It is necessary that I can restore truths: the president of Grand Figeac, Vincent Labarthe, does

Essential
The elected officials of Grand Figeac had a meeting this Tuesday. At the outset, re-elected president Vincent Labarthe made a clarification following the tumultuous installation session and various statements. The absence of the mayor of Figeac Philippe Landrein and his team was noted.

A week after a disrupted installation session due to the sudden departure of about twenty elected officials from the majority of Figeac, Capdenac-Gare, and Capdenac-le-Haut, the president of Grand Figeac wanted to address the situation before the second community meeting on Tuesday evening. “It is necessary that I can clarify the facts in front of you,” explained Vincent Labarthe, visibly affected by the initial challenges. He recounted the exchanges, proposals, and even the meetings that took place following the second round of municipal elections with the mayors of Figeac, Capdenac-Gare, and Capdenac-le-Haut.

“My openness was very clear,” stated Vincent Labarthe. He had multiple strategies in mind if re-elected. However, on April 7th, things did not go as planned. Despite being re-elected as the head of the community with 60.5% of the votes, Vincent Labarthe requested a suspension of the session to propose “three vice-president positions,” two in Figeac and one in Capdenac-Gare. He intends to nominate Guillaume Baldy and Stéphane Bérard as delegated councilors. “It’s my choice and I stand by it,” he emphasized. Christophe Pourcel, the mayor of Capdenac-Gare, left the council along with Philippe Landrein and Jean-Paul Monthioux. Labarthe pointed out this orchestrated departure. “We could have had an explanation […] The best strategy would have been to present candidates against the delegated councilors. But the choice was made to leave the room. Initially, I thought they were leaving temporarily. Honestly, I have a hard time understanding the choice made, but I respect it.” The absence of Philippe Landrein and his team, 16 elected officials from the Figeac municipal majority, on Tuesday was also “regrettable” for the president who now wants the Grand Figeac elected officials to “get to work.”

“We need to move forward!”

“Our territory is waiting for and needs responses to the challenges. There are many. We are in competition. We are here to do together what we cannot do alone.” The president of Grand Figeac hopes to turn the page on this eventful installation session. “What I regret is that we tarnished the image of our community, which in my opinion, didn’t need that. I am used to working with everyone. I was elected not to play politics but to lead a team. Despite the storms, despite what I might endure, I am determined to form a team with whom we will meet the challenge. Stop the political show, what matters is real life, everyday life. I prefer to focus on the effort and all that it requires […] We need to look ahead.”

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Applauded for his statement, Vincent Labarthe proceeded to the agenda, emphasizing the new governance pact. “I would like to propose a method. It will take some time before we can deliberate in December,” assured the president who expressed commitment to the sectors and the interest of the mayors’ conference. The proposed direction was widely approved by the officials (101 votes for, 1 against, and 3 abstentions).