Philippe Leonelli sets course for 2029
Running for re-election in March, Philippe Leonelli has set a clear horizon, aiming to complete the town center transformation by 2029.
It is with a vision turned towards the "long term" that Philippe Leonelli launched his campaign for the March municipal elections. Head of the list named "L’Énergie du Cœur", the outgoing mayor is not just seeking a new six-year term, but inviting the residents of Cavalaire to project themselves towards a historic milestone, the centenary of Cavalaire in 2029.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
To carry this ambition, he has surrounded himself with a team combining experience and new blood. The list, half of which has been renewed, includes 16 outgoing elected officials and 15 new faces from civil society. Among the loyal supporters are Olivier Corna, first deputy elected since 1995, Céline Garnier, and Philippe Vandevelde. "I receive this phrase as a demand: You will make a difference," declared the head of the list during his speech on February 14, insisting on the need to be "worthy and useful." Beyond the team's composition, it is the calendar that structures the project. The goal is clear: "100 years with you in 2029." For the candidate, this centenary must not be a simple festive commemoration, but "a moment of truth" when the municipality looks in the mirror to measure the progress made. The stake of this milestone is the delivery of the flagship project of the term. "In 2029, the first major phase of the Cœur de Ville will be completed. Not in pictures. Not as a scale model. For real," promised Philippe Leonelli. This involves achieving a major urban transformation, designed so that Cavalaire never becomes a "set-town" or a simple passing station, but remains "a town where people live, settle down, and grow up."
COMPLEXITY OF LOCAL MANAGEMENT
Building on his previous terms—elected in the first round in 2014 with 63.29% of the votes, then triumphantly re-elected in 2020 with 72.87%—Philippe Leonelli contrasts his "politics of work and consistency" with the "politics of noise." Evoking the trials faced, notably the health crisis that occurred just after his last election, he defends experience not as a privilege, but as "a guarantee" and a necessity in the face of the complexity of local management. Son of Paulin Leonelli, former mayor of the municipality, and a local child attached to his hills and "quiet mornings," the candidate claims an intimate knowledge of the area. From his past as a merchant, having managed the family nightclub from the age of 17, he retains a taste for effort and a refusal of the easy path. "I do not believe in the politics of the moment," he insists, preferring to build for future generations so that "our grandchildren can still recognize Cavalaire."
CAVALAIRE IDENTITY
"I am a child of this territory." It is with this visceral statement that Philippe Leonelli chose to launch his campaign. Born in Gassin in 1959, son of Paulin and Ginette, raised between a mother from the high Var and a Corsican father who arrived on the local beaches, Philippe Leonelli claims a deep-seated connection to Cavalaire. From childhood memories spent cracking pine nuts under the pine trees with his nanny Nelly Becker, to his start as a shopkeeper at age 17 in the family nightclub, the candidate poses a clear premise: to manage the town well, you must have it in your skin. This philosophy shines through in the composition of his list, "L’Énergie du Cœur." Although the team has been renewed, the common denominator remains local roots. An analysis of the profiles reveals a fierce determination to rely on those who have watched Cavalaire grow. Several newcomers thus display the mention "in Cavalaire forever." This is the case for Christophe André, 54, a merchant from a Cavalaire family for several generations, or Linda Bianchi, a 36-year-old real estate agent. This birthplace legitimacy is also found in Ken Baffico, a breakdance teacher, and Rémy Galleau, a high-level athlete. The same goes for outgoing elected officials like Céline Garnier, deputy mayor, or Sylvie Caratti, a fixture of local business for 44 years, who embody this living memory of the village. Beyond the natives, Leonelli's team gives pride of place to very long-term residents, refusing the logic of a commuter town or an artificial seaside resort. The average length of residence of his running mates testifies to a reassuring stability. We thus find figures settled since the 1970s and 1980s. Pierre Rio, outgoing councilor and former CEO, has lived in the town since 1975. Carole Delcroix, a civil servant and newcomer, has resided there since 1978, while Marie-Céline Huck- Burger, a neuropsychologist, has been present since 1981. Alexandra Pomaret, a business owner in diving, has watched the town evolve since the early 80s. This accumulation of life journeys allows Philippe Leonelli to assert that he knows "the worries people do not always dare to speak." This team is not there for political show, but to bring field expertise, like Thierry Aspinori, a retired gendarmerie major settled for 23 years, or Olivier Corna, elected since 1995.
Photos Alain BLANCHOT.