Start of a stormy mandate for Anne Hidalgo (PS).
Reelected in the midst of deconfinement, the mayor of Paris must not only face the health and economic crises linked to the Covid.
His second term of office also started in a particularly turbulent manner on the political level.
Girard's departure triggered a crisis
From the first Paris Council in July, his majority exploded over the controversial appointment of Christophe Girard as deputy.
After a protest criticized on the socialist benches for signs deemed insulting for the Town Hall, the Mr. Culture ended up resigning.
But this shattering departure has left its mark on the majority.
The Socialists, upset by the methods of the two elected representatives Raphaël Rémy Leleu and Alice Coffin who had mingled with the feminist demonstrators had crossed them from the organization charts of several Parisian institutions.
Today after many crisis meetings, the climate is calming between the team of Anne Hidalgo and her environmental allies.
The two elected have returned to their posts.
At what price ?
Are environmentalists committed to being less "turbulent" during the next sessions?
“There was no quid pro quo, we were simply asking for our due.
I am delighted that we have found a way out ”, welcomes Fatoumata Koné, the president of the environmental group in Paris.
A weakened alliance with the Regionals
The EELV deputy in charge of Transport David Belliard nevertheless admitted this Sunday in the JDD that the majority came out "weakened" by these cases.
A deleterious climate which the right hopes to take advantage of to weaken Anne Hidalgo.
The approach of regional elections should not help to pacify the climate since environmentalists will have their own candidate against the assistant in charge of urban agriculture, the former journalist Audrey Pulvar propelled by the mayor of Paris to lead this next battle electoral.
Especially since the subjects of tension are not lacking.
As the second round of municipal elections approached, Anne Hidalgo had made numerous concessions on urban planning projects so as not to compromise the union with her historic allies.
But all is not settled.
The Greens in a strong position
If the left is in the majority with 96 elected against 55 on the right, 5 MoDem and only 6 LREM, the Paris en Commun group which supports the mayor of Paris cannot do without the voices of environmentalists who did not hesitate to vote with the right to try to derail the project of the Triangle tower (15th century).
The Greens, who have twice as many elected officials as in 2014, still claim “their pivotal role”.
At the start of a new term of office, Anne Hidalgo's first deputy wants to avoid at all costs that the executive finds itself again in the minority on strategic projects.
“Emmanuel Grégoire told us that he wanted the files to be discussed within the majority before being debated in the Council of Paris.
He wants to prevent tensions from reappearing, ”says Fatoumata Koné, president of the environmental group at the Paris Council.
At least in public ...
Paris Newsletter
Every morning, the news of your department seen by Le Parisien
I'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to enable you to receive our news and commercial offers.
Learn more
It is a very nuanced score that the mayor of Paris will have to play in the coming months to, why not, establish a presidential ambition.
Subjects that anger
Arm wrestling over 5G.
In Paris, the deployment of relay antennas for mobile telephony has always been a subject of tension between the executive and environmental allies.
The arrival of 5G reopens the debate.
While Parisian environmentalists would have liked Anne Hidalgo to align with other mayors of large socialist and environmental cities and demand a moratorium on the subject, the mayor of Paris prefers to organize a citizens' conference to assess the benefits / risks of the arrival of this new technology.
"But the debates cannot take place calmly when at the end of the consultation the antennas will have been deployed", insists Fatoumata Koné, the president of the environmental group in Paris.
Green elected officials will submit a wish to demand a moratorium.
The future of the Lafarge cement plant.
This is the other topical issue that divides the municipal majority.
Hostile to the project to renovate and extend the facilities in the port of Javel (15th century), environmentalists demonstrated in early September in front of the cement plant at the port of Bercy alongside residents and environmentalists to demand the departure of the company or at best the abandonment of the project.
They also fought for the City to file a civil action against the company suspected at the end of August of having discharged into the Paris river a mixture of "particles of cement, treatment liquids and plastic microfibers".
The executive of Anne Hidalgo could be well isolated on this project in the Council of Paris since the right also asks for the abandonment of the project.
Urban planning files in the sights of environmentalists.
Under the previous term of office, the City's projects gave rise to extremely virulent showdowns.
After the Homeric battle of the Triangle Tower (15th century) in 2015, the future district of the ZAC Bercy-Charenton (12th century) shattered the majority of the left and environmentalists ended up getting the case to be overhauled.
They also won the battle over the controversial project to build 85 social housing units and a sorting center on the former Ménilmontant sports ground (11th century).
Environmentalists have also mobilized against the concreteization of the old railway wastelands of Ordener-Poissonniers (18th century).
They got the City to include a park in its project.
But "discussions are continuing on housing," says one in the entourage of Emmanuel Grégoire, first assistant to Anne Hidalgo.
Despite the desire displayed by the mayor of Paris to avoid areas of contention with his allies, environmentalists remain in ambush.
“We obtained commitments under the previous term of office but we will ensure that they are respected,” promises Fatoumata Koné, the president of the environmental group at the Council of Paris.
The ephemeral Grand Palais at Les Invalides.
While this 10,000 m2 building is being erected on the Champs de Mars, environmentalists are re-filing a wish that this project be suspended until all appeals against this ephemeral infrastructure are purged.
Will they put the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo in difficulty on this project?
“The mayor of the 7th district has once again changed his mind on the subject.
She has once again become an opponent of the project, we will perhaps have a majority to vote for our wish asking for the preservation of the Champs de Mars.
The renovation project of the Grand Palais has been revised downwards.
This ephemeral Grand Palais must also be ”, insists the elected ecologist Jérôme Gleizes