Violaine Lucas Champions Health and Environmental Focus in Saint-Nazaire Mayoral Bid

Violaine Lucas, the candidate leading the “Ensemble soyons Saint-Nazaire” list, is prioritizing the health of residents and environmental concerns in her campaign for mayor of Saint-Nazaire. Her platform includes initiatives such as a “green budget,” a community health center, an environmental institute, and a commitment to 100% organic school lunches.

A Career Dedicated to Public Service and Advocacy

At 55 years old, Lucas is the sole female candidate in the mayoral race. For nearly three decades, she served as a French professor at the Aristide-Briand high school, integrating cultural experiences into her curriculum by inviting authors, translators, and publishing professionals. In 2003, she notably hosted Gisèle Halimi.

Lucas is as well the current director general of “Choisir la cause des femmes,” an association she joined as a volunteer in 2003. Beginning in 2005, she engaged in a European project comparing the rights of women and LGBTQ+ individuals across the European Union, aiming to identify and adopt “the best laws” from each country. In 2009, she pursued a master’s degree in criminal law, focusing her thesis on implementing public safety policies in a city of 70,000 inhabitants.

Political Experience and Commitment to Environmental Health

Lucas’s political background includes serving as an adjoint for delinquency prevention and public safety in Saint-Nazaire (2014-2015) and as a regional councilor (2015-2020) within the Socialist, Ecologist, Radical, and Republican opposition group. She later joined Place Publique and ran in the 2019 European elections.

A central tenet of Lucas’s campaign is addressing the concerning health disparities in Saint-Nazaire. She highlights a premature mortality rate for men that is 42% higher than the national average and expresses concern that previous area studies were insufficient to fully understand the impact of industrial activity on the health of workers and residents. She also points to pollution in gardens in the Méan-Penhoët area as a serious issue requiring attention.

Concrete Proposals for a Healthier Saint-Nazaire

Lucas proposes several concrete steps to address environmental and health concerns, including:

• Establishing sensors to monitor pollution levels throughout the Nazaire basin.
• Supporting a Citizen Institute for Environmental Health.
• Creating a site monitoring commission.
• Developing a public, interactive map of soil and water pollution.

Strengthening Healthcare Access with a Community Health Center

Lucas also advocates for the creation of a Community Health Center (CMS), modeled after a successful initiative in Batz-sur-Mer. The CMS would employ professionals directly by the city, aiming to alleviate the financial and administrative burdens on healthcare providers, thereby attracting more doctors and caregivers to the area.

A public meeting to discuss improving health in Saint-Nazaire is scheduled for February 24th at Immaculée.