2023-12-13 01:27:21
Jean Vila, second mayor of Cabestany (Pyrénées-Orientales) since the liberation of France in 1945, son of a Spanish Republican, communist councilor, leaves his seat this July 1 on the eve of his 80th birthday. Suffice to say that many of his fellow citizens grew up with this man.
With his qualification as a fitter, he worked in the largest doll factory in Europe based in Perpignan. In 1977, at the age of 35, he ran for municipal elections where he was elected mayor of Cabestany, a town of 10,000 inhabitants just next to Perpignan. Then he was elected to the department, the region and the National Assembly where he realized that “a deputy is useless. It’s an interesting experience, but not worth repeating, because we see how the political apparatus works.” He was rapporteur for the Chevènement law on intercommunality. Under the Jospin government, he defended the text on youth jobs in the Chamber: “They were real jobs where young people were paid the minimum wage”.
After 9 mandates where everything was created in the municipality since at the time, there was “not much”, he leaves his seat after 44 years and 100 days at the head of the city. He does not say he is worried about the future because it is his first assistant, Edith Pugnet, 49 years old, who will take up the torch. “All the conditions are met, it’s a collective choice and he’s the person best suited to succeed me,” assures Jean Vila
The now ex-mayor of Cabestany assures that he has no regrets, perhaps he will experience them “in 1 year”, or at least a form of nostalgia. He will still remain a municipal councilor where he will join the teams that manage town planning.
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