“Very good boy”, “opportunist”… Who is the new president of the Franck Leroy region?

And happy birthday! With a day’s delay, the elected officials of the Grand-Est (not all of them, huh!) are going to offer a nice gift to Franck Leroy. The future ex-mayor of Epernay (Marne), 60 years old since Thursday, should become this Friday in Metz president of the region. He will succeed Jean Rottner, whom he has been acting since the withdrawal for “family imperatives” at the end of December.

Who is this almost unknown new face on the scale of a territory which has just over 5.5 million inhabitants? “He is known in the Marne”, replies Charles de Courson, Les Centristes deputy for the 5th district of the department. The two are not very far apart ideologically. “He is a long-time political friend”, confirms the elected member of the National Assembly. “He told me recently that he had taken leave from Horizons (the party of Edouard Philippe). He is a moderate right-winger. »

Obviously not encarte therefore, but which knew several adventures. “I knew him at the UDI with Borloo, at the Modem, with the Republicans… He is brilliant because he always knows how to place himself in the current which will help to get him elected”, squeaks his former great opponent in Epernay, Jean -Paul Angers (Left Front). The two have faced each other several times in the municipal elections, for as much success for Franck Leroy.

The first time in 2000, the native of Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais) succeeded his former mentor Bernard Stasi. He had been the chief of staff of this local figure in the early 1990s, before being that of François Baroin in Troyes. All this while gradually taking on assistant duties, including the finances of the self-proclaimed “champagne capital”. Which he took the reins for twenty years therefore, resisting four ballots. Better still, the trained lawyer has regularly improved his votes with a re-election of more than 61% in 2020.

“He lives in Epernay like me, loves shopping there on Saturdays, we really can’t blame him for being parachuted in,” continues his former opponent, now retired from political life. Who even finds qualities in the new president of the Grand-Est… “He is an excellent communicator, especially on subjects that are close to his heart, such as sustainable development. We don’t do a lot of it, but we oversize advertising! »

“He will be able to bring the necessary stability to the Grand-Est”

The real compliments tend to come from people close to his ideas. “Everyone knows their working capacity. It is a guarantee of seriousness, combined with his sense of listening which has made him a president appreciated by the mayors of the Marne, “explains Arnaud Robinet, the city councilor of Reims and member of the party La France audacieuse (LFA ). “He is an experienced local elected official who is fully invested in the functioning of our region as first vice-president with structuring delegations for the development of the territory. He was a major architect of the 2021 victory and was therefore the natural candidate to succeed Jean Rottner. »

The mayor of Illkirch-Graffenstaden (Bas-Rhin) Thibaud Philipps thinks so too. He, too, vice-president during the previous term – and renewed this Friday – speaks of “someone with whom it is easy to work, pragmatic and with the concern of getting to the bottom of the files. Even his non-Alsatian origin is not a fault in a structure where there is often talk of secession! “We have already had the chance to have two first presidents from home (with Philippe Richert), it is normal for that to change. There will always be elected officials who will carry the voice of our territory and then it is perhaps not so bad that it is far from these considerations. »

“He will be able to bring the necessary stability to the Grand-Est where his Champagne origins will, in my opinion, be an asset to dispassionate the debates as to the scope and functioning of the region”, continues Arnaud Robinet, joined by Charles de Courson. “He represents well the political balance of the right and the center in our departments. He is a very good boy with character, courageous and honest. His position will not be easy. “Happy birthday anyway!

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