The Esprit closure calls for an open-mindedness

La fermeture du magasin Esprit le 15 mars prochain appelle peut être à réviser un certain nombre d'idées sur la manière de revitaliser le commerce de centre ville. Le stationnement est-il responsable de tout?

The difficulties of down town stores are always discernable. Located in the Fleur d'eau commercial centre, the Esprit shop announced that it will close its doors definitively on March 15th. About ten employees should loose their jobs. This is not the first time trade business faces difficulties in that facility. A few months ago, Planet Saturn had decided to leave Fleur d'eau, a commercial complex opened in 2005 which followed another one Les Halles itself closed in 2003 for lack of customers.

That news questions about the viability of the commercial gallery two candidates to Angers mayor office plan to set up in the current post office. Several reasons to such a loss of interest for shopping in down town may be put forward. The most commonly claimed is the difficulty and the cost for parking cars in streets or in car parks. Several times, retail stores owners and even commercial chains have pointed out the negative impact of the parking fares on their business.

But that could not be the only explanation. And the Angers representatives are not necessarily the responsibles. The huge attendance of Angers down town stores during December months demonstrates that the parking is not the only obstacle to the growth of business. A candidate has even recently suggested that buses and tramways should be free during weekends in order to contain the car traffic in the core of Angers.

It is possible that the weakening of the down town attractiveness be also due to a lack of animations, unappropriate schedules, incomprehensible days of closure which deter consumers to come in. The stimulation of commerce doesn't only depends on structures. What could be the interest of a new commercial gallery if that one is closed when customers are available?

The municipal campaign in high-level waters

Il n'y a pas que dans la Maine que les eaux montent. Le fleuve de la campagne électorale, jusque là long et tranquille, sort maintenant de son lit à la faveur d'un échange de vues assez vif entre des colistiers de Frédéric Béatse et Christophe Béchu.

It is not only in the Maine bed that waters are rising. The level of aggressiveness is also rising in the long and (until now) quiet river of the municipal campaign. After Christophe Béchu's proposals about a possible route of the second tramway line throughout the La Doutre district were criticized by the local store owners, much tougher rebukes came from one of the current mayor running mates, Sylvia Camara-Tombini.

"We face to a serie, not close to end, of gaffes and mistakes done by [Mr. Béchu's list] : amateur route of the tramway in La Doutre and B plan as ridiculous of a bridge which will cost millions". And Mrs. Camara-Tombini rubs it in "All that demonstrates that the Ump candidate is unable to offer a clear project, neither to monitor his supporters. Christophe Béchu's catastrophic balance at the head of the Conseil général and his apathetic campaign are signs that he is in bad position and that this municipal election is the straw that broke the camel's back".

The reply was not long in coming. Emmanuel Capus, running mate of Christophe Béchu, questioned "Has Mrs. Camara-Tombinin forgotten the pavement tax? Has she forgotten the putsch of January 2012? Has she forgotten the figures of unemployment in order to attempt a diversion by attacking, with the violence which, up from now caracterizes her, Christophe Béchu and the Angers pour vous list? Must Frédéric Béatse and his running mates be at this point in lack of projects for the Angevins and their city by demonstrating such nervousness?". As it was previously forecasted, the mood of the campaign is turning sour.

Only four suspended months of jail after cruelty on a cat, complains the Spa

Le verdict du tribunal correctionnel d'Angers condamnant à quatre mois de prison avec sursis un individu qui avait arrosé un chat de soude caustique apparaît aux yeux de la Spa comme relativement clément comparé à celui punissant un Marseillais à un an de prison ferme pour des actes d'une comparable barbarie. 

The verdict was rather light. The Angers criminal court sentenced on February 4th a restaurant owner of a neighbouring city to four suspended months of jail and a fee of 273 € to the Société protectrice des animaux after he spayed washing soda on a cat. In front of his employees, the culprit boasted about the tortures he inflicted to the animal. Those warned the Spa. The punishement is quite merciful compared to the sentence inflicted, opportunely to a young Marseille inhabitant who threw a little cat several times on a wall and who published his "achievements" with a video clip.

That Angers new item recalls another sad event with took place in the city a few months ago when the justice minister, Christiane Taubira, was the target of shameful misconducts from Angers children and adults. Another case, a few years ago, attracted the national attention on Angers with the prostitution of children by their parents in exchange of food and beverages... In that case, the guitlies were heavily sentenced.  Nothing similar has come for the persecutor of the cats while he risked a two years imprisonment. Angers will not get out enhanced by such offenses.

Laurent Gérault offers buses and tramway free for weekends

Le candidat centriste, Laurent Gérault, avance l'idée de rendre les transports publics angevins gratuits pendant les weekends. M. Gérault fait le pari de la stimulation et non celui de la coercicion pour endiguer l'emprise de la voiture en ville. Si l'idée est séduisante, elle ne devrait cependant pas reposer sur une augmentation des tarifs en semaine. Mais est-ce faisable? 

