Photo: Unknown photographer (Collection Compagnie Delmas-Vieljeux) · Public domainIn La Rochelle, the council took a second round
Olivier Falorni has been mayor of La Rochelle since March 22, 2026, elected by the 47 members of the municipal council. At the March 2026 municipal elections, POUR LES ROCHELAISES ET LES ROCHELAIS won 36 of the 49 seats in the second round on March 22, 2026, with 43.7% of the votes. La Rochelle is part of the Communauté d'agglomération de La Rochelle.
March 2032
Councils are elected for six years; the council elects the mayor.
Register to vote ↗Throughout this page, the median in Charente-Maritime and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median.
What stands out about La Rochelle’s town hall
Decided in a second round
No list won half the votes in the first round, when 7 lists stood. In the second round on March 22, 2026, POUR LES ROCHELAISES ET LES ROCHELAIS came first with 43.7% and took 36 of the 49 seats; the other lists share the remaining 13. Who’s in charge ↓
Turnout below most communes
51.7% of registered voters in La Rochelle voted on March 15, 2026: lower than in 73% of compared French communes. The median of compared communes in Charente-Maritime was 59.1%; across France, 57.4%. 2026 elections ↓
More debt per resident than most
La Rochelle owed €90.8M at the end of 2025, €1,107 per resident: higher than in 74% of compared French communes (France median €748). That equals 69% of a year’s running costs. The commune’s money ↓
Results as the Interior ministry published them; accounts from the DGFiP via OFGL. Nothing here is graded.
The council the voters chose
Seats as the March 2026 results gave them, one dot a seat.
- POUR LES ROCHELAISES ET LES ROCHELAIS3623 community seats
- LA ROCHELLE UNIE75 community seats
- Une vision pour La Rochelle42 community seats
- GÉNÉRATIONS LA ROCHELLE AVEC THIBAUT GUIRAUD21 community seat
As elected in the second round, March 22, 2026.
The list that comes first gets half the seats; the rest are shared in proportion among the lists with 5% or more, the winner included. So the winning list always has a majority. The same vote gave La Rochelle 31 seats on the council of the Communauté d'agglomération de La Rochelle (community seats).
Source: Interior ministry, 2026 municipal election results (March 15 and 22), subject to corrections and appeals.
4 authorities share the work
The commune is the tier closest to residents; the intercommunality, the département and the région do the rest.
Births, marriages and deaths, the electoral roll, nursery and primary schools, local roads, planning permission, the municipal police, and what else the council takes on.
Mayor: Olivier Falorni · 47 councilors
The services its communes share: usually waste collection, economic development and planning documents; often water and local buses.
Social aid (RSA, care for older and disabled people, child protection), collèges, the département’s roads, and funding for fire and rescue.
Lycées, regional trains (TER) and coaches, economic development and job training.
Who to ask
The usual split of powers (service-public.fr); an intercommunality’s exact remit varies, so check its website for waste, water and buses.
Membership: COG 2026 (INSEE); intercommunality type: BANATIC, January 2025. What each tier does: service-public.fr.
From the mayor to the intercommunality
The officials as the Interior ministry’s register lists them, and the council by list.
- 1Mayorsince March 22, 2026Olivier Falorni
- 2Deputy mayors17 adjoints, elected by the councilFrédéric MilhietMarie DuboisFranck CoupeauIsabelle PenaudDominique GuegoTiphaine OerlemansJérôme PiquenotSéverine Aouach-Baverel+9 more
- 3La Rochelle municipal council49 seats by listPOUR LES ROCHELAISES ET LES ROCHELAIS 36 · LA ROCHELLE UNIE 7 · Une vision pour La Rochelle 4 · GÉNÉRATIONS LA ROCHELLE AVEC THIBAUT GUIRAUD 2
- 4Communauté d'agglomération de La RochelleLa Rochelle holds 31 seatsCommunity councilors are drawn from the council lists in the same vote.
