«Who paid and how much did the electoral catwalk cost us?»

PESARO «Two years to find a few bucks and dedicate something unspecified to Simoncelli, two years to create a commemorative plaque for Pantani and not a monument even though the project had already been designed by the Mengaroni boys and now we find ourselves a statue for Pavarotti which would be cost 10 thousand euros.” The inauguration on Saturday afternoon of the work designed by Albano Poli did not really please the city councilor Emanuele Gambini, who recently joined the ranks of the League.

The questions

The councilor asks the Administration a series of questions: «How long have you been working on this project? Who thought that? Who paid? To create a statue like that of Pavarotti, 6 to 9 months are needed between design, mold and casting, which must be done on the ground and without counting the finishing.” Gambini is clearly angry also because, above all, he spent time and money from his own pocket to celebrate the Sic given that he financed the project without achieving great results, despite the green light from the Council.

«I also like Pavarotti’s statue – continues the League councilor – but I want to know why the other similar initiatives voted by the city council remained stalled while the homage to Pavarotti was entirely a matter of the majority. Not even a resolution on the spending commitment was passed in the chamber.”

Gambini also makes fun of the administration’s generic statements regarding the cost of the bronze statue. «They say 10 thousand euros, I simply maintain that it is absurd. With that amount you can’t even finish designing a work of this magnitude. I want to know who allocated the amount actually spent.”

Anything more than reasonable suspicion? «Of course, I have the documents: the work was entrusted directly to the Paci Costruzioni company. The assignment relates to the construction work of the foundation plinth (generally a reinforced concrete block in the shape of a parallelepiped) for the installation of Luciano Pavarotti’s bronze sculpture in Piazza Lazzarini. This for an amount of 8 thousand euros plus 1,760 euros of VAT for a total of 9,760 euros as per the estimate acquired on 18 April following direct negotiation. In practice, the base alone cost almost 10 thousand euros. The expense for the creation of the statue remains unknown.”

Even the parade on Saturday afternoon of mayor Ricci and deputy mayor Vimini (together with other members of the majority) was not the greatest loyalty for Gambini: «It’s incredible, 30 days before the elections they continue undaunted to grind out inaugurations, in defiance of all the rules. The truth is that they do what they want.”

On the sidelines, the social controversy should be noted: many did not appreciate the placement of the statue of Big Luciano with his back to the Rossini theatre. Online the reference was to the rear.

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