Through the idea of Laurent Gérault, the centrist candidate to the Angers mayor office, a new way to limit the car traffic has surfaced. Rather than charged parking, or a free first hour of parking, the candidate offers to make the public tranports free in Angers during the weekends. The Union des démocrates indépendants' delegate in Angers bets on education rather than coercion. Logically, after the comparison between the inconveniences (waiting time) of buses and trawmay and their advantages (no fuel, no car park fares), those should opt for the Laurent Gérault's solution. But would they be rational?

The proposal would require an increase of the Sunday available buses and of their hourly service. But it looks to be uncertain that only incentive could lead inhabitants to abandon their car. Moreover, the cost of the no charged use of buses and tramway on Saturdays and Sundays will have to be financed. It is not sure that an increase of ticket cost will be accepted by the travellers during working days. 

Maybe such an idea should be transposed to the support of cycle use rather than car. That would lead the future city council to improve the safety of the lanes dedicated to bikes and also the facilities to park them. It would also be wise to reconsider the basis of the current system of loans of bikes and to open it much more largely to Angers inhabitants rather than the only students. Meanwhile, there is nothing better than a campaign to stimulate ideas. 

A video clip on Angers attracts, in only 4 days, 450 000 views on You tube

En seulement quatre jours, un vidéo clip "We are happy fron Angers" tourné à Angers à l'initiative de trois opérateurs médiatiques locaux a enregistré quelque 450 000 visites sur You tube. Une fréquentation bien plus importante que celle observée, avec des "synopsis" identiques, par des villes bien plus connues, et dont le clip était sur ce site d'hébergement de vidéos depuis bien plus longtemps. Les décideurs qui prendront le temps de le regarder y trouveront peut être matière à réflexion sur les moyens d'accroître la visibilité de la ville.

Three audiovisual medias, Angers télé, Kryzalid films and the Nrj radio station gathered to produce a videoclip based on the hit of Pharell Williams, "We are happy from". Published on January 31st, the video attracted, in only four days, about 450 000 visits, a very important figure given that similar clips, filmed in much more famous cities has got  a lower audience. In comparison, a "We are happy from Paris", posted on You tube two months ago, recorded 387 000 visits. And closer to Angers, the city of Laval which had got its own gathered only 19 000 views in a week. Foreign cities like Lausanne or Barcelona are under Angers' audience.

Pharell Williams

What  could be the explanations of the success? Regarding the pictures of the Angers town, there is a balance between historical places or monuments and modern locations. The terrace of the Le Quai theatre, the Saint-Aubin district, the Saint-Laud railway station, a night club (near the Ralliement square?), the Eseo building, or the Confluences bridge and the new AquaVita swimming pool are some of the facilites giving of Angers the image of a rather modern town. Nevertheless, some more classical Angers pictures (the castle, the museums, the Saint-Maurice catheral surroundings) are present but their usual touch is counterbalanced by young, moving and happy characters.

Others dimensions of the city, its youth, its students population, its natural heritage (Maine lake, Botanical and Mall Gardens) and the available leisure facilities in sports or culture give a rather attractive image of Angers even if the weather was not favourable. Of course the music and the involment of the persons filmed are prominent explanations of that huge and unwaited audience. But it also gives evidence that the assets for a wider fame of the city exist and that they have to be expressd in English, in spite of what may think the defenders of French language.

The "Angevins situation", first challenger of the main candidates to mayor office

Les deux principaux candidats aux fonctions de maire d'Angers, Frédéric Béatse et Christophe Béchu, ont été les premiers à présenter leur liste. Mais cela ne veut pas pour autant dire qu'ils ont une longueur d'avance sur les autres candidats. Au cours de la dernière semaine de janvier, leurs projets respectifs ont été tous les deux contestés. Ils devront, ainsi que les autres candidats, bien intégrer les conséquences économiques de leurs propositions sur la situation des Angevins.

If the two main candidates to Angers mayor office were the first to publish the list of their running mates, that doesn't mean everything is under control. The first in the starting blocks was Christophe Béchu but his offer of a second tramway line going through the La Doutre district has triggered a protest from the local store owners who do not want to face the eonomic difficulties their companions of down town recorded during the works of the first line. The second ready to go the town hall conquest was Frédéric Béatse who presented his running mates this week but that one faced, at the ultimate moment, an explicit disagreement about the amount of the city investments for 2014 by, his deputy-mayor in charge of finances, André Despagnet, who choose to rally Jean-Luc Rotureau, the direct challenger of the current mayor.

These two events mean that, for the tow main pretenders, there is nothing gained. Mr. Béchu was due to turn back and pointed out that all future advances in that topic would be achieved thanks to "dialogue". "We must meet again, if I am elected to make the scheme go on", said Mr. Béchu after the La Doutre retailers spoke of a "catastrophic project".  Regarding Mr. Béatse, the critics expressed about the costs of important schemes included in the city capital budget for 2014 led him to detail at the end of his programme five commitments devised to reassure voters : if the investment expenses will be promoted, simultaneously "the operating expenses will be lowered" while "the fiscal rates will remained unchanged", the Maine New Banks project implementation will be "staggered in time" and for the second tramway line, the project only mentions a "first stage". In short, on the two sides of the political landscape, the messages delivered to Frédéric Béatse and Christrophe Béchu look to have been received "loud and clear".

