Jean-François Debat, the socialist mayor of Bourg-en-Bresse, is among the mayors invited by Emmanuel Macron for a day dedicated to mayors after the March municipal elections. As the president of “Villes de France” and a member of the association of mayors of France, Debat aims to raise concerns about the deteriorating relationship between the government and local authorities.
Martine Tabouret, mayor of Dompierre-sur-Veyle and vice-president of the departmental council of Ain, also plans to address issues affecting rural areas, access to healthcare, support for businesses, shortage of staff in schools during lunchtime, insufficient number of gendarmes in certain areas, digital divide, and the removal of funding for digital advisors. These are all issues that particularly impact small communities where extremist votes are on the rise.
Debat emphasizes that the rise of populism is rooted in the feeling of abandonment by residents who do not find in public services what they are entitled to expect. He wants the government to listen to their concerns. On the other hand, Laurent Harmel, the newly elected mayor of Oyonnax, is more skeptical about the opportunity for mayors to discuss local issues with the President during the event.
The day will include workshops with government officials from 3pm to 5pm. Debat and Harmel will participate in a roundtable with the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nunez, focusing on security in the territories under the theme “mayors on the front line.”
In the evening, an official reception will bring together all mayors, government members, and Emmanuel Macron.
