Chartres. Jean-Pierre Gorges, twenty years in office at the head of the city and looking beyond its borders

By Laurent REBOURS
Published on 28 Mar 21 at 9:30

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For his twenty years in office at the helm of the city of Chartres (Eure-et-Loir), the mayor Jean-Pierre Gorges (Divers Right) launched its own channel on social networks two weeks ago. Opportunity for him, with Chartres C’Vous, to afford an agora “without filter and without taboos” as he himself stressed and to develop more interactions with his citizens, in particular with an upcoming exercise on Twitch.

Recently featured in the ranking Cities of France-Mytraffic, Chartres comes in seventh national position in dynamic city centers. Something to rejoice the first magistrate, encourage him to continue, motivate him to conquer the six remaining places with the desire to make Chartres shine beyond the department.

For the former IT specialist, director of information services for a banking group, the construction of a city is like the architectural logic of an IT scheme with its continuous interactions.

To have twenty years … of mandate in 2021, what does that represent? Interview.

Twenty years to … bring projects to fruition

News: In twenty years, what has marked you the most?

Jean-Pierre Gorges: What is clearly the most striking is the strong mismatch that exists today between the duration of projects and the political duration. Taking advantage of a long time allows you to carry out what you have in mind, in a global way. I take the pole of the station for example, it was launched in 2004 and will end in 2024. It is necessary to be aware that today more and more possibilities of obstructions exist.

Twenty years to … leave the heart of the city

When you arrived at the head of the city in 2001, your priority?

J-P.G. : In 2001, I was really surprised to discover the dichotomy that existed between the historic cathedral area and all of the city’s neighborhoods. A real imbalance. The initial project was to capitalize on this cathedral with global influence and to operate the gradual transformation of the districts which surround the heart, like a flower. An image that I drew from the rest.

Twenty years to … win

You are used to being cash, especially with opponents

J-P.G. : Each day brings its share of conquest, developments. But in twenty years the duration of the projects has seriously lengthened. Too much democracy kills democracy! Having to justify yourself on everything, all the time, it’s exhausting. And this is also what we find at the national level, it disrupts France enormously and this is how we have Presidents of the Republic without record! Take Sarkozy, Hollande, Macron … they have no record.

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Twenty years to … build

From these twenty years, what projects do you put forward?

J-P.G. : It’s a whole whole, like C’Chartres or Chartres C’vous, a slogan that I found and which sums up the general idea of ​​a city for its inhabitants. Since 2017, we have delivered between 800 and 900 homes each year, which today respond to the urban exodus. For example, Orléans is 400 housing units. In terms of great satisfaction, I can cite the transformed districts, all the major facilities such as the media library, the nationally recognized nautical complex, the future administrative center, the business garden, the station pole … moreover I is currently negotiating direct Chartres-Paris services outside of the congested morning or evening beams.

Twenty years to … rethink social housing policy

Do you remember one or more strong moments?

J-P.G. : Frankly, the realization of all the great projects is very satisfying, but it is only technique in the end. On the other hand, I have a really strong moment in mind when, when I arrived in the city, I saw that, out of the 1,500 social housing units, there were very large families living in T4s. Where are the children going in this case? In the stairs, the parking lot … For fifty families with more than five children, I created, by grouping apartments, T6-T7 … up to T10 with eight bedrooms. I know what I’m talking about, I come from a family of ten children. Just by doing that we solved a lot of problems.

Twenty years to … go green

There were constructions, developments, what about green spaces?

J-P.G. : I want to go green! I’ll put bramble everywhere! I provoke, but rather than having large lawned areas, without anything on top, I will plant shrubs that will bring color throughout the year, such as roses for example. In 2001 there were 8,500 trees identified, today it is 11,000.

Twenty years to… have regrets?

Over these twenty years, do you have any regrets?

J-P.G. : No, apart from the fact that everything got very, very slow. When you start to function so heavily, you become decadent. Having to justify everything, our society has become deterministic. In the National Assembly, there were only five of us to reject the precautionary principle. It’s simple, it now kills all movement. Man, today goes to Mars, but isn’t there a risk of bringing back bacteria? For the least of the sites, these are years of harassment.

Twenty years to … think about the future

Over the next five years, what to expect in Chartres?

J-P.G. : We were ranked seventh among the most dynamic city centers in France. A ranking that makes me happy but does not impress me. What impresses me is the attractiveness of our city now, its tourism, all these companies that want to settle there, its dynamic and innovative business … The city center will become more and more peaceful with the elimination of traffic lights, favoring pedestrians, with even more parking spaces, the administrative center which will open in the summer, the town hall for its first municipal council in May, the On and Off festivals.

Twenty years to… rethink the Presidential election?

In 2017 you ran for President as an independent Republican candidate with your own movement La France c’est vous! also your program book … in 2022, do you feel like it?

J-P.G. : Ah, if I were president ! Frankly, when we see what we are going through right now, there is something to explode. Stop the Politics! A media library, a cinema, a station … are neither on the right nor on the left. The situation is really very serious, I want to yell when I see where our society is going. Within Nous Citoyens I was a candidate for the presidency, supported by Denis Payre. Then, for the Presidential, I missed sponsorships. I had the right profile, a local elected representative, from civil society, for the mixing of experiences as in my own family, against communalism! Our society is now totally split, people are opposed to each other, they are clearly in the process of bringing the RN to power.

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