The disagreement between the current mayor and deputy-mayor in charge of finances turned out well for Mr. Rotureau who, for weeks, has claimed that a debate about the munucipal finances was necessary. In a recent statement to local medias, André Despagnet complained that "For three or four years, one only think to investments regardless Angevins'situation". That should calm down the promises, but not the mood of the campaign itself.

Frédéric Béatse and his running mates launch their campaign

Frédéric Béatse a officiellement lancé sa campagne le 30 janvier par la présentation de ses co-listiers devant plus de 1 000 personnes réunies au centre de congrès et en publiant ses engagements sur son site de Aimer Angers. Au nombre de ceux-ci figure celui d'un étalement dans le temps de la réalisation des grands projets tels que la seconde ligne de tramway et Angers Rives Nouvelles. Il répond ainsi implicitement à ceux qui pointent le doigt sur la soutenabilité des investissements. Mais M. Béatse ne veut pas céder au pessimisme. 

Frédéric Béatse officially launched on January 30th his electoral campaign to conquer the Angers mayor Aimer Angers, were already convinced that the main goals of his next term, "the stimulation of the local economy and employment as well as the visibility and the attractiveness of the town from outside", on one side, "the strengthening of solidarity between inhabitants" on the other.
office and to win Angevins' hearts. That start was rather a success. After the left main challenger, Christophe Béchu, presented his running mates at the Chanzy theatre a few days ago, the socialist candidate and current mayor, choose the congress centre to introduce his running mates and his programme and filled the hall. About 1 200 persons, many of them with the pink scarf, color of his list

That meeting was important given that Mr. Béatse's candidacy could have recently been weakened by the critics from the deputy-mayor about the ability of the town to finance numerous projects in the next term. But he counter attacked : "the project does not give in to pessimism. Some say that we should not do more, that we should to content ourselves with very little. Those are running  in a depressive mood because they don't live in Angers", a clear critic against, mainly, Mr. Béchu. In his introduction, the previous mayor, Jean-Claude Antonini toughly hurted Jean-Luc Rotureau, himself former deputy-mayor whod has criticized the conditions of Mr. Béatse's election. "That vote wasn't a putsch, it was legitimate unlike another embittered and bad loser candidate suggested it".

The candidate also published on the website his campaign Aimer Angers a booklet about his commitiments in which some of them are new : to lift Angers as "the world capital of vegetal" and to set up a Angers center for international relations, to built 5 000 new homes and to change the organization of the railway station district, to settle a delegate in charge of the man-woman equality, to deploy the municipal police in all Angers districts, to settle a cultural facility in the former Les Variétés cinema, to launch a festival of contemporary musics in 2015 as well as a children's day.The candidate also promised that he will not raise local tax rates and, last but no least, committed himself to spread out over time major projects like the second tramway line, and the Angers New Banks settlement.

The 2014 city finances invest the municipal campaign

La non participation du maire-adjoint aux finances, André Despagnet, à l'adoption du budget d'investissement 2014 de la ville d'Angers a marqué de façon spectaculaire, entre lui et le maire, une divergence de vue sur les dépenses que la ville a les moyens d'engager. Elle peut aussi illustrer son appui à Jean-Luc Rotureau, challanger direct à gauche de Frédéric Béatse, actuel maire et candidat à sa propre succession. Un événement que l'opposition n'a pas manqué d'exploiter.

André Despagnet (right) [Credit Mairie d'Angers]

The meeting of the Angers city council on January 30th showed a dramatic and deep disagreement about the 2014 municipal budget. André Despagnet, the deputy mayor in charge of finances for more than 30 years denied to vote in favour of the capital budget of the town. Mr. Despagnet had already considered, after the previous meeting, that the amount of the planned investments in the current year was "too high" (Angers Daily News, January 7th). The standpoint of the deputy-mayor caused bitterness to the mayor, Frédéric Béatse, who reminded him that "we had prepared that budget together and, at the very moment of its completion, I have asked you, into each other's eyes, if it was ok and you told me 'it's ok'".

Frédéric Béatse

Doing so, Mr. Despagnet not only suggests that the city may not get the sufficient resources to implement its projects (especially as Mr. Béatse promised he will not raise taxes rates) but, above all, gave his implicit support to Jean-Luc Rotureau, former deputy-mayor and himself challenger, on the left side, of the current mayor in the next municipal elections. While, in 2013, the Angers capital budget totalled up about € 69 millions, the that of 2014 is € 76 millions. "It's difficult for me to present that [2014] budget today. Yes I have some qualms. I am not at ease" adding, to his majority colleagues "You heared me but you didn't listen to me" and warning that "more borrowings" would lead to "more taxes".

Jean Luc Rotureau (left) [ Credit Le Blog de JLR]

The left and right oppositions in city council stepped into the breach. Mr. Rotureau, who asked for a public debate about the municipal finances, supported Mrs. Despagnet's opinion and criticized his challengers for their "infeasible projects catalogs". Laurent Gérault, the centrist candidate pointed out that the 2014 budget was "a turning point" and the "presages of the passage from a healthy situation to a damaged one for the years to come".

