“Dear Gérard”. It is with this laudatory tenderness which will punctuate his speech that Emmanuel Macron opened the funeral oration of Gérard Collomb, who died last Saturday of stomach cancer. It was this Wednesday, November 29 around 11 a.m., in the nave of Saint Jean-Baptiste Cathedral in Lyon. A few steps from Place Bellecour which hosted the farewell ceremony for Édouard Herriot one day in March 1957, joined this afternoon at the Loyasse cemetery by “his worthy successor”.
To commemorate the memory of “the immense mayor and statesman” that he was, personalities from the economic, cultural, sporting and political worlds were legion. From Tony Parker, to Sylvie Tellier, via Bruno Bonnell, Richard Ferrand, Edouard Philippe, of whom Gérard Collomb was Minister of the Interior for sixteen months. But also Bruno Le Maire, Gérald Darmanin, Najat Vallaud Belkacem, or even Jean-Louis Borloo… Seated to the right of Elisabeth Borne, François Hollande, who has retained no bitterness towards the one who will nevertheless remain one of the first support of Emmanuel Macron in 2017. And the President of the Republic knows how much he owes to this old friend. “You changed my life Gérard”.
The privilege of unanimity
A few moments before the Head of State spoke, the mayor of Le Havre saluted the memory of a “humanist […] infinitely cultivated” and a “social democrat” who knew how to “remain free of path and mind”. This, always with “kindness”. And rightly so. Many of his political opponents also made the trip This is the case of the LR president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Laurent Wauquiez, who a few days earlier saluted the memory of “a great servant of his city and his country”. But also of the current mayor of Lyon Grégory Doucet, and the president of the metropolis Bruno Bernard.
Also on the guest bench, the mayor of Nice. Because although “from slightly different political horizons”, Gérard Collomb was for Christian Estrosi a “sincere friend”. Being alongside his loved ones on this day was “a duty”, confided the councilor. And to say that “Gérard” never failed to call him every time he came to his town. The two political veterans then had the habit of meeting at La Petite Maison, “chez Nicole” (the name of the owner of the restaurant, Editor’s note) where they shared a meal. Their last face to face was “a few months ago”. “I can tell you that we have said things about each other,” smiles Christian Estrosi. Emmanuel Macron summarizes: “such unanimity is rare, and it is the privilege of those responsible who have profoundly marked their era”.
Gérard Collomb “became Lyon made man”
Second city in France, but first in its heart, according to the testimonies of the highest executives of the State who “had the privilege and the honor” of crossing its path. Because if “this passion for Lyon was not immediately reciprocated, notes Edouard Philippe, (his) patience, (his) constancy, (his) talent” allowed him to “succeed in being loved”. To the point, after two decades spent at the Town Hall, of having become “Lyon made man”. The formula is from the president.
And legitimate, one might say. This “worthy successor of Herriot” was “a builder” who made “Lyon go from the status of sleeping beauty to sublime awakening”. And Emmanuel Macron continues: “a builder of economic projects, […] neighborhoods, […]of hopes for young people from the suburbs, […] experiences, […] of the future”. A visionary, he is referred to as the pioneer of urban bicycles, the famous “vélov'”, but also as the father of the climate plan. Enough to wrest from his successor the title of “first ecologist of the city of Gaul “. Grégory Doucet will appreciate it.
An iconoclastic style
Mayor, deputy, senator, and minister. This son of a housekeeper and metalworker father born in Chalon-sur-Saône in 1947 has nothing to envy of the new generation of politicians. When he entered the government as Prime Minister of State in the protocol order, Edouard Philippe, who met him for the first time, immediately noted his style, which stood out. This “aura” which reminds him of that of “the great figures who marked the Third Republic”, and which contrasts with “the younger ministers”.
Quickly, the tenant of Matignon discovered his “outspokenness which could detonate” and which he admits with amusement, “had paid the price”. However, he could have prepared for it. The exploits of the man the Lyonnais affectionately nicknamed “Gégé” were known to everyone. But “Gégé” wasn’t just that. He was also the one who, having just been appointed Minister of the Interior, did not fail to accompany his daughters to lunch on Saturdays at the Hard Rock Café. And who could spend hours discussing “philosophy” with his son. Or rocking out to rock’n’roll with your kids.
But even surrounded by his loved ones, Gérard Collomb never lost sight of politics, for which he devoted his life, and abandoned his passion for sailing. Arriving straight from Dijon, his friend François Rebsamen remembers a political sequence of which Gérard Collomb had the secret: “We were both members of the socialist group in the Senate, our relations with the government were very bad. I encouraged him to do this. that Lyon commits…” And the mayor of Les Gones belched: “If he doesn’t give me the 150 million that I asked for the CHU, I will never, never help this government.” In a nutshell, even after more than forty years of political life, “the lion still roars”.