What first assessment for Grégory Doucet, one year after his election as mayor?



A historic election. A year ago, on July 4, 2020, Grégory Doucet seized the town hall of Lyon, thus ejecting Baron Collomb from his chair. Since his accession to the Town Hall, the ecologist has imposed a style and ideas that stand out singularly with his predecessor. The man, regularly accused of “Khmer vert”, divides. Deeply. But he assumes his positions, having even multiplied the controversial statements at the start of his mandate.

At the time of taking stock of this first year at the town hall, hostile remarks fuse. “Ideological measures”, “illusory democratic practices”, we hear in the ranks of the opposition. While he shares power in Lyon with Bruno Bernard, the president of the metropolis, Grégory Doucet remains the only one to face criticism, to take the blows. “His goal is not to be like everyone else,” Senator LR Etienne Blanc tackled during a press conference.

“There was in Lyon the emperor Claude, then Grégory Doucet”

“At the end of three weeks, he already had a big head, more than Gérard Collomb”, notes
in the columns of the magazine Marianne, Alexandre Vincent, the mayor of Rillieux-la-Pape and president of the LR group in the Rhône. “He’s very sure of himself, he doesn’t like criticism. To hear it, there was in Lyon the emperor Claude, then Grégory Doucet ”, adds in his turn David Kimelfeld, former president LREM of the metropolis of Lyon.

“Lyon has experienced a real break with its peaceful and moderate political history”, supports Etienne Blanc, thus referring to the first positions taken by the elected, such as his opposition to the passages of the Tour de France and the Patrouille de France in Lyon. Or his refusal to attend the religious ceremony of the vow of the aldermen on September 8, a tradition dating from 1643. The adoption of the gender budget and inclusive writing also raised many questions. Not to mention the (false?) Controversy over meatless menus in Lyon’s canteens.

“Grégory Doucet overplayed symbols for lack of being able to really implement his policy, analyzes Romain Meltz, political scientist, researcher and teacher in political science at the University of Lyon 2. The reality is that he was especially attached to manage the Covid crisis and resolve health issues during this first year of office. This delayed the implementation he wants for the city of Lyon. “” Grégory Doucet took the reins in the midst of a health crisis, which did not simplify his task, abounds the political scientist Daniel Navrot. It was difficult for him to launch a policy visible to all. “

“He methodically applies his program: drastically reducing the presence of cars in the city center”

“I think the shock for him was to discover the municipal level and its constraints, advance Romain Meltz. While he has always thought about ecology in its planetary dimension, he first had to come to terms with the reality of a city, meet the expectations of administrative agents for example, settle the heritage debt by repairing gymnasiums that take water or provide for schools that were missing. All of this takes away his ability to quickly leave his mark on the city. “

The measures taken so far do not prove to be “strong enough”, believes the political scientist. “We see it on pedestrian weekends during which only a few sectors are concerned. We are far enough from massive pedestrianization. In his camp, people consider that there is not enough rupture, argues the political scientist. And to continue: “Participatory democracy, moreover, has difficulty in functioning. As for revegetation, the measures taken aim to protect the inhabitants from the torrid effects of the heatwave. But it is not by planting trees in schools that we will be able to reverse climate change on a global scale. Managing a city is not the same as thinking about global action to prevent the collapse of biodiversity. “

However, according to Daniel Navrot, the mayor of Lyon has indeed started to “methodically apply his program” despite the importance of the files to be managed and the urgency of the health situation. “One of the central elements is the place of the car in the city. It is clear that in recent months, the decisions taken in all areas, including safety, aim to drastically reduce the presence of cars in the city. It is indisputable, he supports. The last example? The Guillotière district. The solutions proposed to bring back a little peace are to widen the sidewalks and to pedestrianize part of the rue de Marseille, to widen the Place Gambetta. These are all less places for vehicles… ”



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