Between Frédéric Béatse and Jean-Luc Rotureau, a point of no-return seems to have been reached because the same day, each of them claimed they got the support of the left political party, the Parti radical de gauche (Prg). Mr. Béatse, in the afternoon, claimed he had rallied the support of the Prg and read a national press release telling so while, a little bit later in the afternoon, the Angers section of the same Prg announced that it will support Jean-Luc Rotureau's candidacy...

A new freeze of Angers tax rates is likely, but the economic conditions are not sunny

La réunion du conseil municipal peu de temps avant les élections était une opportunité pour Frédéric Béatse de rappeler sa fidélité à une ligne politique : celle de ne pas augmenter les taux des impôts locaux au cours des années à venir. Si l'annonce n'est pas sans avantage politique, elle n'est pas non plus sans lien avec la situation économique locale.

The opportunity is too important to be forgotten but is, neverthess, consistent with the low profile of the economic situation of Angers and Maine-et-Loire. The Angers mayor, Frédéric Béatse, should announce in the monthly meeting of the city council due to take place on January 29th that the rates of the Angers taxes should not be raised in 2014 and 2015, a policy that has been applied in Angers for nearly 30 years with only one exception, in 2011, because, in particular, of the costs of the first tramway line.

But the last economic datas are not favourable. The bad news announced by the president of the Angers
commercial court have, alas, been confirmed by recent figures. Regarding unemployment, the Maine-et-Loire rate increased by 0.6% in december. This is, after the Sarthe department, the worst of the Pays de la Loire region. In 2013, the number of joblesses has increased by 6.1% in Maine-et-Loire. About 37 000 persons were looking for a work. The level of the unemployment rate in Maine-et-Loire (10.6%) is beyond the national rate (10.5%) since June 2013.

In the construction industry, the volume of projects implemented has decreased in Maine-et-Loire what, in compensation, leads to lower prices. So the likely freeze of local tax rates is in line with the economic context. That one should also stabilise or even contract the resources of the city in the years to come. This would gave legitimacy to include in the public debate the finances of the city in the years to come.

The Bistrot Louboutin, a London touch in Molière square

Longtemps défigurée par un parking automobile, puis envahie par le chantier du tramway, la place Molière a maintenant retrouvé un visage attrayant. L'arrivée du Bistrot Louboutin en est le symbole. Antoine Louboutin y a recréé l'atmosphère intime des bars d'hôtels qu'il a connus lors de son expatriation à Londres. Les Angevins reviennent vers cette place qui, quelle soit l'issue des élections, jouera un rôle plus important dans les années à venir. Cela ouvre des perspectives, pas seulement visuelles.

A few years ago, the Molière square was only an ugly parking lot and a noisy crossroads of cars and buses. It was even worse during the works of the first tramway line when the square hosted dozens of mobile worksite huts. Because of the tramway works are now part of the past, because the asphalted area gave way to a sandy stretch with trees, plants, statue, and above all, because a Bistrot Louboutin has settled there on mid-January, the Molière square looks to get a new lease of life.


"I was immediately attracted by that esplanade and the appeal of the place", remembers Antoine Louboutin who, with his wife, tried hard to keep intact the character of the ground floor of the building where, formerly, was settled an automobile equipement seller. "Having worked in London for several years, our idea was to create the atmosphere of the hotel bars of that city where you may have a drink in a cosy and elegant setting". People look to be receptive to the untreated walls of the Bistro where nevertheless intimacy and comfort are preserved  : the Bistrot Louboutin welcomes customers coming from the immediate surroundings and downtown. Antoine Louboutin hopes that tourists will come next summer.

That surely be the case in the years to come because the Molière square will be more attractive whoever be the future mayor. The square would benefit from the New Banks of Maine scheme, planned by Frédéric Béatse, current Angers mayor but also with the unification of the Molière and Poissonière squares that his challenger, Christophe Béchu, promises as well as the junction of the two tramway lines very close to the Bistrot.

So Antoine Louboutin may devise projects. "I have always projects in mind" he says. One of them consists in a transposition of his Molière Bistrot in... Los Angeles "by five to seven years". Yes, the Molière square is indeed an interesting viewpoint.

The tramway B line divides candidates before it unifies the town

Si elle doit un jour unifier la ville, la ligne B du tramway divise actuellement les candidats. Laurent Gérault a , pour le centre, proposé un tracé plus court "en ligne" avec ses propositions de gel des taux des impôts locaux. Mais cela fait planer une incertitude sur la desserte du quartier Grand-Pigeon. Les majorité et opposition actuelles s'affrontent mutuellement. Au terme d'un débat plutôt violent, on pourrait remettre la balle au... centriste. 

Maybe the two lines of the Angers tramway will unify the city, but currently, they divide the candidates to mayor office. Frédéric Béatse had its own. Then a few weeks ago, Christophe Béchu devised another route. Now, Laurent Gérault introduces a new way. According to the centrist candidate's plan, the B line would be shorter : 8 kms against 12 planned in others projects. It would link the Belle-Beille quarter, where most universities are located to angers down town by the hospital, a common route over the Maine river with the first line then would stop at the Congress centre before going towards Monplaisir. 

