Yves Juhel Elected Mayor of Menton

Introduction

On February 6, 2022, Yves Juhel was re-elected mayor of Menton after a four month period of political turmoil. The office had previously been held by Jean-Claude Guibal, who had governed for 32 years, or six terms, with tenure spanning from 1989 to 2021. In late October, the office was vacated by Guibal, who died of a heart attack at age 80.

Juhel, then the second-deputy mayor, was elected to succeed Guibal by the 35-seat municipal council on November 9, 2021. His candidature defeated Sandra Paire, then first-deputy mayor, by one vote. Juhel’s victory is considered controversial; one of his votes came from the Rassemblement National, a party labeled as extreme by many.

Further, Paire, as the second-deputy, considered herself to be the natural successor to Guibal. Following her defeat, she led a string of resignations from the municipal council, leaving it nearly one-third vacant. This was a calculated move, forcing the municipality to hold another election in the next three months under article L2122-8 of the General Code of Local Authorities. According to Fanny, a 36-year-old shopkeeper, there was chaos after the election. The town was divided over who to support, with many conflicting views expressed on social media.

Round One: A Strong Showing of Conservative Loyalty

After rushing to build lists by the January 13 deadline, Menton saw five competing factions: Collectif Citoyen Menton Autrement, Réconcilions Menton, Menton Avec Vous, Unis pour Menton, and Menton pour Tous.

Historically, Menton has been a strong base for conservative French politics, notably the party Les Republicains (LR). During this cycle, two lists — Collectif Citoyen Menton Autrement and Réconcilions Menton — ran outside of that label. Collectif Citoyen Menton Autrement, led by Marjorie Jouen, is a nonpartisan list seeking greater transparency in local governance. Réconcilions Menton, representing le Groupe Régional d’Europe Écologie, was headed by Stéphanie Loisy. Neither list made it past the first round of elections on January 31.

The second round of elections saw competition between the three conservative lists: Yves Juhel’s Menton pour Tous, Anthony Malvault’s Menton Avec Vous, and Sandra Paire’s Unis pour Menton. In the end, Juhel’s list won with 43.11% (4,722) of the votes cast. He was closely followed by Paire, who won 40.24% (4,408). Malvault received the remaining 16.65% (1,824).

Though the right wing saw a strong showing, it is important to note that turnout was relatively low, hanging at 50% of the voting population.

Important Issues in the Election

The 2022 municipal elections in Menton centered around three issues: youth life, urban planning, and security. Many citizens have expressed concerns about the economic difficulties that young people face in Menton. As mentioned by Frederic, a 41-year-old fisherman, the youth encounter a lack of affordable housing opportunities, need more aid in finding jobs, and more activities.

On this issue, Mayor Juhel has several plans. In an interview with the Menton Times, he said that he is committed to “preserving Menton” while creating more housing. He is also planning on making Menton a more active town by developing nautical sports, opening a nightclub, authorizing places to stay open later at night, and further developing Bastion. He also plans on creating a committee to focus on youth life in Menton and a job service to centralize employment opportunities for young people. With this, Juhel also hopes to revive tourism in Menton and attract younger populations.

On the issue of urban planning, many have expressed issues with traffic in town. Arlette, a retired 75-year-old, complained about traffic and parking, specifically the danger of speeding motorcycles. Juhel also has plans for this, hoping to expand the use of electric bicycles and charging stations.

There is also the issue of security. Many, such as Arlette, complained that the police do very little and that there is a general security issue in France. Juhel agreed, naming the issue first when asked about problems in Menton. However, his platform on this issue is very vague with few concrete plans.

Guib-oligarchy: The Role of the Guibal Clan in City Hall

Jean-Claude Guibal, the late mayor, had a 30-year career in office characterized by corruption and scandal.

Throughout his tenure, Guibal systematically spread his clan throughout important regional positions, with, according to Issey Bavarian, (Co-President) of Comprende la Mafia,“a family member in nearly every pertinent political body.” Guibal himself took part in this practice, heading the “communauté d'agglomération de la Riviera française” for 20 years. In addition, his wife, Colette Giudicelli, was Senator LP of the Alpes-Maritimes from 2008 until her death in 2020. She was also appointed deputy mayor by her husband in 1989, staying in the role for twenty years. Guibal’s daughter in law, Celine Giudicelli, remains the director general of the SPL ports of Menton.

