Lattes : how can this town be on a French stamp ?

An unexpected stamp begins the topical collection about the French commune of Lattes. Issued for a Stamp's Day in 1991, this stamp by Patrick Camblin is the second in a series about La Poste's activities : here, the mail sorting.


And, there, scrutinizing the newly bought stamp with my 13-year old eyes, the big surprise : the letter on the stamp has got an another stamp on it and a postal code. It is the 2,50 franc about the Winter Olympic Games of 1992, in Albertville, isued 9 February 1990.

The postal code was the biggest surprise : "34970 LATTES" was the city where I lived at that time !

Why this choice ? Did the artist have a bond with Lattes ? Did the minister of the Industry want to please the mayor ? This is the minister that signed the philatelic program in France.

Let's follow the second hypothesis : the mayor then is Michel Vaillat (UDF member, right aisle) and second-in-succession of Willy Diméglio, member of Parliament from 1986 to 1997. However, between 1988 and 1991, the minister is Roger Fauroux in the leftist government of Michel Rocard. Perhaps, the link I am looking for is with La Poste president : Gérard Delage appointed in 1986 by a rightist government, or his sucessor in 1989 Yves Cousquer ?

Simplier : am I paranoïac ? La Post simply just pick one of the thousands of post code ?

The scan I show you is extract from a First Day Cover stamped in Montpellier, the big city next-to Lattes.

Note of Sunday 16 October 2016:
This article, a little bit rewritten from the version in French, was published this week as the second Monthly Item by the Montpellier Philatelic Association. The major change was that I may have found the link between local politicians and the 1986-1988 Minister of Post and Telecommunication Alain Madelin, a famous liberal* leader of the 1990s like Diméglio and Vaillat.

*: French note: by liberal as in "less State, more private entrepreneurship" and not a conservative.