Implicitely, Laurent Gérault wants a less costly trolley because he promised he would not raise the taxes. While the original scheme introduced at Angers loire Métropole aded up to € 358 millions, the overall cost of Mr. Gérault's project would not go beyond € 190 millions but would nervertheless join several important Angers districts, Belle-Beille, Doutre, Saint-Jacques-Nazareth, Deux-Croix-Banchais-Monplaisir.  The servicing of the Grand-Pigeon quarter is not yet sure. An alternative route would go by Pasteur avenue.

In the meantime, the Aimer Angers (Frédéric Béatse) and Angers pour vous (Christophe Béchu) lists confront. For Mr. Béatse, one of his deputy-mayors, Luc Belot, said that a tramway route through La Doutre should be "an abomination" and that it would damage the stores businesses of that quarter. That critic of a "political coup" by Mr. Belot led Bernard Dupré, one of the main running mates of Mr. Béchu to say that such a standpoint was "appallingly" given the relationships between Angers stores owners and the city council during the last term. After those mutual critics, the ball goes to centrists...

Two challenging successes are waiting the next Angers city council

Angers a enregistré deux beaux succès le dernier week end. Le festival cinématographique Premiers plans a battu son record de participants. Le jour de clôture du festival, l'équipe de hockey Les Ducs d'Angers remportait une magistrale victoire en finale de la coupe de France à Paris. Ces deux évenements ont un point commun : ils mettent en évidence le possible décalage entre les capacités d'accueil du public par certains des équipements sportifs et culturels de la ville. Une question que les dirigeants de ces événements "marqueurs" à plus d'un titre n'ont pas manqué de soulever.

The 26th edition of the European first film festival broke through a new threshold in attendance. About 73 000 festival goers took interest, for ten days to that event dedicated to European first shots and is meant to help new directors to meet their audience.  About 33 000 film viewers attended the tributes to several directors, and among them, the French Patrice Chéreau, native from Angers region who died in 2013. Once again, the Festival attracted many youngs from colleges and universities (25 000)  while approximately 24 000 tickets were sold for screenings. The managers of the event have had a good idea to get the re-opening of the Les Variétés theatre (close since October 2013) where 30% of the overall attendance has been noticed.

Credit Pictures : Ville d'Angers

On the festival closure, on January 26th, the Angers hockey team won the France cup in front of 13 000 spectators in the general-purposes Paris-Bercy palace. The event led the Angers mayor Frédéric Béatse  to consider that such a victory was a signal of the necessity of a new ice skating for the Angers team Les Ducs, an issue on which the next Angers mayor, whoever he is, will have to deal. These two events are synonyms of challenges for the city. The future of both the European first films festival and the Angers Dukes could suffer from too small capacities which could later hamper the development of these national recognized assets while Angers is trying to get a better recognition abroad and even in France.

For Valérie Trierweiler, a "new start" is maybe born

Sa séparation avec le président de la république est sans doute une épreuve pour Valérie Trierweiler. Mais elle ouvre aussi des perspectives à celle qui n'a jamais totalement interrompu son activité journalistique. Elle pourrait peut être trouver à D8, chaîne filiale de Canal+, une consoeur elle aussi venue de la politique et... d'Angers.

Valérie Trierweiler (Wikipedia)

Valérie Trierweiler having left her official duties as former partner of the France president François Hollande, she plans to be committed full time in her editorial work in the Paris-Match magazine. But, maybe, this career change could go beyond. At the end of 2012, Mrs. Trierweiler had the project to work for D8 (after she worked seven years for Direct 8, the channel from which D8 has derived from), a private generalist French tv channel owned by the Canal + group. Given her new time schedule and functions after Mr. Hollande's election, she was led to give up the idea of a work in that channel. If D8 has a low market share (3.7% in 2013), in comparison with others, private or public, nevertheless the channel broadcasted several shows, and among those "Le Grand 8", led by famous presenters.

Roselyne Bachelot (left) [Credit picture : D8]

One of them is Roselyne Bachelot, former minister and member of parliament elected several times in a
Maine-et-Loire constituency including Angers and the Monplaisir district where Valérie Trierweiler's family still lives. Two years ago, Mrs. Trierweiler who foresaw an eventuel collaboration in a semestrial programme dedicated to humanitarian issues, finally choose to abandon that idea because of possible conflict of interest between her position as "first lady" and journalist. So one of the trails D8 could now explore could be an interview of Mrs. Trierweiler by Mrs. Bachelot, both of them having a large knowledge of the French political life habits. And, in compensation, Valérie Trierweiler could resume her previous project at D8. She could have a lot of things to talk about. Angers would have lost a first lady but would have won a "Nouvelle star".

