Paris's Urbane Renewal.(profile of Bertrand Delanoe)(Brief Article)

Sitting in his campaign headquarters--a onetime cafe near Paris's trendy Marais district--Bertrand Delanoe lights a Davidoff cigarillo and contemplates the cities he adores: New York because "it's a melting pot," Los Angeles because "it's Latin," "fabulous" Rio, "contradictory" Cape Town. He loves "the great Arab cities," Marrakech and Fez, and "has a passion for Jerusalem." In short, the man last week's polls predicted would be the next mayor of Paris has a penchant for cities where cultures collide and produce a mix that is quintessentially urban. Delanoe himself is quintessentially urbane. Just the sort of man you might expect to find having a coffee in his quartier--not necessarily the kind you'd expect to lead a populist revolt.

But going into the first round of municipal elections over the weekend, Delanoe looked poised to do just that. If he wins the likely runoff on Sunday, his victory will come, in part, because he represents the ebullient and creative side of the City of Light. A socialist, he would head its first left-wing government since the legendary and short-lived Commune, 130 years ago. With French presidential elections scheduled for next year, Delanoe's victory would be a potent omen. His closest political ally, socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, is already campaigning unofficially to replace President Jacques Chirac in the Elysee Palace. The whole continent is watching. Yet, the French public and Europe's politicians are just beginning to get to know this lanky 50-year-old--who worked in Jospin's shadow most of his career--an understated sophisticate who is affably intellectual and comfortably homosexual.

British tabloids have run the inevitable headlines about gay paree. But given the discretion of the French press when it comes to politicians' private lives, one could ask why he publicly admitted his sexual orientation in the first place. Two years ago a ferocious political debate erupted in France over a socialist-backed law that gives unmarried couples legal rights equivalent, in many cases, to married people. In a society where heterosexuals are increasingly reluctant to tie the knot, such legislation was predictable. But because it also embraced gay partnerships the law raised a moralistic storm. "The only ones who fought against it were homophobes," says Delanoe, who fervently supported the law. "A television network asked me, 'Will you participate in a debate on the subject? Will you say you're homosexual?' I did. I ended the broadcast saying, 'I'd like it if nobody gives a damn'--and it's clear to me now that nobody does give a damn."