A coffee with Anne Lebreton (head of the list Cédric Villani)

Deputy mayor of the 2014th arrondissement in charge of the fight against exclusion and the elderly since XNUMX, Anne Lebreton, who entered politics late, has worked in the associative sector with parents of students, the homeless and women victims of violence. She is the head of the list for Paris Center on the Villani list.

What criticisms of Anne Hidalgo?
She does not know how to cooperate with elected officials who are not on her side. Paris is a capital where many buildings and infrastructures are not under municipal responsibility. The same goes for transport, which depends on the region. However, the mayor of Paris must be a conductor. Anne Hidalgo opposed the region and the government. She made Paris a fortress to the detriment of the inhabitants. Paris needs dialogue.

And his successes?
Anne Hidalgo has been proactive on sustainable development, which is an essential issue for the future. This voluntarism has created a sense of urgency among people. This is to his credit. On the other hand, the method is open to criticism. Take the example of double lanes for bicycles: the town hall has completed half of the promised cycle paths. We now realize that this is not sufficient during rush hours and very dangerous for cyclists. Another problem: she authorized unbridled scooters, without planning, without thinking in advance. This has created security issues everywhere.

Your priorities for Paris Center?
We must create a community of life in districts which have different histories. Paris Center is a variety of small villages, each of which wants to keep its specificity. Also, we are starting to lack doctors. One of my projects is to create a place intended for personal services, intended in particular for elderly or dependent people. This “common house” would be a small light medicine center.

Something else ?
Two heritage projects are close to my heart. It’s about preserving the memory of the neighborhood. I would like to transform the old Goldenberg restaurant into a small museum of daily Jewish life, modeled on the Tenement Museum dedicated to immigration in New York, on the Lower East Side.

The other project is comparable, but would be dedicated to the “Gay Marsh”, a fundamental component of our local identity. On the other hand, Cédric Villani harbors an ambition for the Île de la Cité which, with less than five hundred inhabitants, is a deserted place. He wants to set up a large research center, a university center on participatory democracy, on sustainable development, which would attract researchers from around the world.

Are you for or against pedestrianization?
Against ! I am very opposed to the total pedestrianization of the center of Paris. Very often this leads to desertification of the centers. Single activity sets in, food stores close, the price per square meter soars. It's a downward spiral. We saw the result at Les Halles, or rue de la Huchette, in the Latin Quarter: these are historic districts which have lost their character.

Why did you join Cédric Villani?
Because he is free, he is not in postures, rejection of the other, Manichaeism. He has a project and seeks to bring people together. And he wants to succeed by creating Grand Paris, where Anne Hidalgo failed. This project concerns Parisians and people who come to work in the capital. Cédric Villani has already started to meet the towns of the inner suburbs, he wants to expand Paris by extending the districts as has already been done in the past.

Cédric likes dialogue, he talks to everyone, that’s what makes him unique. He has a great ability to communicate, he does not see people as rivals, he is the opposite of someone sectarian. He thinks that everyone has something to contribute, he can talk to a right-wing mayor, to a left-wing mayor. He likes to break down barriers and he does it all the time. He takes good ideas wherever they come from. His mandate will be according to the rule of the 4Ds: Diagnosis, Decompartmentalization, Discussion, Decision.

In addition, Cédric Villani knows how to decide and referee. He will be an extraordinary mayor for Paris. He will have the ability to make you dream. He is cultured, hyper curious, with that touch of genius that makes him so interesting. He is interested in music, in singing and he is trying to get interested in football, with less success for the moment! But when he takes hold of a subject he doesn't give up until he understands.

Finally, last thing, Cédric Villani's profile is very international, which corresponds perfectly to Paris. Our capital is a world city that needs a person like him.

Text: Katia Barillot
Photos: ©Anaïs Costet

13.02.20