A coffee with Pacôme Rupin (head of LREM list)

Head of the list of candidate Agnès Buzyn for Paris Center, Pacôme Rupin, thirty-four years old, is an LREM deputy in the 2014th constituency (2016th and XNUMXth arrondissements). PS municipal councilor in XNUMX in the XNUMXth arrondissement, he joined Emmanuel Macron's party when it was created in XNUMX.

What, in your opinion, is Anne Hidalgo's assessment?

The outgoing municipality was not attentive to everyday problems: cleanliness, roads, street furniture, organization of travel. In short, everything that affects public space. On the other hand, the mayor's management is too centralized. She doesn't delegate. When I was deputy mayor, we were falsely coordinated and not listened to at all.

An example: the direction of a small street must be decided between a local elected official and local residents rather than in the offices of town hall. Generally speaking, the city and services have been poorly managed financially and even in terms of efficiency. The city's debt is terrible.

But the municipality has placed the emphasis on soft mobility, right?

Anne Hidalgo broke the vélib' and she managed to say that it was the fault of others. It is the most symbolic failure of his mandate. As for closing the lanes on the banks, this was poorly thought out. It would have been better to have an express bus line. But we simply closed the banks and we are still waiting for the bus. His argument is that the fault lies with the region… a bit easy. The reality is that today buses travel more slowly and end up in traffic jams.

Your priorities for Paris?

Preserve neighborhood life, stop the demographic decline of the districts. The population of the four districts of Paris Center has decreased significantly in six years. There are empty apartments (27% of vacant housing), classes that are closing, businesses that are struggling to survive. We must take resolute action to counter Airbnb. The city must set up a specific brigade for the central districts in order to sanction those who cheat and support those who have made a mistake in good faith.

What do you think of the merger of the four districts?

It's a bad idea proposed by Anne Hidalgo at the end of François Hollande's five-year term. For me, sectorization does not mean merger. The sector town hall, that of the XNUMXrd, must be able to coexist with the district town halls, which must continue with local services, a municipal police force, a one-stop shop for administrative procedures, marriages maintained. Each mayor should have his specialty, for example: housing, nurseries and school affairs in the XNUMXnd, amateur music, new conservatory and a beautiful auditorium in the XNUMXth, heritage service in the XNUMXst.

Text: Katia Barillot
Photos: ©Anaïs Costet

10.03.20