Tanguy Métaireau, smiling, with a restrained demeanor, does not seek to impose himself. He prefers to convince through coherence. “I got involved in politics at 19,” he says without emphasis, the day after the 2007 presidential election. Since then, the course has remained the same: that of a center that he claims as a complete political culture, a true philosophy. “I totally subscribe to this heritage,” he says, citing Marc Sangnier.
A center fed by Europe, secularism, liberty, and social justice. But above all, a center shaped by reflection on the place of religion in society. Holding two master’s degrees, he is now engaged in a doctoral research project on Emperor Julian, known as “the Apostate.” His thesis, which he conducts in parallel with his teaching career, is a direct illustration: “I work on tolerance and respect for religious denominations.”
As a history-geography teacher in Rennes since 2013, he has been building a dense political career in parallel. A candidate for municipal elections in Dinan since 2008 and then in 2014, he later became involved in the Breton capital, where he took on important responsibilities, eventually becoming the MoDem president of Ille-et-Vilaine from 2020 to 2024. A formative experience in his approach to public action.
Dinan, His Lifeline
“I am from Dinan,” he simply says. A short sentence that says it all. Childhood on Chateaubriand Street, a family home still in the landscape, strong ties. A former student at Cordeliers, he is part of a local history he has never left.
For years, his life has been split between Dinan and Rennes. But a growing realization slowly emerges. “Big cities, for me, are impersonal.” For a long time, his movements were constrained: “I am handicapped… I didn’t drive at first,” he explains. The license, obtained in 2019 after a challenging journey, opened up new possibilities, without erasing his attachment to the train.
The return is not a sudden decision. It settles in patiently. Through back and forth trips, weekends, being with his father. And then a turning point, almost intimate. “When Mother Pourcel burned down, I had the same emotion as for Notre-Dame… except I was alone in feeling it.” A moment of realization. “That’s when I said to myself: I’m not wrong, I am from Dinan.”
In Dinan, he also engages in more daily commitments. A table tennis player at Entente Dinannaise, he spends time with younger players in what he describes as a “very promising” club. Another way to stay rooted in local life.
Museum and a Thousand Years: A Story to Write
As a teacher since 2013, now a doctoral student, Tanguy Métaireau moves forward with a simple idea: to transmit. “Confronting the writing of history is a very enriching exercise.” When he accepted this delegation, he set a goal: “to complement culture and heritage.” Breaking free from compartmentalized logic, circulating ideas, giving meaning.
The museum project, the prospect of a thousand years of the city: challenges that he fully embraces. “These are topics that I see myself championing.” Because they allow for a different telling of Dinan, sharing a common memory. “I am very motivated,” he says.
A City for Everyone
His personal experience also informs his public action today. Accessibility is not just another item on the agenda: it is a way of thinking about the city as a whole. “We must take into account each person’s uniqueness.” Thinking in this way is about anticipating, adapting, and including. Without delay.
Tanguy Métaireau does not intend to advance with flair. He builds. And behind this simplicity, there is a clear line: to do politics without noise, but with rigor, ensuring that everyone in the city has their place.
