Hervé Petit, mayor of Corcelles-lès-Citeaux sentenced for sexual assault last November no longer has any municipal councillors. Two left well before this sex scandal at the start of their mandate, followed by three others a few months ago and the last nine who demanded his departure following this conviction -they- announced their resignation in a letter distributed to the inhabitants last Saturday .
This advisor who wishes to remain anonymous explains that this is not a political calculation but a matter of “morality”. “I believe that when you have an 8-month suspended sentence, a fine of 2,500 euros plus an entry in the register of sex offenders, you have to do something. And yet I was on his side, I was not in opposition.” That’s why this advisor decided to throw in the towel: “I don’t condone his actions at all.”
– Thomas Nougaillon
Benoît Renard, 50, was a municipal councilor during the previous term alongside the current mayor who was also a municipal councilor at the time. When Hervé Petit put on the scarf of first magistrate Benoît decided not to leave for 6 years on the municipal council. On his house he even posted a banner where one can read “mayor resignation”. “Certainly the laws authorize him to remain mayor. But I believe that on the one hand there are the ‘judicial’ laws and on the other the ‘moral’ laws. How can one dare to physically attack a young girl in a village and remain first city councilor? asks the 50-year-old.
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A petition is circulating on social networks
A petition is circulating on FaceBook to demand the resignation of the mayor 493 people had signed it this Monday evening. Claude, 85, is “one of the few inhabitants” he says again “greet the mayor”. Without giving his opinion on his work in the service of the citizens, Claude, who knew Hervé Petit when he was a child, said he regretted the deleterious atmosphere of the village. “In a small village, this event provokes resentment. There are old cases that come to the surface, there are people who settle old scores. It’s village life but it’s completely stupid and I wouldn’t want it to end badly, for a person to end up with physical acts”.
Hervé Petit, the mayor of Corcelles-lès-Citeaux had hinted that he would leave his seat as mayor at the end of December. Finally he prefers to wait for the holding of complementary by-elections and the appointment of new deputies and advisers to leave. “I would not do things that would block the system. In this case, I will resign from my post as mayor and in a second time – after the election of a new mayor – from my post as municipal councilor”.
– Google Maps
Should we still temper the mayor “that the municipality is on track”. It is necessary “that there is a team that is able to meet the needs of the municipality and in particular the safety of the agents” explains Hervé Petit who says he is particularly concerned “for pay” of its seven municipal employees. “I can’t leave them in uncertainty, it’s not possible”.
I will leave under conditions that ensure the future of Corcelles
Moreover, Hervé Petit explains that he has the support of“a certain number of Corcellois who came to see me (among them many old people from the village, who have been deeply rooted in the town for 40-50 years) to tell me ‘above all you are not going away’ (…) I was also told sentences like ‘it’s okay, you’ll hold on, you’re not doing stupid things?’ If I hold out, it’s for the town and for its agents. When the time comes, I’ll leave, but I’ll leave under conditions that ensure the future of Corcelles, which is not the case today, in my opinion. greatest regret.”
The Prefecture, which was unable to respond to our interview request, now has 3 months to organize these elections in Corcelles-lès-Citeaux.
Find our file of the day at 6:45 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. this Tuesday, January 25, 2022 in the 6/9 of France Bleu Bourgogne (98.3 or 103.7)