The tension had been palpable for months, the conflict is now open within the municipal majority in Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle. As Southwest revealed, five elected, including two deputies, have recently resigned. They call into question the management of the commune**, the mode of decision-making, considered too unilateral.** Mayor Dominique Idiart recognizes certain problems, but affirms that he has made commitments to solve them.
The resigners point to a lack of consultation
The deputy mayor in charge of children, and school and extracurricular affairs, Paxkal Irubetagoyena, had already resigned a month ago. Four other elected members of the majority have just thrown in the towel, including the deputy in charge of finance and sport Céline Munduteguy. The mayor of the town says he was notified last Thursday. The resigners denounce a lack of coordination; “unilateral decisions (…) no information, no group work (…) we have no place because we are neither heard nor listened to (…) and again sometimes we learns in the street the decisions that have been made” lists Pierre Falière, resigning municipal councilor.
For two years we have not been consulted, we are there just to raise our hands in council – Nathalie Pourteau-Zamora
Dominique Idiart claims to have taken these remarks into account, for example by setting up open sessions to all municipal councilors every 15 days, so that they can express themselves. Obviously, that was not enough.
The majority elected officials who resigned recently sent an open letter to the mayor.
Projects that take time to complete
Another element that weighed in the balance for the assistant in charge of finance and sports, Céline Munduteguy: the lack of progress on certain files. The sports plain for example, to meet the needs of the population which has doubled in 30 years. The existing complex is too narrow, and it lacks a wall on the left for the ball according to the assistant. “It was one of his flagship projects, he ended up saying [récemment] that it was a project that would not start in any case before 2030” deplores Céline Mundutegy. Mayor Dominique Idiart understands that this slowness can be difficult to bear, but specifies: “The concretization of a project between the moment when there is a reflection and the moment when all the financing is acquired, it is unfortunately often long“.