Alain Joissains

Alain Joissains (born 30 August 1942) is a French politician. He served as the Mayor of Aix-en-Provence from 1978 to 1983.

Biography

Early life His father was a policeman. He started working as a cabin boy at the age of fifteen and as a stevedore in Toulon by the age of seventeen.

He served as the Mayor of Aix-en-Provence from 1978 to 1983. During his tenure, he lowered the local tax by 2%, increased the number of pocket parks and car-parks, and encouraged low-income inhabitants to purchase the council flats they lived in. By January 1983, as he was set to be re-elected as mayor with a 66% majority, but was then accused by the tabloid newspaper Le Canard enchaîné of embezzlement in order to pay for the construction of his father-in-law's house in Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon. He stepped down after he was accused of being paid too much for his position due to possible cronyism. However, his wife suggested he was paid as much as former assistants to the Mayors of Aix.