"I'm not exhausted, but disappointed": Bar-sur-Loup Mayor François Wyszkowski will step down in 2026 and explains why

When asked how he became mayor in 2020, François Wyszkowski smiles: "Do you know what an accident is?" His name suggests his Polish origins, but this former director of a rehabilitation company for troubled youth grew up in Lorraine before living in Garbejaïre, in Valbonne, then settling in Bar-sur-Loup in 1997. A town he agreed to lead when his predecessor Willy Galvaire stepped down. "I was on his list, but at the very end! We went around the table, no one was a candidate, so they asked me and I said yes." But after five years in office, François Wyszkowski has already announced that he will not run for a second term. The "virulent" opposition and disappointments within his own team have made his enthusiasm disappear.

You seem a little exhausted...

It's not exhaustion, but disappointment. You know, the closer you get to politics, the more you want to get away from it. I agreed to be mayor to serve others, not to be a politician. But whatever you do, if it's not black, it's white, and if you do white, it's black.

What are you being accused of?

My style of governance. Some would have liked a mayor who banged his fist on the table, but the regal thing doesn't suit me at all.

In 2022, your first three deputies already resigned. What happened?

Basically, there was a lack of communication. I had a director of services who always had the door closed and she worked directly with the deputies instead of giving me information. When it came time for her contract renewal, the team split between those who wanted to keep her in her position and the others. One day, the first three deputies (Brigitte Rouan, François Muller and Delphine Carosi) came to my office and gave me an ultimatum. I had to fire so-and-so, resign myself, or it would be them. I took away their delegations and they resigned.

In 2024, the new deputy for Finance also resigns...

Unfortunately, the choice we made to replace them was not a good one. The strange thing about politics is that people who were tearing each other apart yesterday are now embracing each other… I think there are some misplaced egos.

Do you have any regrets?

It's about being constantly mistreated even though we had objectives that were truly in the interest of the community. We were attacked on points, commas.

As with the budget that was rejected last month, including by members of your majority ?

Of course, while it was in surplus! We made an accounting entry to modify it but we didn't remove anything from the investments we wanted to make (the amended budget was adopted on April 29). It's just that they're criticizing us for the location where we want to build a parking lot, even though nothing has been decided yet.

Where do you want to create it?

We had thought about doing it between Les Bosquet and Yorktown Avenue, but the architect of the French building department came to study the best solution and told us it would have to be built under the stadium. The problem is that the ground is regularly sinking, so we are currently conducting geological studies to see if it is feasible.

Is this parking a basic need?