Guibal’s time as mayor saw the eruption of numerous scandals. A 2016 complaint filed by the anti-corruption association, Anticor, accused Guibal of using public funds to purchase 20,810 euros worth of cigars between 2006 and 2009. This case was dropped such that it was “insufficiently characterized” according to the Nice prosecutor. Anticor has filed other complaints pertaining to issues such as the award of fraudulent contracts and favoritism. However, the validity of these claims is questionable. Though Anticor claims to be a “bipartisan” group, it is represented by the leader of the opposition Parti Socialiste (PS) in the Menton City council.

Furthermore, in July of 2021, the townhall, the headquarters of the local public office company, the ports of Menton, and the home of Celine Giudicelli were searched by local authorities. These searches were part of a larger investigation led by the Nice public prosecutor’s office over allegations of “influence-peddling, corruption, illegal taking of interests, and misappropriation of public funds,” with regards to the ports in Menton.

The Guibal clan is not the only actor that has been accused of corruption. In November of 2021, Olivier Bettati, former mayoral opposition candidate, was arrested along with 35 others in connection to a network of organized crime operating throughout the Cote d’Azur. The operation aimed to bring down Aurelio Garcia, dubbed the “Godfather” of the Cote d’Azur by Nice Matin, for his connection with criminal association, racketeering, extortion, running gambling circles, and influence peddling.

Also, as reported by Nice Matin, police accumulated hundreds of hours of evidence via microphones which were planted in bars and apartments across the region. These tapes revealed a number of racketeering projects, involving construction companies, along with intentions to “take over Menton: on its port, its private beaches, and its public market.”

Olivier Bettati found himself implicated in this investigation due to a member of his “Menton Demain” list: Carole Bacoue. Bacoue is the girlfriend of Jean-Laurent Comparetto, the lieutenant of Aurelio Garcia. In spite of this, he was released from prison after five nights and sources close to the investigation claim that the Menton aspect of the case is largely unfounded.

Same Story, New Actors?

Though many hoped that a new mayor in November of 2021 would mark a new era of Mentonese politics free from corruption and scandal, this has not proven to be the case.

After Juhel’s initial election in November, Menton saw an onslaught of corruption allegations. Juhel claimed to have witnessed two trucks removing 600 kg of documents from town hall to be burned. He also called for an audit on the town hall computer, which allegedly resulted in the discovery of an illegal email monitoring system. Both of these accusations are now under investigation by the Nice Prosecutor. However, after Juhel’s allegation of document theft, Sandra Paire noted, “Nothing has disappeared since all the files are computerized.” Paire has filed a complaint “for defamatory remarks in response to Juhel’s accusations.” In December of 2021, the investigation into missing documents from the Mairie progressed as three relatives of Guibal were taken into custody.

Going into the January election, tensions mounted. On January 27, an anonymous citizen attempted to have Anthony Malvault’s late registration canceled, accusing him of lying about his motivation for moving to Menton. Malvault registered his list after the deadline of December 24, in accordance with Article L30 of the Electoral Code which asserts that those domiciled in another municipality for professional reasons may register after the deadline. However, Malvault moved to Menton on December 31 and established his scooter company on January 5. He presented this evidence at a public hearing and was acquitted of all charges on January 28.

Following the first round of the election, Stephanie Loisy, the candidate for Europe Écologie les Verts, criticized irregularities, claiming to have noticed that “two ballot boxes were not sealed before the end of the vote and that an assessor was refused access to the polling station at 8:02 a.m.”

There were also two fires on January 30, election day. The parents of Sandra Paire reported a fire in the courtyard outside their ground floor apartment. Paire’s mother, Georgette, speculated that the fire was intentional, however, authorities maintain it was an accident. Hours later, the Roquebrune-Cap-Martin home of Anthony Malvault’s parents also caught fire. Though Malvault’s parents, residing on the lower floor, were unaffected, one of Malvault’s business studios was lost. The candidate stated “I really hope this is all accidental. But no lead is ruled out. It came an hour after the election results fell… And with the legal case for which I was summoned, this address — where one of my companies is domiciled — has circulated a lot.”

What is next for Menton?

This month’s municipal elections mark the first time that Menton has had a new mayor in over 30 years. Running on a platform of youth engagement and civic revival, Juhel’s tenure in office may bring desperately needed changes to the town. However, most of city hall’s staff are holdovers from the Guibal administration, calling into question the town’s ability to escape its patterns of corruption and scandal.