Angers has not anymore its first lady

Angers a perdu "sa première dame" de France avec sa séparation officialisée le 25 janvier par François Hollande, président de la république. Celle-ci, qui ne reviendra pas à l'Elysée, a refusé de cosigner le communiqué de presse mettant fin à sept ans de vie commune. Si des conditions financières ont été conclues, si Valérie Trierweiller habitera l'appartement privé de François Hollande, si elle retrouvera ses chroniques à Paris-Match, une nouvelle vie commence néanmoins pour elle. Ainsi prend fin une affaire qui a, pendant quinze jours, captivé la terre entière. 

Angers will not have anymore "its first lady".  French president François Hollande has confirmed that he is separating from his native Angers partner, Valérie Trierweiler after, a fortnight ago, it was revealed that he had an affair with an actress, Julie Gayet. It was said that such a situation was a great shock for Mrs. Trierweiler who was due to enter hospital then a presidential residence for rest. On January 25th evening, she tweeted thanks to the "wondeful staff" at the Elysee palace.

The former first lady is due to go to India with a caritative organization, but in totally private conditions. But on the other hand, she will not be with François Hollande for an official trip to the United States where he will be the guest of president Barack Obama at the White House, a place Mrs Trierweiler visited as partner of Mr. Hollande last year. If Valérie Trierweiler refused to sign the official press release about her split with the president because she wanted him to assume full responsability, nevertheless the financial conditions of the separation were negociated last week. The ex-first lady has been assured by the Paris Match that she could continue to sign chronicles as editor in that magazine and by the former president that she could live in the private appartment in Paris they rented.

For Valérie Trierweiler, a new life now starts. She is 48 and lived with François Hollande since 2007 and her family lives in the Angers Monplaisir quarter. On the following day after the split, the pages dedicated to Mrs. Trierweiler timetable by the Elysée website has only be erased on Sunday morning. A remarkable emotional saga that has captivated the French - and the world - for the last two weeks has now ended.

The dynamic of the electoral campaign stimulates the political offers

Après la présentation, par Christophe Béchu, de ses co-listiers aux élections municipales, le centre n'est pas resté inactif. Laurent Gérault, recevant le secrétaire national de l'Udi, a renvoyé dos à dos la majorité sortante et sa rivale Ump. Le Front national annonce qu'il présentera une liste mais parait lui plus favorable à Frédéric Béatse qu'à son challenger, ce qui augure mal de report de voix à droite. Cette agitation donne des idées à d'autres candidats. Passé le 1er tour, il sera dur de recoller les morceaux.

Laurent Gérault

The growing dynamic of the electoral campaign recently illustrated by the introduction of Christophe Béchu's running mates is apparently only at its beginning. Laurent Gérault, the centrist candidate, got, once again, the official support of the Union des démocrates indépendants (Udi) who sent in Angers on January 23rd its national general secretary. That visit was an opportunity for Mr. Gérault to hurl critics to his challengers, both from left and right. 

Christophe Béchu

The centrist leaders criticized Mr. Béchu (Union pour une majorité populaire) about his idea to settle a nocturnal district in Angers (near the Saint-Serge square) where the students could give free rein to their meetings and parties. Mr. Gérault and his Udi colleague advocated the end of the "promises fair" and of the "overbids in announcements". But they also condemned the management of the city by the outgoing majority. "Angers switches off, that is visible from a national standpoint, the unemployment is blowing up and the medium resources of Angevins are decreasing, the city lacks of attractiveness", they said. 

Frédéric Béatse

Opportunely, because they were gathered in the Monplaisir district, they found regrettable that the € 40 millions invested in AquaVita, the Angers new swimming pool due to open on January 25th, were not used for the renovation of that quarter. On a more political register, they considered Christophe Béchu was responsible of the impossibility to have a united list between centre and right in those municipal elections, what makes rather scarce the chances of rapprochement later. 

Gaétan Dirand

This is even more unlikely with the Front national (Fn) whose leader, Gaétan Dirand, aims for the arrival of Fn town councillors, next March. Mr. Dirand said he would have already gathered a sufficient number of running mates and indicated he was more favourable to Frédéric Béatse (Parti socialiste), current mayor than for Mr. Béchu : "[the first] lacks legitimacy but he partially overcame it making clear he would not compete for a national mandate. He is working and he is seen in the Angers districts. I would not say the same for Christophe Béchu who gives the feeling he is running to that election as he would do for the United States senate". There again, there are few chances for a transfer of votes from the Fn to the Ump on the second round. 

The elections give ideas to small lists. An "Angers vivre mieux" platform has been constituted by citizens favourable to environment protection, participatory democracy and the exemplary nature of future town councillors. On the far left, a new list also arose, "Résister, construire à gauche", already in the 2008 campaign with almost 5% of votes. It will be difficult to bring back together all those political pieces after the first round. 

Valérie Trierweilers, the Angevine partner of the French president says she "will stand by her man"

Valérie Trierweiller ne veut pas quitter son compagnon, ni son "statut'" de première dame. La rélation par celui-ci de sa liaison avec une actrice l'a mise dans une violente colère. Elle ne veut pas être rejetée d'une manière qui ne serait pas élégante. 

