Former Brussels mayor steps out of party
Yvan Mayeur, who resigned as mayor of Brussels-City last month, has stepped out of PS, ending his political career in the capital
OCMW chair expelled from party
At the same time, Mayeur’s party colleague, social aid agency (OCMW) chair Pascale Peraïta, has been expelled from the party, also because of Samusocial.
Samusocial is the Brussels agency for the homeless, which Mayeur set up when he was chair of Brussels’ OCMW. When he became mayor, he appointed Peraïta to the post. It was discovered last month that the pair were paid thousands of euros in attendance fees for Samusocial board meetings they did not attend.
In his resignation letter, Mayeur described himself as “a socialist militant” who “always meant to work in the name of our ideals”. Samusocial, he wrote, had found shelter for thousands of homeless, while the council had created more than 300 jobs in the social sector. “I apparently made mistakes,” he wrote. “I regret that very much.”
It was further revealed last week that Mayeur had been collecting more than €26,000 a month net pay, which included his salary as mayor (€10,788), a premium paid to members of the federal parliament when they leave office (€9,810), his membership of the board of Vivaqua (€4,700) and his official salary as director of Samusocial (€1,575), not counting the controversial attendance fees.
“Quitting PS was unavoidable,” said Mayeur party colleague Rudi Vervoort, minister-president of the Brussels-Capital Region. “I am satisfied with what was a difficult decision for him. It was essential, for Mayeur as well as for the party.”
Peraïta, meanwhile, failed to show up to a hearing of the party’s ethical commission and was expelled from the party in her absence.
Photo: Jean-Marc Quinet/BELGA
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