Placed on the table, his smartphone lights up from time to time.
In the middle of the afternoon, this Monday, Olivier Capitanio is late ... 80 messages.
The new strongman of Val-de-Marne, who succeeded with his team "Together to reveil the Val-de-Marne" to tip the last department of France into the hands of the PCF, has seen his popularity explode since Sunday evening.
The day after the victory, celebrated in an improvised way, the mayor (LR) of Maisons-Alfort, for another short month, and leader of the Republicans in Val-de-Marne, receives us in his office at the town hall .
In three days, he will become the new president of the departmental council.
Read also Departmental elections in Val-de-Marne: the right debunks the communists, the results canton by canton
The victory of the right is going down in history.
How did you convince the Val-de-Marnais to turn the page?
It is a long-term work, which has been done in stages.
The origin dates back to the municipal elections of 2014, with the capture of several municipalities.
A year later, the right and the center had a strong advance in many cantons.
But that hadn't been enough.
In 2020, the fact of having been able to conquer four new municipalities generated this change.
Some also note the influx of new residents.
We also learned from our mistakes in 2015. We were better prepared and the dynamics with the regional ones carried us.
When did you feel the department was within reach?
I felt a real excitement when the campaign started, sometimes with a form of tension.
There was also this lack of renovation in the project.
And then on the evening of the first round, in the cantons which could switch, the left, already united, no longer had any reserves of votes, unless a significant mobilization had come to the rescue.
It was not the case.
Was there any wear on the left?
In the opposition, I had time to observe the outgoing majority.
We could see that there was not so much renewal of projects.
Including in the program.
After revealing some of our measures, we found the same thing word for word.
And then a fracturing within the majority seemed to be emerging, with fairly sensitive divisions between groups or between individuals.
A word for your predecessor, Christian Favier?
We spoke to each other last night
(Editor's note: this Sunday evening)
, this Monday morning and we
'll
see you tomorrow
(Editor's note: this Tuesday)
to prepare for the transition.
Personally, I have respect and esteem for him.
We had issues of friction, conflicts of ideas but there was never any animosity.
We even had joint fights in defense of local public services, in defense of Orbival and the Grand Paris Express.
Are the right and the center ready to manage this department?
We have a large block among us who already have experience of the mandate, others are coming back like Jean-Pierre Barnaud (UDI) or Jacques-Alain Bénisti (LR).
These are elements of solidity.
The stakes are extremely high: 1.4 million inhabitants, 8,000 agents and nearly 2 billion budget.
Obviously, some will not make it easy for us.
But we are focused and will bring together the best skills.
Many of our elected officials are also mayors, with a fairly homogeneous establishment in the territory, who know how to manage an executive.
It is precious.
Has the executive already been decided?
We are in the process of exchanging.
But there is so much work and missions to accomplish that everyone will have their place.
There will not be too many talents.
The UDI will form a group.
Another group will be common for all the other elected representatives of the right.
What will be your first actions?
I am saving the announcement for my policy speech this Thursday.
The left said as early as Sunday evening "vigilant", fearing the dismantling of its public policies.
Do the Val-de-Marnais have something to worry about?
We manage municipalities in many sectors of the department and the inhabitants have no complaints, otherwise they would not have re-elected us as well in 2020. Obviously, there will be changes!
But always in compliance with the laws and with the will to give meaning, to bring responsibility both on the part of the community and users.
Unlike the antiphon repeated in every election, we are not here to break.
We have often supported public policies, such as the reimbursement of the Imagine R card which was an idea from our group, or the Améthyste package extended to seniors.
The Val-de-Marnais have nothing to fear.
And the agents of the departmental council?
Have you often felt that there were too many of them?
In recent years, we still had the same number of budgeted jobs but in reality, year after year, the number of filled jobs has deteriorated.
There has been a tense financial and budgetary reality since 2016. It is important to take stock of the situation so that the department can best respond to its missions, with the means at its disposal, to see if we can improve the organization.
So you are going to do an audit?
I don't like that word.
It has an inquisitive side.
We will take stock, through respectful social dialogue, as long as the desire for a useful public service in Val-de-Marnais is shared.
You cannot remain mayor of Maisons-Alfort.
How will your succession go?
It is a little difficult for me to leave the office of mayor. My political commitment comes from my desire to invest myself for my municipality. But I am not abandoning Maisons-Alfort at all, quite the contrary. I will remain fully invested in the municipal executive, the law allows me to do so, and I will be at the side of the person who will succeed me. His name will be chosen with the municipal team. I even think that a Maisonnais who becomes president of the department can be an asset for the city.
