrupp Ascenseurs France, has been affected by the cut of seven jobs out of 153 all over France. If the number looks low in comparison with the total loss recently decided by the group and with the number of employees in Angers region, it should trigger reflections about the ways to strengthen the economic make-up because, the lift manufacture gives jobs to hundred of persons in Angers and so should be followed as a "key account".

The recent statements of some of the candidates to the next municipal elections make clear that none of them

considers he has the power and the resources to act in place of managers. Frédéric Béatse, as well as Christophe Béchu (the other candidates like Jean-Luc Rotureau didn't express until now an opinion about such a topic) made clear that the mayor had no influence on employment. But both of them admit that a mayor is in charge of the economic competitiveness of his area.


According to Mr. Béatse, Angers must work on the quality of life because it is a useful asset to attract com-panies and talented per-sons (transport facilities, cooperation between education, research and industrry in some key-fields like the vegetable and the electronic). On the other side, Mr. Béchu thinks that, through their policy, "public representatives are not without influence about the ways companies are attracted and hosted". But if both of them are eager to enhance the economic performance of Angers, it could be useful to entrust to somebody a mission regarding economic development inside the next Angers city council. Until now, no one was in charge.

Candidates urge Angers inhabitants to think about municipal elections

There is at least one issue on which two of the Angers mayor office candidates agree : the participation of inhabitants to the next municipal elections. Frédéric Béatse and Christophe Béchu included each one on their own website an appeal to electors to register themselves on the electoral roll while Angers city launched a campaign to awake people to do so. But between the enrollment on the electoral registers and the effective votes, there is a margin and probably a loss of participants these candidates, and others, will attempt to fill in the months to come.

A split appears between them regarding the nature of the vote. The conservative candidate is on a rather usual mood, saying that "vote is a right, but also a civic duty" while his socialist opponent doesn't refer to that "civic duty". "By voting, I choose and I, especially do not let others choose for me. This is an act of utmost importance", says Mr. Béatse, "importance" and "duty" having not the same meaning. But, always in the same field, another difference appears. Mr. Béatse says that he is "supporter of the right to vote in municipal elections for foreign people residing [in France] for ten years" while Mr Béchu doesn't express himself about such a topic.

But, where Mr. Béchu does not comment the political consequences of a possible abstention, Mr. Béatse looks to awake people about what is politically at risk : "abstention is a danger : for democracy, for the left. In every election, high abstention rates benefit to right and even more to the extreme right". But the two candidates agree on the fact that, once the elections are over, "the final decision [about the management of the city] belongs to representatives", reminds Frédéric Béatse while for Christophe Béchu, "The sharing and the exchanges of views [between voters and representatives] do not distort authority and decision-making". According to figures published by Angers city, the abstention rate for the firstrun of the 2008 municipal elections was 41% and for the second run 36,5%.

"Pink Cancer"

Is it possible to awake public awareness about a serious issue through a light approach? That was the gamble of students members of the Association corporative des étudiants en pharmacie d'Angers (Acepa) who organized a flashmob on October 28th on Ralliement square about the breast cancer. That disease affects many women in France. In 2005, almost 50 000 persons suffered such a pathology, one of the most important figures in Europe.

Credit pictures : Acepa Facebook page

Dressed in pink colors, a hundred of these students, braving the drop of temperatures and the switch to winter time, heated the atmosphere on the rythms of a lively music. That event is part of an initiative of the Acepa untitled "Pink October" in partnership with the Ligue contre le cancer. During ten minutes, pharmacy, midwife and medecine students dansed on a choregraphy from Henri Fiévet, a student in charge of the evening.

The gathering, attended by pedestrians and customers from the terraces of the square, was designed to "visually mark people", said its organizers and will be soon broacasted by social nets. This is the second animation of "Pink October" in Angers that month. A fortnight days ago, about 1 000 students gathered near Balzac park about the same topic.

Demonstrators' misconduct overshadows the scheme of a new jail

The Angers supporters of the mouvement "La manif pour tous", who came on October 25th to attend the visit of the justice minister, Christiane Taubira, discredited themselves and maybe the cause they defend. Gathered in front the justice hall, demonstrators, some of them going hand in hand with children, shouted their opposition to the law opening the mariage to persons of the same sex but above all insulted Mrs Taubira in totally misplaced words, which could be considered as an offense. A lot of French medias dedicated coverage to the incident. That one overshadowed the reason for which Mrs Taubira's visit was expected.

Previously, several Angers and Maine-et-Loire representatives made appeals to the government in order to launch a reflection about the necessity of a new prison. The minister, who had already choosen to renovate the current penitenciary, built at the beginning of the French second empire, finally accepted to study in the weeks to come other solutions and, among them, the erection of a new building. But the costs are not the same : while the improvement works sum up to € 500 000, the scheme of a new jail would involve millions of euros. Christiane Taubira (eventually irritated by the demonstrators) pointed out that "the question was not to please local representatives".