She doesn't want to give up. Valérie Trierweiler, the Angevine "girl friend", so nicknamed by the Us tv channel Cnn, of the French president, François Hollande, would not be ready to abandon her "status" of first lady, neither his partner. That one, who was due to recognized he had an affair with an actress, prompted a violent shock to Mrs. Trierweiler thereafter sent to hospital, then to the La Lanterne pavilion for a rest. It was even said that the revelation of that liaison would have triggered a fit of anger from Mrs. Trierweiler in the office of the president.

Now the patient would be ready to forgive the president of whom she shares the life for ten years. She would not have abandoned the idea to go to the United States and the White House to see the american president. But the Angevine partner of Mr. Hollande would not be ready to be thrown away anyhow and that would have refused to give her consent to a press release which would have officialized the presidential couple split up. But Mr. Holland announced during his last week news conference that he would "make a statement" before his trip to Washington. That would be done by early next week.


A rumor said that, during her interview with Mr. Hollande, Mrs Trierweiler would have wrescked some furnitures in a fit of revenge, what has been " categorically denied" by the government"s property agency. Nevertheless the dispute would have been real. It is said that Mr. Hollande would eventually choose to stay in the Elysée palace as single until the end of his term so as to avoid further scandals. Angevines apparently have temper.

Christophe Béchu's troops in order of municipal battle

Christophe Béchu, candidat de l'Ump aux prochaines élections municipales, a présenté son équipe le 23 janvier, ainsi que ses projets et l'état d'esprit qui l'anime. La liste fait une large place à des personnes n'ayant jamais exercé de responsabilités municipales ainsi qu'à des militants centristes. S'il fait valoir que le bilan de 37 annnées sans alternance n'est pas favorable à l'actuelle majorité, M. Béchu ne considère pas pour autant que les choses sont jouées. Il faudra du porte à porte et du bouche à oreille pour convaincre l'électorat de la nécessité de "remettre la ville sur les bons rails".

With the unveiling of his troops, apparently the first of all candidates, two month before the conquest of the city council majority, Christophe Béchu, leader of the list Angers pour vous, clearly intended to mobilize the energy of his team and his supporters who filled the Chanzy theatre on January 23. Mr. Béchu, who urged his followers to spread, by door to door and word of mouth, "the need for change" he feels in Angevins'minds, clearly doesn't consider that the elections are already won.

Fifty four running mates are ready. Less than the half of those people (21) was already involved by Christophe Béchu's side in 2008 against Jean-Claude Antonini, and among them only 12 are Union pour une majorité populaire's members, the others supporting : 12, the Mouvement démocrate, 5 the Union des démocrates indépendants (which are 17 centrists), one coming from a left party. The other half enters in policy for the first time.

It is clear that the proportion of centrists among Mr. Béchu's team indicates the will of that one to win the city council thank to the votes of the christian-democrat electorate. That long time component of Angers political life was helpful to Jean Monnier, the first Angers mayor of the socialist era, Mr. Béchu wants to put an end after "37 years without alternation". The advantage is also to nip Laurent Gérault's (Udi) candidacy in the bud while that one was due to receive the official support of that organization on January 24th.


The programme stakes on the economy and the necessity to decrease expenses. Through his priorities, Christophe Béchu charged the track record of the current city council majority regarding the settlement of companies fueling new jobs what he will change thanks to a reduction of the number of local organizations being responsible with the search of new businesses. He also held out his hand to retail store owners he considers they were victims of a "six years contempt" and promised to lower the fares of car parks with a "no charged first hour".


Regarding his adversaries' schemes, and especially the Maine banks layouts (he wants to realize with the cover of the current speedway) and a new route for the second tramway line, he promised he will not raise taxes and reduce the current debt. He also announced the complete review of scholar schedules, an emblematic reform of the current French government and the implementation of a nocturnal district close to the Saint-Serge square. The Ump's candidate pointed out the seriousness of Angers situation and promised he will "bring it back on the good tracks". His adversary, Christophe Béatse plans to introduce his own team at the end of the month.

The Maine-et-Loire economic authorities warn political representatives about the seriousness of current circumstances

En adressant aux élus et chefs d'entreprise de Maine-et-Loire des voeux conjoints, les présidents des trois principaux organismes économiques du département ont marqué la gravité de la situation et la nécessité de réformes fortes et mises en oeuvre dès après les municipales. Des mesures qui ne concernent pas seulement les habitants et les actifs mais aussi tous ceux qui les représentent. 

In many occasions, the content of an event is more important than its form. But that is not always true. The New Year ceremony organized on January 20th at the Greniers Saint-Jean by the three consular chambers illustrated that the way a message is expressed may be as important as the message itself. While the Angers political representatives are more divided than ever, given the closeness of the municipal elections, the presidents of the Chambre d'agriculture, Chambre de commerce et d'industrie and Chambre de métiers of Maine-et-Loire were gathered to adress, in front of political decision-makers, their best wishes to their members, craftsmen, farmers and managers, but beyond them, to the local economy which desperately needs supports... and unity.

