In Brignoles, the municipal council enters a new era

In just a few weeks, the atmosphere at the Brignoles municipal council has suddenly gone from soporific to poisonous. Yesterday morning, almost every decision was debated, sometimes heatedly, with a new dynamic that would have been difficult to anticipate. A new opposition emerging from the woodwork, an old one returning from the devil's Vauvert: this is the duo now embodied by Catherine Delzers and Bertrand Kieffer.

The former, a former third deputy, left the majority with a bang last April. The latter, an opposition member, has been conspicuous by his absence from the municipal assembly for the past four years. Opposite them are the majority members, led by Didier Brémond, the mayor, and Chantal Lassoutanie, the first deputy. The result: a brawl, sometimes bordering on the limits of what is acceptable.

A skirmish before the war

Didier Brémond, as we saw yesterday, does not like contradiction very much. The small skirmishes addressed until now by a timid opposition were often received properly by the mayor. Manly, but correct. This was also the case, at the beginning, when Catherine Delzers denounced what she considered to be "smoke and mirrors" , "lies" and other "humiliations" which would no longer leave, according to her, the Brignolais indifferent. The chief magistrate replied: "You told me every day: " I am a soldier." Well, Madam, if you are a soldier, I will not go to war with you."

This was just the appetizer of the tense exchanges that marked almost the entire municipal council meeting. Because a little later, on the subject of the prestigious hotel project planned for the site of the former courthouse, a project that does not seem to convince the former member of the majority, Didier Brémond let loose, becoming more threatening, even patronizing: "You're going to have a few difficult months, eh? Oulalala…"

Not enough to put Catherine Delzers off, however: the elected official continued her sometimes acerbic remarks on the municipal projects presented during the council meeting, in the face of comments that soon came from all sides. Édith Murgioni and Dominique Perez, municipal councilors, for example, criticized the lack of dialogue with the woman who was then in charge of businesses. "You are pathetic," the former said. "I recognize the unleashed horde technique," replied Catherine Delzers. Atmosphere...

Catherine Delzers "was in charge"

However, in the flood of criticism directed at the former majority member, the recurring one, which consisted of saying that Catherine Delzers was clearly in agreement with the policies pursued by her former leader, and current adversary, often hit the mark. The spectacular evolution of the elected member's position inevitably raises questions, and the majority, led by Chantal Lassoutanie, knows how to highlight this.

Lack of consultation on market developments? "You were in charge of the file, it was up to you to do it." Concerns about the city's finances? "An entire term without having demonstrated your financial skills, and at the end of the term, you share these observations with us, even though you voted on the budget..." The first deputy mayor, and Didier Brémond, also hit where it hurts, and we sense that the argument will be used again if by chance a Delzers candidacy were to stand in the way of the mayor during the next municipal elections.

Bertrand Kieffer "was absent"

As for Bertrand Kieffer's remarks, here again, the majority has a trump card: the elected official's absence from municipal assemblies since 2021 is enough to sweep aside most of his criticisms. A question about service contracts? "It was debated in the finance committee, you weren't there." A question about the consequences of the Zero Net Artificialization law? "We've been working on this issue for a while, if you had honored us with your presence, you would know." In short, as Chantal Lassoutanie summarized: "You need to work on your files better in the future..."

Is the majority, sometimes angry, remaining calm? In any case, this is the instruction clearly given to elected officials. And beware of those who deviate from this path. Zohra Benedetto paid the price, she who voted against the deliberation ratifying the arrival of Monoprix on the site of the covered market ( read opposite ): "I worked in committee with Madame Delzers," she explained. Enough to trigger the anger of the mayor: "Are you against it? Go join the group over there [pointing to the table of Catherine Delzers and Bertrand Kieffer] . Go sit over there now. Do me a favor, because I'm the one who'll send you there otherwise. The pre-council meeting, it was useful to you!"

Atmosphere (repeat)…

And also

Fierce exchanges, certainly. But on topics that were sometimes worth dwelling on. Here's an overview.

The Banque des Territoires will finance 50% of the studies that should allow a development project to be launched on the Consacs sites, the station district, and Boulevard Frédéric-Mistral. All thanks to the Action Cœur de Ville program, whose agreement was renewed in January 2024. But Catherine Delzers sees the continuation of a residential neighborhood project that does not convince her, particularly in view of the situation of the businesses in a city center "that is dying." The mayor will respond that the national problem does not allow the deliberation to be called into question.

On the question of finances, the former deputy assumes a deteriorating situation: "When will savings be made?" Chantal Lassoutanie's response: "The budget is prudent and reasonable, the balance ratio is correct, we do not have exorbitant expenses and we benefit from funding that we will seek." Not enough to reassure Catherine Delzers: "Let the regulatory bodies prove me wrong."