Shortly after we arrived in our little French village of Quarante in the spring of 2014, we attended a ceremony in the town hall square. Maybe it was 14 July, what we would call Bastille Day. A wreath was laid. The volunteer fire and ambulance corps stood at attention as the Marseillaise was played. There was speechifying. And when it was over, Mayor Gilbert Rivayrand invited those assembled to share a glass of wine in an old chapel across the street.
Being new to the village, I decided to introduce myself to Gilbert. I stepped up, held out my hand, and said in practiced French,"Bonjour. Je m'appel Mr. Faro. J'habite à..." (I live at...) At which point, still holding my hand, Gilbert looked me in the eye and said,"Je sais ou vous habitez." (I know where you live.) Very matter of fact. A bit startling. But I guess that knowing stuff about everyone who lives in a small town is a mayor's job.
For all of the 12 years that we've lived in Quarante, Gilbert has been the mayor. We greet each other on the street. He asked us our opinion of the new caterer at a village affair. We've met once or twice to discuss village business. He's the only mayor of Quarante that we've ever known. And this year, he's retiring and a new mayor was elected just a couple of weeks ago. I thought that y'all might be interested in the process.
In villages of our size and nature, you don't vote for a mayor and a town council as individuals. You vote for a list, a group of 15 or 20 citizens who, as a group, would be responsible for the administration of the village going forward. The top six on the list become the town council and choose the mayor from among themselves. The list is put together and led by a person who wants to be mayor and, if the list wins the majority of votes, the members of the list chosen to form the town council are expected to appoint that person mayor. In our village, voters had two lists to choose from.
One list was formed by Loic Dété. A well-dressed, calm and confident retired administrator who was not considered a village native, having lived in the village for only a decade or so. Dété's campaign characterized Quarante as a village stuck in the past, a village that progress had passed by, a forgotten village. Finances had been poorly managed. Staff costs were excessive. His young, enthusiastic list would renew and re-energize Quarante.
Serge Ortiz was the principal of the second list. Everyone knew Serge. He had led the village maintenance team for decades. His sons were local businessmen. As expats on the outside looking in without the ability to vote, it seemed to us that Serge was the logical next in line. And Serge had the advantage of Dété's early entry, complete with a serious social media campaign and a glossy campaign handout, so Serge could pick and choose what topics seemed to resonate and what topics to avoid.
Beside the fact that Dété only had a slim chance in the first place, his assembly sealed his fate. Each candidate held a meeting in the village public hall to introduce themselves and their list. Dété went first, a couple of weeks before the election. His assembly was well attended by quiet, curious villagers, most of whom needed to be convinced. After going around the room to give each member of his list a chance to say hello, Dété projected a PowerPoint presentation and, with his back to his audience, read from the screen with occasional commentary. It couldn't have been more boring and less welcoming. Forgotten village. Needing competent management. The question period was not very friendly.
Serge's assembly took place just two days before the election, same room, twice as many people, completely different atmosphere. Handshakes and cheek kissing and a friendly buzz. During the question period, an attempt to bring up the negatives was met with boos from the crowd and a forceful response from Serge's second. Clearly, the election was already over.
Elections are held on Sundays, France being a purposefully secular country, one that encourages voting. Serge won 80% to 20%.
One more French election oddity to learn. Depending on the percentage of votes that the losing list received, the losers are entitled to a voice in the government. Dété will take the place of one person on Serge's list and have a voice, minimal as it may be. A French way of honoring the advice: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
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