Source: Interior ministry, national register of elected officials (RNE), August 11, 2026.
The 47 members of the La Rochelle municipal council
The mayor and 17 deputy mayors first, then the councilors.
| Name | Office | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Olivier Falorni | Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Frédéric Milhiet | 1er adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Marie Dubois | 2ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Franck Coupeau | 3ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Isabelle Penaud | 4ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Dominique Guego | 5ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Tiphaine Oerlemans | 6ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Jérôme Piquenot | 7ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Séverine Aouach-Baverel | 8ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Thierry Tougeron | 9ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Marie Refatti | 10ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Jean-Marie Digout | 11ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Aya Koffi | 12ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Stéphane Audry | 13ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Sophie Davisseau | 14ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Pierre-Emmanuel Henneresse | 15ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Nathalie Deau | 16ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Richard Billon | 17ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
Show the full council (47)
| Name | Office | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Olivier Falorni | Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Frédéric Milhiet | 1er adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Marie Dubois | 2ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Franck Coupeau | 3ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Isabelle Penaud | 4ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Dominique Guego | 5ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Tiphaine Oerlemans | 6ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Jérôme Piquenot | 7ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Séverine Aouach-Baverel | 8ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Thierry Tougeron | 9ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Marie Refatti | 10ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Jean-Marie Digout | 11ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Aya Koffi | 12ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Stéphane Audry | 13ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Sophie Davisseau | 14ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Pierre-Emmanuel Henneresse | 15ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Nathalie Deau | 16ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Richard Billon | 17ème adjoint au Maire | March 22, 2026 |
| Patrice Alary | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Soraya Ammouche | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Arthur Baron | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Christophe Batcabe | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Oxana Clech | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Léa Crestois | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Pascal Daunit | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Nathalie de Fruyt | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Brigitte Desveaux | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Nicolas Dubois | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Olivier Godin | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Ablaye Gueye | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Thibaut Guiraud | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Brahim Jlalji | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Diarra Khouma | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Sandrine Lantenois | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Sidonie Lassandre-Griveau | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Bruno Leal | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Océane Mariel | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Aurore Oliviers | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Sophie Pierre | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| René Robert | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Flora Ronchin | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Christine Roux | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Tiffany Roy | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Jean-Philippe Samier | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Maryline Simoné | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Maëlle Thivat | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
| Lydie Treilly | Conseiller municipal | March 22, 2026 |
Names and offices as the Interior ministry’s national register of elected officials (RNE) published them on August 11, 2026, written as it writes them. Public role only. Later resignations and replacements aren’t shown.
The council: same source as Who represents La Rochelle, above.
How La Rochelle voted in March 2026
7 lists stood in the first round; none won half the votes, so a second round followed.
27,828 votes cast for a list
28,388 of 57,067 registered voters in La Rochelle voted.
308 blank and 252 spoilt ballots, not counted in the shares.
29,166 votes cast for a list · no seats given out: a second round followed
29,497 of 57,095 registered voters in La Rochelle voted.
191 blank and 140 spoilt ballots, not counted in the shares.
Turnout, first round · March 15, 2026
Shares are of the votes cast for a list, leaving out blank and spoilt ballots. Lists in vote order; the colors only tell the lists apart.
2026 elections: same source as Who’s in charge, above.
La Rochelle spends €1,955 per resident a year
The commune’s consolidated accounts: main and annexed budgets, transfers between them removed.
Per resident, 2025 · against compared communes
Spending and debt per resident, 2018 to 2025
La Rochelle owed €90.8M at the end of 2025, €1,107 per resident, higher than in 74% of compared French communes, equal to 69% of a year’s running costs.
Show year by year
| Year | Spending | Investment | Debt | Debt in all |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | €1,955 | €355 | €1,107 | €90.8M |
| 2024 | €2,117 | €519 | €1,259 | €101.5M |
| 2023 | €2,413 | €844 | €1,279 | €101.4M |
| 2022 | €2,020 | €549 | €1,116 | €88.5M |
| 2021 | €1,792 | €387 | €1,114 | €87.2M |
| 2020 | €1,904 | €512 | €1,139 | €88.7M |
| 2019 | €1,999 | €539 | €1,086 | €85.4M |
| 2018 | €1,853 | €426 | €1,146 | €89.8M |
Source: OFGL, consolidated commune accounts 2018–2025 (DGFiP); 2025 provisional.
