There were many absentees among the lists of candidates called to compete on March 15. On very technical subjects, the present councillors found many points of agreement. There was no confrontation in this final council meeting of the term.
A city council meeting three weeks before the first round could have turned into a series of skirmishes. But it didn’t. Members of the serious (or list) who were going to face Martine Souquet were absent for professional reasons (Jean-Marc Aguerre, Gabriel Carramusa) or personal reasons (Christelle Hardy). The deputies (Marie Montels, Christophe Wattrelot, Elisa Gillet, Anthony Moussu) skipped the meeting. And those who were uncomfortable (Daniel Ribes, Claire Villeneuve, Laurent Squassina) remained silent.
Of the four lists represented around the table, only Thomas Domenech asked a few questions and risked two or three objections and abstentions reluctantly. Alain Soriano’s long intervention – the last after thirty years in office – on the reports of the “culture” and “heritage” commissions, put the council to sleep. For many, the tranquility of this late afternoon verged on lethargy.
Like a non-aggression pact
The agenda was quite technical, even dry: extension of the framework agreement “Small Towns of Tomorrow”, inventory of museum collections (verifying on site the condition of the property and its compliance with the inventory), awarding of compensations, agreements to make municipal employees available to the Syndicate of Sanitation and Drinking Water of Gaillacois, request for funding for the renovation of the Pichery pool (abstention from Thomas Domenech), approval of the Interacting plan for the replacement of 450 light points and 22 electrical cabinets, payment of advances to several associations.
The subjects did not offer much room for nitpicking, everyone seemed to be saving their energy for the upcoming debates. So the mayor went through the agenda without encountering any opposition. Martine Souquet had previously prepared the ground by thanking all the councillors “for their constructive participation despite our differences of opinions. We all expressed these differences with dignity and respect. We represented the population of Gaillac in a dignified manner.” And if the assembly could not vote on the Unique Financial Account (CFU) of the exercise, it was not their fault. The computer failure on the M57 document from the state services has still not been fixed. The technicians from the DGFIP have until June – the deadline – to resolve the issue. This technical failure likely avoided some clashes and contributed to the almost consensual atmosphere of this final council meeting.
