His relationship with Michèle Tabarot, his plans for his city and priorities, his place in the urban area...: what to remember from the interview with the mayor of Le Cannet

On his desk at Le Cannet town hall, this photo of Michèle Tabarot symbolically passing the torch to him, via the mayor's sash. Since then, the former first deputy has settled into the role assigned to him by the Republican MP. He has asserted his loyalty, to the point of truly getting into the game, after first providing a service. While waiting to find out if he will run again in 2026, Yves Pigrenet (co-) happily manages his commune, from the town hall... or sometimes also from his pharmacy, suddenly transformed into a political office. But who cares about the bottle, as long as we have the remedy!

In 2023, you told me: "Ultimately, Mayor, I like it." Is that still the case?

Yes. But I already loved my job as First Deputy Mayor and President of the CCAS. When you can help citizens, it's a noble calling.

Including when they consult you… even in your pharmacy?

It's true that being a pharmacist makes me a very accessible mayor (smile). But that's also the point, because politicians are sometimes criticized for not being accessible enough.

With Michèle Tabarot, MP and "head of the municipal majority", how is it organized?

We work in harmony. We regularly have one-on-one meetings to exchange ideas, but generally, we share the same point of view and are both down to earth. Culture is a bit of a hobby of mine, as is social issues. We work together on finance and urban planning, like when we made the friendly decision to lower local taxes.

On the project side, there's still the transformation of the Rocheville eco-district, with its square and new restaurant in the gourmet hall. What's next?

The new two-level underground parking lot with 105 public spaces is being completed and will open very soon, with a four-story building above at the intersection of Francklin, Roosevelt, and Four-à-Chaux. There will also be businesses that are not yet occupied.

In Rocheville, in this area between two buildings, the Cedeo company building will still have to be demolished to build a new building aligned with it; this is currently being discussed with the owner. In Les Arcades, we are also in negotiations to take over the entire building, including the tobacco shop, in order to completely rehabilitate it with housing and businesses at the level we want to do. As for the square, we are delighted with the success of Le Basilic, which is now open in the evenings, and its market.

Another booming sector, Le Cannet-Centre?

The big project is also to build a 125-space car park on Jean-Jaurès, with a part for rent-to-own for local residents and another for visitors. We also want to set up a food hall there [a bit like the one that didn't work in Rocheville] and, in the meantime, there's this small Tuesday market (our edition of June 25).

Parking for cars but also a project for pedestrians?

We will create a pedestrian path from Tivoli Street to Bellevue Square in the old town, with the creation of a new elevator with disabled access next to the town hall. The obstructive vegetation will be removed and replaced with citrus trees, symbolic of the historic city.

Is the continuation of the BHNS (high-speed bus) route a good thing?

Yes, but this won't create much change on Paul-Doumer Boulevard because there isn't enough space to create a dedicated lane. On Place Rocheville, we got the city to agree to not have a bus station as initially planned, but only a two-way platform. All of this will be accompanied by an increase in bus frequency, particularly in the Mont-Joli, Maurice-Jeanpierre, and Colombier sectors.

The municipality will also benefit from 10 million euros from the urban area, notably for the creation of a park and ride facility at the bottom of Campon.

As such, we were right to complain and demand a better distribution of funds because we were being wronged. With its president David Lisnard, we have reestablished a calm dialogue [the elected representatives of the LR majority of Cannet have once again sat on the community council and have found their delegations there (our edition of June 27) .

Le Cannet, a dormitory town and suburb of Cannes, is this an outdated image?

It's an image that has evolved over time, as a lot of things have been done for working people. The people of Le Cannet love living in Le Cannet, where our festivals, like Saint-Didier's Day on August 2nd, are very friendly and perhaps less bling-bling than on the Croisette.

The National Rally proclaims its desire to "unseat Michèle Tabarot" and has its sights set on City Hall. Are you running again in 2026?

Ah, Michèle and I haven't talked about it yet, nothing has been decided. The MP is still well established and she vigorously defends the interests of the Cannettans in the Assembly, so I remain very confident, even if an election is never decided before being voted on.

On his desk at Le Cannet town hall, this photo of Michèle Tabarot symbolically passing the torch to him, via the mayor's sash. Since then, the former first deputy has settled into the role assigned to him by the Republican MP. He has asserted his loyalty, to the point of truly getting into the game, after first providing a service. While waiting to find out if he will run again in 2026, Yves Pigrenet (co-) happily manages his commune, from the town hall... or sometimes also from his pharmacy, suddenly transformed into a political office. But who cares about the bottle, as long as we have the remedy!

