The first deputy mayor of Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, Dorothée Pacaud, should be elected mayor of this commune of Loire-Atlantique this Friday evening after the shattering resignation of Yannick Morez, early May, targeted by threats and violence from the far right. This 45-year-old teacher, without label, will be the first woman to take the helm of this seaside resort of 14,800 inhabitants.
The municipal majority had announced in a statement to rally around his candidacy after the resignation in early May of his predecessor (DVD) Yannick Morez after months of tensions around the relocation of a reception center for asylum seekers (CADA).
Target of threats, Yannick Morez had explained his choice to leave office after the "flagrant" lack of state support since the officialization, at the end of 2021, of the transfer of this center near a school in his commune.
VIDEO. "I will not go back": the mayor of Saint-Brévin heard in the Senate
The attacks on him culminated in the early morning of March 22 when two of the mayor's vehicles were set on fire in front of his home, whose facade was also hit by flames while he was sleeping there with his family.
See alsoThe mayor of Saint-Brevin, target of threats and attacks, has he been sufficiently protected by the State?
During his hearing in the Senate on May 17, Yannick Morez stressed that his deputies had also been victims of a smear campaign by the far right on the Internet.
"His courage" hailed by the opposition
Since the acceptance of the resignation of the mayor by the prefect, Dorothée Pacaud exercised the function of interim mayor. Mother of three children, never a member of a party, this professor of history and geography in college was elected for the first time in Saint-Brévin in 2014. Initially in charge of the environment, she became first deputy in 2017.
" READ ALSO "It is lamentable what happened... ": in Saint-Brévin, great excitement after the resignation of the mayor
Until now, it has been responsible for culture, heritage and twinning. "We salute his courage to take on this role," said Véronique Rey-Thibault, elected from the left-wing municipal opposition.
On February 6, Dorothée Pacaud had read a motion of the municipal council to support the action of elected officials within the framework of CADA. This text condemned the "unacceptable threats" against the mayor by "opponents of the project and their extremist supporters" and reaffirmed "the solidarity and support of the city in welcoming these people fleeing wars, persecution and injustice".
"Unlike others, she has a courageous attitude on this subject, in the continuity of the former mayor," said Véronique Rey-Thibault. The city council is scheduled to meet this Friday at 19:30 p.m.
