Former helicopter pilot in the army: who is Thierry Tidona, the 1st deputy of Dorian Munoz in La Seyne?

Thierry Tidona, originally from Lyon where his family was settled, completed his high school in the capital city of the Gaules and then pursued a law degree at the university there. After obtaining his degrees, he joined the military, following training in Brest and the summer of Rochefort. Why this career path? “One day,” he explains, “I attended a conference by a fighter pilot from the navy; that was the turning point.”

At 21, he became a helicopter pilot in the navy and took part in several “confidential” missions, including in Lebanon in the 1980s. Nine years later, he left the military. “After facing difficult situations,” he says without elaborating, “I decided to stop; I had reached my limit. From those years, he believes he gained “a disciplined life, rigor, and an attitude towards others.”

From then on, he pursued a career in the insurance industry. “I became a general agent, then an inspector. And in 1990, I took over a firm on Avenue Gambetta, La Seyne.” After spending about twenty years there and enjoying “human interaction,” he shifted again: “I had the opportunity to acquire a craft business specializing in aluminum joinery based in Six-Fours. I managed it for nearly a decade, after which I met Dorian Munoz, and the commitment I was about to make to him was not compatible with running a business.”

Elected in Saint-Mandrier in 2008

His first concrete experience in politics came in Saint-Mandrier when he joined Jacques Esposito’s list during the municipal campaign of 2008. “I was elected in the opposition, but after the first year, I sat as an independent and then joined Mayor Gilles Vincent’s group. It allowed me to learn about how a municipality functions. I served on the urban planning, finance, and works commissions. It was enlightening.”

“I need to be under pressure”

In 2024, he met Dorian Munoz. “I discovered someone with a vision for the city. He has a real ability to work, and his youth is a strength. He is also very open, as evident from his team, with people from the right, center, and civil society. Besides, if it had been a list composed entirely of RN members, I wouldn’t be part of it.”

Thierry Tidona then sold his company and got involved in the campaign. “I could have retired, but I need to be under pressure,” he says. Why didn’t he join an LR list? “I was approached, but for me, it wasn’t possible considering the behavior of certain individuals,” he says without naming names.

“To combat overbuilding”

Did he negotiate his position as 1st deputy? “No, I didn’t ask for anything. It was only after the election that Dorian Munoz offered me to be his 1st deputy. I think it’s due to my strong personality, as well as my rigor and leadership ability when the mayor is unavailable. But always under his authority. I will never take an initiative without his approval.”

Proof of the mayor’s trust, Thierry Tidona is the deputy with the most delegated responsibilities, starting with urban planning. Among his priorities: “fighting against overbuilding: we no longer want to build haphazardly and aim to transform the city to make it more harmonious. We will act through new projects, following the mayor’s direction.”

Regarding the obligation to build social housing, “we will get closer to it as the city can no longer afford heavy penalties due to deficiency. We will work on renovation, construction, and putting vacant HLM properties back on the market. But we need a trustful relationship with the HLM office, where I sit on all the commissions, and I will seek a position on the board of directors.”

“The Metropolis shouldn’t play politics”

Meanwhile, Thierry Tidona sits on the urban planning commission of the Metropolis. He acknowledges that there is little room for maneuver since the TPM majority did not want RN mayors as vice-presidents. A decision that troubles the deputy from La Seyne: “The majority councilors say we are in opposition. But as far as I know, the Metropolis is not supported by a party. It is an inter-municipal cooperation public establishment that is not supposed to play politics. If the residents of La Seyne are bothersome, they should say so!”

Since his arrival at the town hall, Thierry Tidona claims to be fully involved: “I am at the town hall every morning from 7:30 am and only leave at 7 pm.” This commitment forces him to put his passion for sports on hold (he loves football, especially OM, rugby, and F1). For him, the term will be successful “if we realize the will of La Seyne residents who wanted concrete change, especially for schools, security, and cleanliness.”

Always an LR member

Thierry Tidona is no stranger to politics: “My father was a committed Gaullist and he passed on the political bug to me. I joined the RPR from its creation by Jacques Chirac, and I remained faithful to the UMP and then the LR. I am up to date with my dues.” Just like in 2014 when he filed a complaint in the Bygmalion affair related to overspending on Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2012 presidential campaign: “I wanted to know how it could have escalated to that extent.”

However, his election on an RN list has not (so far) affected him negatively. “I haven’t received a single call from the LR leadership,” he insists. And if he were to be expelled from the party, he does not plan to join the RN: “I remain loyal to what I have been for a very long time.”