This designation arouses strong reactions in the ranks of the opposition, which sees it as a move into political force. “The replacement of the general secretary of the CPAS of the City of Brussels gave rise to an astonishing vote“, denounces the local Ecolo to the City of Brussels in a press release. “The person chosen is in fact the president’s chief of staff (MR), while there was a more than competent internal alternative“, continues the local Ecolo.
Two candidates were indeed well placed at the end of the recruitment procedure. Pierre Verbeeren, former director of Médecins du Monde Belgium and current director general of social action, received four votes. The second candidate, Vanessa Issi, obtained eleven preferred votes among the CPAS advisors. The parties which voted against are Ecolo and the PTB.
For Ecolo Bruxelles, this designation poses a problem regarding the separation between politics and administration. “It is extremely unhealthy to move overnight from a purely political role to one which involves, among other things, being the guarantor of the legality of decisions. The general secretary must work in collaboration with the council made up of politicians, but also protect the political decision-making teams which turn out to be irregular. By thus blurring the boundaries between political power and administration, the majority structurally weakens the CPAS“, communicates the local Ecolo Brussels.
The PTB of the City of Brussels adds: “Vanessa Issi is not a neutral candidate. Municipal elected MR in Uccle, passed through several political cabinets, at the time of the procedure she was the chief of staff of the president MR of the CPAS of Brussels“. (Editor’s note: Vanessa Issi has no longer been a municipal councilor in Uccle since 2019)
A three-step selection process
A total of seven candidates volunteered to fill the position. The selection process took place in three stages. The first consisted of evaluating the applications by an external and independent validation center. At the end of this phase, only two candidates were validated.
The second stage involved the presentation of a strategic vision note, evaluated by Social Action advisors. “The CPAS Council then proceeded to vote, by secret ballot, as provided for by law, in order to designate the general secretary from among these two excellent profiles. The acting Secretary General informed the Council that the selected candidate was very convincing, since she obtained 11 votes out of 15. It is therefore a clear choice which goes beyond political divisions.“, reacts David Weytsman, president of the CPAS (MR).
David Weytsman denounces attacks
Faced with criticism from the opposition, David Weytsman denounces what he describes as recurring attacks. “This type of attack systematically comes up when a liberal woman wins a procedure. This is unacceptable“, he reacted. “The procedure was completely transparent. The winner was chosen because she excelled at each stage of the process: among the best in the external and independent assessment, first during the presentation of the strategic vision and the final vote by secret ballot, opposition and majority. The Council therefore did not “choose a person”, it recognized a background, incredible skills and a strategic vision. Any other reading is bad faith or a personal attack.“, concludes the president of the CPAS.
The date Vanessa Issi takes office has not yet been determined and could take several months. The candidate will also have to validate this appointment through a civil service examination process.
