Alain Soriano has just completed thirty years of serving as deputy for culture and heritage. He spent eighteen years with André Saux and then Jacques Dary as mayor (1977-1995), before another twelve years under Patrice Gausserand (2014-2020) and Martine Souquet (2020-2026).
The Decazeville native laughs heartily when recounting his accidental entry into politics. In 1977, when names could still be added, the Saux list was in trouble after the first round. Jean Delmas came to get me. So, I was registered on the list between the two rounds. It turned out that some voters who had used the same ballot in both rounds did not have my name.
Another amusing story he recalls is from the 2014 election. “Someone rang the doorbell, a man I didn’t know presented himself: Patrice Gausserand.” Second surprise: the person asking him to become campaign director claimed to be sent by Jacques Dary, with whom Alain Soriano had a strained relationship since the 1995 triangular election that opened the doors of city hall to the Socialist Charles Pistre.
“I thought about it for three days and said yes. But looking at the list, I found that it lacked women with influence. I thought of Martine Souquet, who saw many people pass through the laboratory. I went to see her to ask her to join us.” In this varying quartet, relationships have evolved: Dary and Soriano are now on speaking terms like old comrades in a local political saga that few share, the bond with Gausserand has weakened, but for Alain Soriano, politics is not war, and above the current concerns, there is the invaluable heritage to be passed on, a task he has pursued in various ways.
Through the Society of Friends of Museums and Heritage (SAMPG) that he founded with Bertrand de Viviès (honorary curator) whom he recruited in 1988, through numerous writings during his years without an official position, making him the essential historian of the city. Alain Soriano has also curated major exhibitions (Icons of Minsk, Museum of Art in Beijing) and initiated numerous restoration projects, overseeing them like a construction manager: Saint-Pierre Church with its organ and altarpiece (1994), Museum of Fine Arts (1993-1995), exterior of Saint-Michel abbey (2015), dovecote of the Museum (2022). Along the way, the city has earned labels such as City of Art and History (2018), remarkable heritage site (2019), Gaillac, a stop for the Ways of Compostela (2025), and Ville en poésie (2025).
During this poetry month, there is an opportunity to read or recite Late Harvest, Resurgences, or Outbursts. Alain Soriano, who arrived in Gaillac by chance due to a transfer, has dedicated thirty years of passionate observation. The Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, appointed him Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters on February 3, 2026.