The 14th lowest debt per resident of 41 communes its size
The 40 compared communes nearest in population, debt per resident at the end of 2025.
Lowest: Issy-les-Moulineaux, €225. Highest: Levallois-Perret, €3,685.
Have a say in La Rochelle
French citizens register online or at the town hall; citizens of other EU countries can vote in municipal elections too.
service-public.fr ↗See where you’re registered and which polling station is yours.
service-public.fr ↗Council meetings are public; the agenda and minutes are posted at the town hall and usually on its website.
service-public.fr ↗Opening hours, address and phone number of the mairie of La Rochelle in the public services directory.
lannuaire.service-public.fr ↗Who can stand, how lists are formed and the deadlines, from the Interior ministry.
interieur.gouv.fr ↗What this data can and can’t tell you
- Mayors and councilors. From the Interior ministry’s national register of elected officials (RNE) as published on August 11, 2026: name, office and start dates, nothing else. The register counts a mayor as a councilor too; the page counts each person once. It isn’t a live roll: resignations and replacements after that date aren’t shown, and no party is inferred for any official.
- How the council is elected. Since March 2026 every commune elects its council from lists (a 2025 law extended list voting to communes under 1,000). A list with more than half the votes in the first round wins; otherwise lists with 10% or more can go on to a second round, where the list ahead wins. It gets half the seats, and the rest are shared in proportion among lists with 5% or more. The council then elects the mayor and the deputy mayors.
- The label beside a list. The political nuance the prefecture gave the list for the ministry’s results (Divers droite, Union de la gauche…), shown as published. It isn’t the list’s own description; many lists, most in small communes, have none.
- The commune’s money. OFGL’s consolidated accounts from the DGFiP, 2018 to 2025; 2025 is provisional. Spending and investment leave out loan repayments; running costs are part of spending. Debt is what was owed at the end of the year.
- Per resident. Divided by the DGFiP’s population for that year (population totale, which counts some people, such as boarding students, in two communes), so it can differ from the census figure elsewhere on the site.
- The medians. Beside the town’s figure, the median of compared communes in its département and in France (those with an overall grade). A commune’s spending follows its size and its role: one that runs a pool or a theater for the villages around it spends more per resident.
Questions about La Rochelle’s town hall
Who is the mayor of La Rochelle?
Olivier Falorni, mayor since March 22, 2026, according to the Interior ministry’s register of elected officials (August 11, 2026).
How many councilors does La Rochelle have?
The La Rochelle municipal council has 47 members, the mayor and 17 deputy mayors included.
Who won the 2026 municipal elections in La Rochelle?
POUR LES ROCHELAISES ET LES ROCHELAIS, in the second round on March 22, 2026, with 43.7% of the votes; it holds 36 of the 49 seats.
What was the turnout in La Rochelle?
51.7% of registered voters voted in the first round on March 15, 2026; the median of compared French communes was 57.4%.
When are the next municipal elections in La Rochelle?
Councils are elected for six years, so the next general municipal elections are due in March 2032. A council can be re-elected sooner if it loses too many members.
How much debt does La Rochelle have?
€90.8M at the end of 2025, €1,107 per resident; the median of compared French communes was €748.
Which intercommunality is La Rochelle part of?
La Rochelle is part of the Communauté d'agglomération de La Rochelle, which runs the services its communes share.
Sources: Interior ministry RNE, August 11, 2026 · Interior ministry, municipal results 2026 · OFGL consolidated commune accounts 2018–2025 · INSEE COG 2026 and BANATIC (January 2025) for the intercommunality. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.