Josée Massi, experience and proximity as assets
Josée Massi has made her municipal candidacy official to continue the transformation of the city.
RENEWED TEAM Josée Massi, mayor of Toulon since May 2023, launched her campaign today for the municipal elections to be held next March. In a letter addressed to the residents of Toulon and via a comprehensive digital setup, Josée Massi revealed her ambitions under the slogan "A mayor who acts, a city that moves forward". Claiming to be "without label, but not without convictions", she intends to unite beyond partisan divides with a single watchword: "My party is Toulon".
LOCAL ANCHOR A Toulonnaise at heart who grew up in the neighborhood of Bon Rencontre, she highlights her local roots and her professional career dedicated to social and community work. Before sitting in the mayor's chair, she served the municipality starting in 2014, first as deputy mayor for early childhood and education, then as first deputy mayor. A management experience that she wields as a guarantee of stability for the twelfth largest city in France.
"One does not improvise being the mayor of the 12th largest city in France, with a population of over 180,000. Yet I am the only candidate to have this management experience," states the elected official. She takes responsibility for the outgoing majority's record, emphasizing that local finances are healthy, with Toulon presented as "the second least indebted city in France in its category".
Toulonnaise de cœur ayant grandi dans le quartier de Bon Rencontre, elle met en avant son ancrage local et son parcours professionnel dédié au social et à l’associatif. Avant de s’asseoir dans le fauteuil de maire, elle a servi la commune dès 2014, d’abord comme adjointe à la petite enfance et à l’éducation, puis comme première adjointe. Une expérience de gestion qu’elle brandit comme un gage de stabilité pour la douzième ville de France. « On ne s’improvise pas maire de la 12ème ville de France, forte de plus de 180 000 habitants. Or je suis la seule candidate à disposer de cette expérience de gestion », affirme l'élue. Elle assume le bilan de la majorité sortante, soulignant que les finances locales sont saines, Toulon étant présentée comme « la deuxième ville la moins endettée de France de sa strate ». Si la candidature s’inscrit dans la continuité du travail engagé, notamment sur la transformation urbaine et l’attractivité, Josée Massi promet des évolutions. Elle souhaite incarner un équilibre entre la poursuite des projets qui fonctionnent et l’audace de « ruptures utiles ». Son projet s’articule autour de quinze points clés pour bâtir une ville « plus sûre, plus solidaire, plus verte et plus dynamique ». Parmi les priorités affichées figurent la sécurité globale, la transition écologique (« Toulon Verte »), la valorisation de la façade maritime (« Toulon Bleue ») ou encore la santé et le logement. L’objectif est clair : faire de Toulon une ville apaisée où « chacun trouve sa place ».
While her candidacy is part of the continuity of the work undertaken, particularly on urban transformation and attractiveness, Josée Massi promises developments. She wishes to embody a balance between continuing projects that work and the audacity of "useful breaks".
Her project revolves around fifteen key points to build a "safer, more supportive, greener, and more dynamic" city. Among the stated priorities are global security, ecological transition ("Toulon Verte"), the development of the maritime facade ("Toulon Bleue"), as well as health and housing. The goal is clear: to make Toulon a peaceful city where "everyone finds their place".
For this new mandate, the outgoing mayor announces she is surrounding herself with a "largely renewed" collective from civil society. She insists on a governance method based on listening and consultation, symbolized by the "Toulon et Vous" initiative aimed at strengthening citizen engagement.
"I want to unite all those who believe in an even fairer, more enterprising, and more peaceful Toulon," declares the candidate, who invites voters to meet her on the ground to defend a project she describes as ambitious but realistic in light of the budgetary framework.