In a press release, the leaders of La manif pour tous 49 considered the insults pronouced by a child "were not representative of the peaceful mobilization". These statements "if they had been directly witnessed, would have led [those leaders] to react immediately stopping such words to be said". But according to witnesses, the dishonest words were far to be criticized by the demonstrators.

The Angers communists worried about the propects of municipal elections

The Angers supporters of the communist party look worried about the prospects of the municipal elections for the left in the city. After a gathering of its members, a majority of them, 31 out of 48, choose to deal an alliance with the socialist party. "We can't take the risk to see Christophe Béchu (the conservative candidate, member of the Union pour la majorité présidentielle) to get the Angers town hall", said Alain Pagano, leader of the communist supporters in Angers.

That internal vote should be followed and confirmed by an official one due to take place soon in favor of a common route with Frédéric Béatse, the socialist candidate to Angers mayor office and current Angers mayor. But the communist party does not represent all left forces. The local members of theleft party, led at the national level by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a fierce opponent to the current socialist government, would not agreee such an alliance with socialists at a local level.

An inventory of the agreements on the left side allows to notice that, presently, the socialist candidate has got the partnership of Europe Ecologie Les Verts and would get the help of the communist party. Other alliances with different movement are possible, but until now, not sure : the left party, some ecologists, the far left and, eventually, Jean-Luc Rotureau's supporters. On the right, Mr. Béchu has got the support of the Modem (centre) but which has to be confirmed by the national decision-makers of that movement. And the local supporters of a,other centrist party, the Udi, have set conditions to an agreement with Christophe Béchu while an agreement with the Angers Front national members has never been mentioned.

But the political party are not owners of their voters. Those, in spite of instructions, may decide in accordance with a logic of revenge and not of project. So nothing can be taken for granted. And national circumstances could moreover have a great influence.

The centrists of UDI set their conditions to Christophe Béchu for a rally

Some of the decision-makers of the Union des démocrates indépendants (Udi) Angers section launched on October 25th an appeal to Christophe Béchu, the conservative candidate to Angers mayor office, to build with him a "large rally" in anticipation of the 2014 municipal elections. Curiously, the leader of the Udi in Angers, Laurent Gérault, town councillor, and invested by Udi as candidate, so challenger of Christophe Béchu next year, hasn't signed that appeal coming from three other persons in power in the local section. Why?

Mr. Gérault is said to endorse that offer "which comes from the top", he pointed out, but which nevertheless contradicts the fact Udi had previously choosen him to lead the battle for Angers mayor office. "We throw a stone in the courtyard of Christophe Béchu", said Mr. Gérault who, logically, hopes this one will answer. The Angers centrists look now torn in two parts. The local members of the Moouvement des démocrates (Modem), who recently choose to gather with Christophe Béchu, were later called to order by their national responsibles. Those said such a decision had to be made up by the national level of the mouvement. The Udi would be in a different situation with the mouvement, at a national level which demands an alliance with Béchu, while his local leader, Laurent Gérault, is apparently reluctant.

The press release mentions "quarrels of persons which do not measure up to what is at stake" and asks "solemnly" Mr. Béchu "to really build that rally". The Udi do not want to be "under the care" of the Union pour la majorité présidentielle, Mr. Béchu's political party.

Warnings about the jail of dangers

Christiane Taubira - Credit : ministry of justice 

The travel of the minister of justice, Christiane Taubira, in Angers, in order to visit the new installations of the justice hall gave to Christophe Béchu, as Maine-et-Loire senator, an opportunity to draw her attention about the current conditions of the prison. That one, built in 1856 (2nd empire...), is regularly the target of critics from Maine-et-Loire left and right representatives, Corinne Bouchoux herself senator, Marc Goua, member of parliament and Mr. Béchu. In a question to Mrs. Taubira, that one points out"the necessity to built as soon as possible a new penitenciary on Angers territory".

Credit picture : Corinne Bouchoux's website

Mr. Béchu and Mrs Bouchoux, the first conservative and the second ecologist, describe the place as "dilapidated", offering "undeserving conditions of detention" and "permanently overpopulated" : the building would host 400 inmates while it had been devised for the half. The government answered to Christophe Béchu that "recent works of improvement had been implemented" and "contributed to improve the life conditions of the inmates" but didn't talk about a new penitenciary, "the only way to solve the central problem : the over-population".

Credit : Christophe Béchu

A scheme about the transfer of the Angers prison was discussed in 2010 (as in the case of the central police station) in another location around Angers. Trélazé of which Mr. Goua is the mayor had been foreseen. According to Mrs Bouchoux who visited the Angers penitenciary last year, "a general awareness of the situation is essential".

