This week we head to Bertrix, where we meet Mathieu Rossignol, who confirmed his absolute majority in the last municipal elections.
The residents of Bertrix therefore gave overwhelming support to the outgoing mayor and his team, securing a wide absolute majority with 62.46% of the votes, allowing the list to win 14 out of 21 seats.
Your list was called ‘Action 2030’. What are your ambitions for this new term and what actions do you plan to take with the College over the next six years?
Our ambition for this term is to continue developing and improving our municipality on several fronts. Together with the College, we have a series of priority projects to carry out, particularly in urban development, where we want to provide modern infrastructure suited to the needs of our residents.
We plan to build our new sports centre, a new Scouts’ House, develop service residences for our seniors, create a new nursery to welcome the youngest, and set up a community space for seniors, thereby fostering exchanges between generations. We also plan significant investments in improving and securing our roads and maintaining all our villages. The redevelopment of Place d’Auby and Place de Biourge, already under way, are concrete examples of these actions.
We also want to encourage the establishment of SMEs in our municipality.
We will continue to support and encourage our local driving forces, and we will maintain close ties with the population through monthly surgeries in the villages.
Finally, we want to invest in the energy transition to address environmental challenges, and many projects are already under way in this field (heat network under study, modernisation of public lighting, insulation of buildings, etc.)
Since 2006 and your first election, you have gone from municipal councillor to mayor, via first alderman. What made you want to get involved in local politics?
While it is a real investment, it remains true that this choice is above all a genuine passion. My political commitment began with a sincere desire to contribute to the well-being of my municipality and its residents. I have always been passionate about actively taking part in local life, because it is at this level that we can see the concrete effects of our decisions and daily actions.
As a municipal councillor, I discovered the realities and needs of our municipality, which made me want to do more. This first experience showed me the importance of every voice, every idea and every commitment to improving our living environment. Then, as first alderman, I was able to get more involved in the priority matters for our municipality, giving me a broader view of its development.
Becoming mayor is, for me, the culmination of a journey of dedication and closeness to citizens. My primary motivation is to serve, to defend the interests of every resident, and to ensure that our municipality remains a good place to live. As mayor, I strive to listen and meet everyone’s expectations, because it is together that we build the future of our municipality.
You have completed a full term as mayor of your town. What is your fondest memory, and more generally, what do you like most about your role as mayor?
My fondest memory as mayor is undoubtedly linked to the many projects that came to fruition during this term. There is a sense of satisfaction when a project reaches completion. It is these successes, where you see that the work really pays off, that leave me with the most memorable moments.
The Covid period, although difficult for everyone, also remains etched as a strong bond with the local driving forces and the needs of a population that is sometimes overlooked. The human dimension was a challenge successfully met under those circumstances.
And finally, we can’t talk about Bertrix without mentioning the Baudet'stival, which you help organise. When will the 2025 edition take place? When will you announce the first artists? Can we get a little exclusive preview? And the most important question: from when will our readers be able to buy their tickets?
I first want to point out that the Baudet’stival is a private organisation and is in no way funded by the municipality. The twelfth edition will take place on 11, 12 and 13 July 2025 at Place des Trois Fers in Bertrix. We should announce our first headliner next week, but the terms of the contract don’t allow me to reveal it exclusively here. We’re still working on the 2025 line-up and awaiting confirmation of a few big names. Ticket sales are expected to open next Thursday.