Constituencies of Palermo. The year was 1976, when the Italian State, acknowledging the requests for decentralization expressed by the ‘neighbourhood councils’, introduced the Circumscriptions of municipal decentralization. These organisms were introduced, in turn, in the 1960s.
In the administrative hierarchical scale, we could define the Constituency as the last link in the administrative chain. However, it remains the first in everyday life, embodying the needs and daily liveability of all citizens.
It is precisely within the District that participation, consultation and management of basic services are guaranteed.
Each individual constituency includes one or more neighborhoods with territorial contiguity.
Although they have a certain autonomy, they depend entirely on the Municipality.
According to article 17 of Legislative Decree 267 of 2000, constituencies can be established by municipalities with a population exceeding 250,000 inhabitants.
In almost all states, the territory is divided into multiple districts (the name of which can vary significantly from country to country) and there are often multiple levels of subdivision. The concept of Circumscription is linked to the concept of territory. The District may be identified with a part of this territory over which only local authorities exercise their powers.
The Circumscriptions of Palermo
Palermo has 8 districts that bring together historic neighborhoods of the city united by interests in territory, art and culture.
Among the competences of the constituencies, there is, first of all, that of guaranteeing and making accessible the activities pertaining to the constituencies themselves. Preparation of framework resolutions for the functioning of the District Councils. Another provision concerns managerial decisions for the reimbursement of charges relating to hours of leave used by Councillors. Again, the other concerns the managerial decisions for the payment of attendance fees, pursuant to law 30/2000 to the District Councillors. As well as the compensation paid to the Presidents of the respective Councils.
Constituencies and decentralization are a crucial political issue for the development of all large cities.
How much of this resembles the Circumscriptions currently in place in the Municipality of Palermo?
We talk about it with Dario Falzone, councilor with responsibility for decentralization of the Municipality of Palermo.
Costs of the boroughs of Palermo
Every five years, Palermo’s constituencies cost around ten million euros. Between expense reimbursement, attendance fees, salaries of presidents, deputies and councilors they reach stratospheric figures.
Can we make a more precise estimate and a more detailed cost analysis?
The costs of the last five years did not reach 6 million euros.
Real role of the Circumscriptions of Palermo
They should represent the first level in the dialogue between citizens and the Municipal Administration. But the constituencies of Palermo are still far from having the role for which they were born.
It turns out that’s how it is?
The Districts in the municipal organization are configured as institutional bodies of political-administrative decentralization and already today represent the first level of dialogue between citizens and the Municipal Administration as, in the territory, they constitute a point of listening to the needs/solicitations coming from the resident citizens in the 8 Constituencies.
The different problems represented by the territorial realities are discussed and shared by the institutional bodies of the Districts through acts of a political nature in the exercise of the proactive functions which are aimed at reporting/soliciting from the various sectors of intervention of the municipal bureaucracy activities aimed at resolving the problems reported by the citizens residing in the 8 Constituencies.
This institutional activity clearly represents a link between the requests expressed by citizens in the territories and the Municipal Administration.
Blank cards
Often, during the electoral rounds, the relevant ballot papers for voting for the district councilor remain blank.
It’s a sobering phenomenon.
How do you explain it?
Probably the citizen has not yet understood the importance of the role of the constituencies, focusing his attention more on the Mayor and the City Council which he identifies as the only actors in city politics.
Much, however, is due to the work on the territory of the constituencies and its components.
Young people
Young people need special support. To respond to their needs, we should work with schools, parishes and community centres, creating listening points.
The Municipal Administration develops projects in this sense within its competences.
For example, the civil service currently underway takes place within the Parishes, and public education implements initiatives aimed at young people.
However, much remains to be done.
Who saves the young
What place do young people have in the overall structure of the centre-right?
Certainly an important place.
I remember that our Prime Minister comes from the Party’s youth organizations and knows, because he has experienced them, what importance young people have in building the future of the country.
For every election campaign, a thousand candidates present themselves. In the last elections 1200 showed up. Aren’t 1200 candidates for 8 constituencies a bit too many? How do you explain these numbers? Is there really a desire to contribute to the common good or are we just looking for partisan interests?
Many of these candidates are young people who are betting on them and who intend to help build their future.
The numbers, however, are an indication of participation in public life, they are democracy.
Role of the Constituencies
What role should the constituencies have? What could the citizen expect from this which should be the first step of dialogue with a municipal administration?
It is necessary to highlight which implementation of administrative decentralization the activities and procedures which today are defined in the District Offices which provide for the provision of direct services to the citizen.
For example, we can mention those services provided for by the current regulation that are provided within the district:
Issuance and collection of hunting passes;
Issuance and collection of epigean mushroom collection cards;
Granting of maternity allowance;
Granting of housing hardship contribution;
Granting of extraordinary economic assistance;
Granting of regional child bonus;
Issue of disabled badges.
Furthermore, Decentralized Posts are operational in the Districts which are configured as decentralized demographic desks and have delegated competence in registry matters and in some there is a civil status desk, in addition to issuing passes to access limited traffic areas.
Relationship between entities
Considering that out of 8 constituencies, 7 are governed by the centre-right, what relationships are there between the two bodies? We can only talk about total collaboration and no opposition, of course.
The fact that there are no political conflicts does not mean that there is no discussion about problems and requests of citizens. Mayor Lagalla always pushes the councilors of the council to listen to the requests of the constituencies because they represent the needs of the territory. Is the dialogue system perfect? I cannot say this, because it is certainly a system that we try to refine every day with the aim of improving the levels of listening and efficiency in the constituencies.
Difficulty in communication
There is often a sense of helplessness on the part of councilors and district presidents who are unable to establish a bond with councilors or members of the municipal council. Is there an obvious communication difficulty between the various bodies at the moment?
I don’t think that’s the case.
There are probably many requests and needs in the area and, on the other hand, few resources to implement them.
The discussion is continuous and constructive.
Déjà vu
In your opinion, is there more déjà-vu or new faces in this election campaign?
As in every election campaign I have experienced there is always a generational change.
It is a normal change that often sees the emergence of new local political resources that bring new stimuli and renewed interest in solving the many problems.