In 2023, you told me: "Ultimately, Mayor, I like it." Is that still the case?

Yes. But I already loved my job as First Deputy Mayor and President of the CCAS. When you can help citizens, it's a noble calling.

Including when they consult you… even in your pharmacy?

It's true that being a pharmacist makes me a very accessible mayor (smile). But that's also the point, because politicians are sometimes criticized for not being accessible enough.

With Michèle Tabarot, MP and "head of the municipal majority", how is it organized?

We work in harmony. We regularly have one-on-one meetings to exchange ideas, but generally, we share the same point of view and are both down to earth. Culture is a bit of a hobby of mine, as is social issues. We work together on finance and urban planning, like when we made the friendly decision to lower local taxes.

On the project side, there's still the transformation of the Rocheville eco-district, with its square and new restaurant in the gourmet hall. What's next?

The new two-level underground parking lot with 105 public spaces is being completed and will open very soon, with a four-story building above at the intersection of Francklin, Roosevelt, and Four-à-Chaux. There will also be businesses that are not yet occupied.

In Rocheville, in this area between two buildings, the Cedeo company building will still have to be demolished to build a new building aligned with it; this is currently being discussed with the owner. In Les Arcades, we are also in negotiations to take over the entire building, including the tobacco shop, in order to completely rehabilitate it with housing and businesses at the level we want to do. As for the square, we are delighted with the success of Le Basilic, which is now open in the evenings, and its market.

Another booming sector, Le Cannet-Centre?

The big project is also to build a 125-space car park on Jean-Jaurès, with a part for rent-to-own for local residents and another for visitors. We also want to set up a food hall there [a bit like the one that didn't work in Rocheville] and, in the meantime, there's this small Tuesday market .

Parking for cars but also a project for pedestrians?

We will create a pedestrian path from Tivoli Street to Bellevue Square in the old town, with the creation of a new elevator with disabled access next to the town hall. The obstructive vegetation will be removed and replaced with citrus trees, symbolic of the historic city.

Is the continuation of the BHNS (high-speed bus) route a good thing?

Yes, but this won't create much change on Paul-Doumer Boulevard because there isn't enough space to create a dedicated lane. On Place Rocheville, we got the city to agree to not have a bus station as initially planned, but only a two-way platform. All of this will be accompanied by an increase in bus frequency, particularly in the Mont-Joli, Maurice-Jeanpierre, and Colombier sectors.

The municipality will also benefit from 10 million euros from the urban area, notably for the creation of a park and ride facility at the bottom of Campon.

As such, we were right to complain and demand a better distribution of funds because we were being wronged. With its president David Lisnard, we have reestablished a calm dialogue [ the elected representatives of the LR majority of Cannet have once again sat on the community council and have regained their delegations there.

Le Cannet, a dormitory town and suburb of Cannes, is this an outdated image?

It's an image that has evolved over time, as a lot of things have been done for working people. The people of Le Cannet love living in Le Cannet, where our festivals, like Saint-Didier's Day on August 2nd, are very friendly and perhaps less bling-bling than on the Croisette.

The National Rally proclaims its desire to "unseat Michèle Tabarot" and has its sights set on City Hall. Are you running again in 2026?

Ah, Michèle and I haven't talked about it yet, nothing has been decided. The MP is still well established and she vigorously defends the interests of the Cannettans in the Assembly, so I remain very confident, even if an election is never decided before being voted on.

His 3 priorities

Security

This is a daily action and even if we have a remarkable municipal police force, present 7 days a week and 24 hours a day, with more than 400 cameras, we must not relax!

Our action towards generations

In particular with the development of the Emile-Roux school in the former leisure center where five classes from La Bastière will be transferred before its complete rehabilitation.

Sport

We'll continue to support our sports clubs, especially the Hornets wheelchair basketball team. They're a particularly engaging and exceptional team that puts on a real show in Maillan. These young players are fantastic!

The rant

The SRU law on social housing is not evolving and is causing us an annual fine of around 2 million euros, even if we can deduct some subsidies. We are the most built-up city in the department, where there is no more land available, so this application of the law (25% social housing) is an aberration. In new constructions, we reserve up to 40% of social housing against 30% required by the State, but the more we build, the more we are asked for, it's endless!

The favorite

The Bonnard Museum. Fourteen years ago, it was created by Michèle Tabarot without owning a building or a single painting. She returned from Paris with the Musée de France label and, starting with a work donated through sponsorship, Paysage du Cannet, soleil couchant , this museum has become a success with 50,000 visitors a year, giving the city an artistic identity and contributing to its economic dynamism. The exhibition [which began Saturday] is a private collection unveiled as a world premiere.