Marc Volpin: "The consent of the Craurois must be questioned again"
At the head of the "citoyens craurois" list, Marc Volpin is the manager of the domaine du Tian and a former lawyer at the Toulon bar.
He aims to win the vote of the 60% of abstainers to address issues that are not managed by the City and to give a voice to the Craurois. He answers questions from La Gazette du Var. After practicing as a lawyer at the Toulon bar, you are now a farmer in La Crau. What happened? Marc VOLPIN.
It is the farm that my parents built. I naturally belong there. I made the decision to interrupt my professional career when my parents needed me.
I am continuing the educational farm project, initiated by my father, and I can tell you that having been a lawyer is an asset for overcoming the paperwork. My professional path is actually full of meaning. Where does your commitment to the municipal election campaign come from?
MV.
It is not recent, since I was part of the current mayor's team during his first term in 2008 before continuing my studies. I remember, moreover, that at the time the mayor had given an interview in which he presented me as the youngest on his list. He also said that after three terms, one had to know how to pass the torch.
Despite his contradictory statements - since he is running for his fourth term -, Christian Simon is a mayor I respect. For his part, he did not wish to work with our team. That is a mistake that belongs to him.
I note this and move forward. What priority theme are you campaigning on? MV.
Nous avons voulu créer une liste citoyenne pour relancer la démocratie participative dans une ville où le taux d’abstention a été de 60% aux dernières élections municipales. Beaucoup se désintéressent du sort d’une ville où ils ne font que dormir. Pendant ce temps-là, la ville dépend des villes voisines pour la santé, la culture, l’éducation, l’emploi, les sorties, les maisons de retraite. Nous sommes devenus la cité-dortoir de la métropole, et ça ne va pas s’arranger car le maire annonce la construction de 900 logements pour 3 000 nouveaux habitants sous le prochain mandat ! Marc Volpin : « Le consentement des Craurois doit être réinterrogé »
We wanted to create a citizen list to relaunch participatory democracy in a town where the abstention rate was 60% in the last municipal elections. Many lose interest in the fate of a town where they only sleep. Meanwhile, the town depends on neighboring towns for healthcare, culture, education, employment, outings, and retirement homes.
We have become the commuter town of the métropole, and it is not going to get any better because the mayor is announcing the construction of 900 housing units for 3,000 new residents during the next term! What is your room for maneuver? MV.
Your question is very relevant since all of our competences have been transferred to the Métropole. We are currently adopting the latest local urban plan developed by the town hall itself. In the future, we will no longer have control over land use planning.
Suffice it to say that serious and influential elected officials will be needed to sit on the Conseil métropolitain. By leaving the vice-presidency of the Métropole due to his disagreement with the metropolitan president over the polyclinic issue, the mayor has isolated himself politically. Through this choice he made alone and without consulting us, he weakened our town.
Unlike him, I choose to consult the Craurois and to rely on the skills of my team. That is my greatest strength!