Their tone was the same of a warning signal. According to Gérard Aubry, the Chambre de métiers' president, "it is henceforth the activity, the growth, indeed the survival of companies, little, medium or large which is becoming decisive for our country" while his colleage, François Beaupère (Chambre d'agriculture) pointed out that "We are loosing volumes [of outputs], this is a real danger". For the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie's president, Eric Groud, "tonight, we put a turbulent, economically difficult 2013 year behind us, with a sham recovery which, insidiously, may lead our companies in their ultimate corner".

Given the seriousness of the situation, the three chairmen urged the audience, and among it the Maine-et-Loire prefect, the Maine-et-Loire senators, the Angers Loire Métropole president, the Angers mayor, "to take a global view [provided that] all our ways of thinking are upset [by the current economic mutation]". Considering than "the quarrels" between the Conseil général and Angers city were "fruitless", the economic delegates, through Mr. Groud's speech, wished that the "Responsability agreement" recently announced by the French president be source of administrative simplifications and reduction of public expenses. Regarding the territorial reform (the decrease of the number of regions), it is wished that "the scheme be based on economic projects rather than administrative concerns" and that "it should be implemented straight after the municipal elections".

The candidates to mayor office having yet promised that such reforms would be applied inside Angers, like the merger of town and department structures, will be - if elected - carefully watched.

The Angevine Valérie Trierweiler's fate looks uncertain, but the "First lady status" even more

La situation de l'Angevine Valérie Trierweiler comme première dame de France reste incertain. Si celle-ci serait disposée à accompagner son compagnon François Hollande aux Etats-Unis début février, il est probable que la décision de rester ou de partir dépende encore seulement d'elle car au fur et à mesure que le temps passe l'affaire prend un tour politique. La position de Mme Trierweiler est précaire, mais l'usage d'entretenir une première dame encore plus.

The most famous Angevine, Valérie Trierweiler, whose status as first lady remains unclear, has left a few

Mrs. Trierweiler (right) [Credit Picture : Elysée website]

days ago the hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière where she was hosted for a week after his companion, François Hollande, French president, told her he had an affair with an actress, Julie Gayet. After her departure from the hospital, Mrs. Trierweiler went to La Lanterne, an official residence for the French president located near the Versailles castle. François Hollande's partner is said to stay there and have a rest for a few days. After she left Pitié-Salpêtrière, Mrs. Trierweiller thanked all the people who sent her messages through her Twitter personal (and not official) account.

According to French medias, the president and her partner would have not yet made up their mind about their future : to remain together or to split up. It seems that, even if Valérie Trierweiler didn't refuse to go with the president to the United States where this one is invited on February 11th, the future of the couple doesn't anymore depend on Mrs. Trierweiler's choice. The French president is said to be the ultimate decision-maker in that matter. The point is far from to be only sentimental. According to French medias, an absence of choice would make resurface the critic of indecisiveness against Mr. Hollande.

Some of the top Socialist leaders think that a reconciliation between the first French couple would not be believable and, in case of split that Valérie Trierweiler should immediately leave the Lanterne pavilion financed by the French tax payer. Questioned about the fact Mrs. Trierweiler is still the first lady, Mr. Hollande didn't answered but it is believed that he would not anymore wish to have a first lady besides him. At least officially. Valérie Trierweiller out of the game would deprive the future Angers mayor of a leverage. But thanks to her, the French First lady use will be given up.

Jean-Luc Rotureau wants a public debate between candidates about the resources of the city in the years to come

Jean-Luc Rotureau veut un débat public entre candidats aux élections municipales sur les finances de la ville. Au-delà de l'intérêt d'occuper le terrain électoral et de laisser entendre que les autres programmes ne sont pas viables ce qui va tendre le débat, il promet que pendant son mandat, il n'augmentera pas les impôts.

Jean-Luc Rotureau, candidate to Angers mayor office and direct challenger of Frédéric Béatse, reiterated on January 19th in his blog, that a debate about the likely financial resources of the town would be necessary. "The electoral campaign is the opportunity for candidates to put forward numerous projects, some are realistic, others no. The finances of the city are not anymore what they were before. To tell the opposite would be to lie. I wish to demonstrate it in public. The rooms for maneuver are henceforth much more narrow than before, it is necessary to explain it", said Mr. Rotureau.

The standpoint has, for the candidate, several advantages. First, it is a valuable opportunity for him to be on the front stage during the municipal campaign which is far from to be over and it is important for Mr. Rotureau, as for  Mr. Gérault, to stay the distance. The second interest is to lead his adversaries to temper their own projects or, at least, their communication about those projects. And the last is to instil the idea that the political representatives, in the majority and in the minority, are not anymore in touch with the economic climate and that a chapter has been closed. "There is no more time for demagoguery because of electoral purposes. The projects of my platform are realizable without a tax increase", Mr. Rotureau said making the debate more strained. 

Tactically, the choose to lean on the local medias. "I ask [them] to organize that debate", repeated Jean-Luc Rotureau. This one also invited his adversaries to support his idea what, if case of refusal,  may lead voters to think there is something hidden. "It is necessary the Angevins be completely enlightened before their final choice", pointed out the candidate who also promised, as Laurent Gérault, he will not raise taxes.