Economy, Frédéric Béatse unveils his method : dialog and stability with the local businessmen

In a long article published in his blog, Frédéric Béatse, current Angers mayor and candidate to his own succession next year, discloses the assets he bets on to boost the city economy as well as his method to do so. "A city where life is nice is a strong advantage to win over investors and to attract talented persons", he explains. Regarding the strenghs of the local economy, Mr. Béatse reminds that "some top priority sectors have been defined in cooperation with managers". If the mayor doesn't detail the nature of those sectors, two of them are already public : the vegetable and the electronic, both of them provided with a structure, Vegepolys for the first and the electronic campus for the other.

The method in which Frédéric Béatse believes relies on a dialog between the city and the economy represen-tatives. "Only such a dialog is able to set up a safe and stable context allowing businessmen to invest and create jobs", he writes, pointing out that an economic development master plan which is implementable during the next four years has been devised with the economic decision-makers. The mayor indicates that he will have to come back about the issue "in the weeks to come because economy and jobs are my top-priorities for the next whole term" while the last figures of unemployment notice a new worsening of the situation with an increase of 9% of the number of
joblesses between september 2012 and september 2013 in Maine-et-Loire.

Credit pictures : Angers city and Frédéric Béatse's blog

That leads the candidate to tell to the inhabitants his vision of the mayor duties. After he said that he consi-dered "a mayor is not a manager and a manager is not a mayor", Frédéric Béatse insists on the fact he is neither the legislator. Recognizing that "the globalisation has considerably increased the competition with our economy", the candidate thinks that "the part of the mayor is to gather the most favourable conditions for the success of local companies".

Angers Télé in the middle of an electoral controversy

Angers Télé, the local tv channel launched last February, is unintentionally at the core of a controversy led by Angers Info, a website contents aggregator. According to that website, the ads about Angers Télé, visible on electronic billboards JCDecaux, whose presence has been challenged by ecologist supporters, would be illegal. The advertisements, "Find the essentials news of Angers and its urban area [on] Angers Télé", with, at the bottom of the boards, the logo of Angers city, would break the law, suggests Angers Info. According to the French electoral code "On the first day of the sixth month before the month in which general elections must be carried out, no advertising campaign about achievements or the management of an authority may be organized on the territory of the authority concerned by the ballot", refers the website.

Given the first run of the municipal elections is due to take place on March 23rd, according to Angers Info, Frédéric Béatse's administration would contravene with law. Moreover, the advertisements would not be paid by Angers city, neither by Angers Télé to JCDecaux. According to the website, the company would offer to the city uncharged advertisements in exchange of its authorization to set up about 40 electronic billboards in town (but that one has just said it will transfer some of them in downtown). "Here we ask the question of whether or not the angevin channel is an action of the city and its mayor and, if so, can the authority promote [Angers Télé] on billboards during the electoral campaign?", writes Angers Info.

Another local information website, Angers Mag, recently disclosed that Angers Télé would be the target of "false informations about [its] financial situation" because of the electoral campaign. "Angers Télé is not the mayor's channel", points out Jean-Claude Bachelot, chairman of the company which runs the local television whose most of stock capital is owned by Angers city and Angers Loire Métropole. That one hopes that the elections will boost its audience which, currently, is unknown.

The municipal campaign is becoming tougher

Credit : maine-et-loire.gouv.fr

The debate between the two main challengers of the Angers municipal elections is becoming tougher. The recent verbal exchange about the central police station is an illustration of that. After a visit, on October 22nd, the director of the French police announced that the Angers police station, located, Dupetit-Thouars street, will not be transferred but renovated. If that news is a good news, it constituted nevertheless an issue to start hostilities. And Christophe Béchu pulled out first.

"The annoncement of the renovation of the police station goes in the direction I always recom-mended", said Mr. Béchu adding that, "if that is a good news for the policemen and the inhabitants", nevertheless, he "deplores the lateness of the scheme because of the [Angers] town council mistake" that one having suggested that the police station could be settled in the Saint-Serge district "on a floodplain". Adressed to Frédéric Béatse, visibly concerned not to get into the argument, it is Jean-Claude Bachelot, deputy-mayor in charge of town planning, who replied.

Mr. Bachelot

After that one reminded that the file was quite old, he pointed out that Frédéric Béatse talked about that topic with the new prefect and with the French prime minister last July adding that the city was indeeed available to earmark a field to that building. "But that field is not located in a foodplain", said Mr. Bachelot who denouced the fact that "the Ump candidate to municipal elections uses every opportunity to create controversy where there is none".

The cost of the renovation would sum up to € 10 millions and nothing has been said about the date of the start of the works. The real good news will come later...