Longsols, its approximately 120 inhabitants, its half-timbered church and its hopelessly empty mayor’s chair. This town in the Aube department has been without a councilor since October, following the resignation for health reasons of Guillaume Chesne, elected head of the town in the 2020 municipal elections, reports eastern lightning.
Last November, a city council met to try to name a successor. Without success, since the candidate who came out first in the second round, the mayor of Longsols from 2014 to 2020 Jean-Luc Wagnon, refused to return to activity. Like the candidate who emerged victorious in the third round, the details eastern lightning. A situation confirmed to BFMTV.com by Jean-Luc Wagnon, who acknowledges that there is “a concern”.
“We’ll see when the time comes”
The former councilor, who refuses to speak in more detail about the situation, is waiting “to see what happens on Sunday.” In the absence of a candidate for mayor, Longsols was forced to organize new municipal elections, the first round of which is scheduled for January 29.
“Three candidates have formalized their candidacy in the prefecture,” Jean-Luc Wagnon told BFMTV.com.
It remains to be seen if among these three candidates, one will agree to come to occupy the position of mayor. “We’ll see when the time comes,” sweeps Jean-Luc Wagnon. Especially since for a municipality of between 100 and 499 inhabitants, as is the case of Longsols, 11 councilors must be elected for a municipal council to be declared complete.
The Gers prefecture indicates on its site that “if the candidates have declared themselves, but in insufficient number”, it will be possible to wait for the second round since on this occasion new candidates can be declared.
Towards a merger with a neighboring municipality?
Therefore, the situation remains more than uncertain for Longsols. Contacted, the Aube prefecture recalls that despite the absence of a mayor in the town since October, it is the municipal council elected in 2020 that continues to deal with current affairs, more precisely the three deputies elected in 2020, who without However, they refused to replace the resigning mayor of Longsols.
In case of total impossibility to appoint a mayor, the legal provisions are provided. According to article L2121-38 of the General Code of Territorial Communities, the prefecture can designate a special delegation, made up of three members. “The powers of the special delegation are limited to acts of pure tutelary and urgent administration. In no case is it allowed to commit municipal finances beyond the resources available for the current year”, details the law.
In this case, new elections must be organized within three months. If beyond this date, a solution is still not found, there is only one solution left: the merger with a neighboring municipality.
Source: BFM TV
