Tradition has it that the mayor of Saint-Denis is appointed to lead the Follow the Arrow organization. Bally Bagayoko is challenging the surprise selection of presenter Stéphane Byrne and, according to Le Parisien, has not ruled out the possibility of legal action.
There are tensions on the border between the municipal majority of Saint-Denis and the Suivez la Flèche association, reports Le Parisien. In its July 28 edition, the newspaper reported that Saint-Denis Mayor Bally Bagayoko is challenging the election of Stefan Berne as head of the association that is renovating the spire of the city’s basilica. The council member “exposes serious irregularities in the election procedure” and may even go to court.
The mayor traditionally appointed the president
So what happened that the situation escalated to the point where on paper everything seemed relatively simple? Today is July 24th, Board of Directors Day. On the agenda is the extension of the post of president of the association, created in 2016. From this date, explains Le Parisien, it has become a “tradition” that the mayors of the municipality are elected to head the association. So the new mayor of LFI decided he would be next on the list. “This was not with the expectation of a surprise nomination from Stefan Byrne,” the newspaper reported. The surprise announcement was followed by a strong reaction from Bally Bagayoko, who decided to withdraw, “believing that “Mr. Patrimoine” was requested “including by representatives of the state.” Stefan Byrne was elected “unanimously by the votes cast” after the departure of the mayor’s supporters and the abstention of two council members.
Bally Bagayoko condemns violations
Bally Bagayoko didn’t stop there. Four days later, he announced that he had “instructed the firm to identify several violations of the association’s bylaws.” Irregular chairmanship of the general meeting, exclusion of two directors from the renewal of powers, conflict of interests when electing the chief architect of historical monuments to the board of directors… The list of complaints is long. The elected representatives of the majority then condemned “maneuvers leading to circumvention of laws, with the assistance of a few officials performing high functions in public administrations.”
The elected officials are categorical: they will not sit in this new cabinet and will remain “fully responsible for the decisions that Stefan Bern and his vice-president will henceforth take on behalf of the association, as well as for the consequences that may follow from them.”
Saint-Denis City Hall has not closed the door to legal action.
published July 28 at 1:00 pm by Emily Davy, 6Médias with L’Express.