2023-10-27 06:30:00
He was therefore able to count on a reliable team and, he says, on the unwavering support of his family. Of course, he cannot be unanimous among the 18,000 Marchois. “But I can give some advice to young mayors, and other elected officials, and that is not to go on Facebook or other social networks where a few idiots in search of fame take advantage of anonymity to criticize you. Don’t go there, it gives you an extra zest of zenitude. When you develop a city like we did in Marche, you can be sure to have a silent majority with you.”
His greatest pride is therefore not his age. “No, it’s the fact of having restored the feeling of pride in belonging to this communal land. As for the rest, I’m really not the type to act like a peacock.” The last time, he was elected, he says, by remaining in his chair. “My assessment is there. I was acclaimed despite the presence, in the opposition, of big names (Editor’s note: two ministers) that I appreciate but who were competitors.
He sleeps 5 hours but takes a nap
His secret to lasting? “It’s about loving my community, passionately. When I die, I will have him in my arms. You know, we think that Marche, with its beautiful statues, is a bourgeois town with a lot of money. This is not reality at all. In the south-eastern region of Belgium we have the most public rental houses. That’s one house in five. To find the funds, you have to put in place some famous engineering. We are fortunate to be at the crossroads of two major roads. The old national 4 and the 4 lane road towards Liège. Of the 18,000 inhabitants, 12,500 have paid employment, 1,500 are self-employed. I was talking about the status quo that we have never known. If we had done that, we would have stagnated.”
The mayor admits: he sleeps little. “I get up around 7/7:15 a.m. and go to bed at 2 a.m. I don’t need more than 5 hours and I’ll take a little nap in the afternoon.” Is he ready to come back for six years? “We’ll see, I won’t worry about that. We will first look at the results of our representatives in the legislative elections.” But, as long as his health accompanies him, he won’t say no…
Published on Thursday October 26, 2023 at 10:07 p.m.
In October 1994, the oldest mayor of Belgium at the time died, at the age of 83, on the eve of the elections. Rodolphe Sagehomme had been mayor of Jalhay for 47 years. He had decided not to seek a ninth term. The man still found himself on the list of “Communal Interests”. List he pushed. The day after his death, what was supposed to happen happened. As a tribute, many Jalhay residents voted for him. And it was he who obtained the most votes!
Published on Thursday October 26, 2023 at 10:08 p.m.
If André Bouchat is the oldest mayor in Belgium, Claude Eerdekens (Andenne) is the one with the longest mandate. Hold on tight to his mayoral belt, the man who is three quarters of a century old has been mayor without interruption since… 1972! That’s 51 years of good and loyal service. On the Flemish side, Jozef Browaeys, who no longer works today, was mayor of Horebeke for almost… 53 years (from January 1, 1965 to December 31, 2018).
On the side of the mayors still in office, on the Walloon side, we spotted a few, they will excuse us for this term, “dinosaurs”. Jean-Claude Debiève who runs Boussu is 78 years old. Gérard Couronné (Genappe) has one more. He is in his sixth term and has been mayor since 1989, 34 years and 10 months. But he has been in politics in Genappe for 46 years. In the same province of Walloon Brabant, Léon Walry (77 years old) has been the mayor of Incourt since 1986.
We continue our tour of Wallonia with Roger Kirsch (81 years old), the mayor of Messancy who, we learn, intends to run for a 5th term. On the side of Pairi Daiza, in Brugelette, André Desmarlières (77 years old) will no longer run. Which is not the case for Francis Dejon (72), the mayor of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, Maurice Mottard (Grâce-Hollogne, 72) and that of Francis Bairin (Trois-Ponts, 71). On the other hand, Benoît Friart (72, Le Roeulx) will throw in the towel next year, just like Olivier Deleuze (Watermael-Boitsfort, 68). What André Depret already did in April 2020, for health reasons, after 31 years at the head of Momignies. He was then 78 years old.
The oldest Walloon mayor was arrested in June 2018. This is Joseph Houssa. The Spadois was… 88 years old and had 36 years of active mayorship. The youngest mayors in Belgium are Dennis Fransen in Flanders (Pelt, 28 years old) and Arnaud Allard in Wallonia (Vresse-sur-Semois, 32 years old).
Published on Thursday October 26, 2023 at 10:08 p.m.
At the federal and regional level, there are some beautiful “specimens” left in old age. The best known is undoubtedly the Minister-President of the Walloon Region. Elio Di Rupo is 72 years old, 8 years older than his counterpart in Brussels, Rudi Vervoort. Among the federal ministers, Frank Vandenbroucke is by far the oldest: 68 years old. We haven’t pinned them all but here are a few who are of retirement age: Daniel Bacquelaine (71 years old on October 30), François Bellot (69), André Flahaut (68), Michel de la Motte ( 68), Jean-Claude Marcourt (67) and Jean-Pol Wahl (67).
Published on Thursday October 26, 2023 at 10:09 p.m.
They clashed at the end of 2020. Donald Trump, the outgoing president, was 74 years old. His challenger, Joe Biden, was four years older. The second had won on the wire, provoking the anger of the sore loser billionaire. The next presidential election in the United States will take place in December 2024. Everything suggests that we will be entitled to the same duel of the “elders”. The 46th president of the USA will then be 82 years old, the 45th will be 78. Ages when most Americans have been retired for a long time…
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