Excerpt: The Renaissance of Chamonix

As the months went by the Savoie renaissance continued. The Savoie flags where flown, tourism continued to rise but at a slower rate. Gerard was so proud of the work of his wife Genevieve. James was invited to speak on occasion for his technical expertise. Among the big changes, however where fewer amenities and less English and other foreign languages spoken in the streets. The prevailing sentiments in the valley as well as neighboring areas of the Savoie was to have economic growth but in a sustainable manner. No unrestrained building. No blights on the mountainsides. This was mixed in with a strong desire for self determination. People began speaking of a Savoie autonome. Perhaps not independence, as splitting from France is really not realistic. But perhaps some type of special accommodation could be feasible. That is probably what many instinctively felt deep inside, but as of yet there was no known way to give these feeling voice beyond what was already done. As far as what mayor Genevieve was able to do, she was already doing what she could and only so much could be done for the Savoie without special protections from the French Government.