Meeting between mayors this afternoon in Largo Boccaccino, initiative of mayoral candidate Andrea Virgilio, with Laura Castelletti, mayor of Brescia, Kata Tarasconi of Piacenza and Giorgio Gori, outgoing mayor of Bergamo and candidate for the European elections for the Democratic Party.
Many topics were covered, in a conversational style discussion opened by violinist Lena Yokoyama and conducted by Giovanni Palisto, starting from the management of Pnrr funds: “It was an opportunity that administrations with great capacity were able to capture – he said Castelletti – Now the Government has begun to make cuts in current spending for administrations that have put resources into large projects”. Tarasconi: “If the government doesn’t transfer us the resources for educators and the costs of electricity and utilities, how can we make the nurseries work? If we don’t provide services, the citizen comes to us and doesn’t go to Giorgia Meloni. The Pnrr is a great resource but if we cut ourselves off it will become a big problem.”
Virgil then spoke about urban regeneration, important for the relationship between people. “It is in those spaces that citizens shape the city. The administration must be like a wingman, who accompanies the citizens who work for the city.” The relationship with trade is fundamental: “There needs to be co-responsibility in the management and maintenance of spaces on the part of the local authority and private individuals.” An example comes from Brescia, where public places in the nightlife area have made stewards available to manage noise problems.
For Gori, the suffering of commerce in historic centers is linked to the fact that some product categories have necessarily been supplanted by online commerce or shopping centres: “In addition to revitalizing public spaces and ensuring that they are beautiful and well-kept, in my opinion it was important work on tourist facilities. Where a haberdashery or shoe shop closed, a restaurant or bar has opened. I don’t know if it’s the right thing or the best, but this has certainly contributed to making the center more lively and beautiful.”
“On nightlife – said Virgilio – there is a night business, many realities that interact. A city is attractive if it provides young people with opportunities for study, work, but also free time. We need to reconcile.” On security, “the Municipality has an important function of protecting the territory through the local police, but security is a function of the State. The perception of safety among citizens is an important thing and must be accompanied: this is the part that the Municipality must do, supervise different contexts of the city and street education is also needed”. Virgilio then mentioned the case of cuts to the local police by the region and drew applause when he spoke of the efforts that local administrations must make to manage unaccompanied foreign minors with their resources.
Similar problems are highlighted by the mayor of Piacenza (“Why aren’t minors intercepted before arriving in our cities?): “We have a big problem with theft. The citizen expects you to do something, but the Local Police cannot replace the Carabinieri or the State Police.”
The meeting then ended with colleagues’ best wishes to Virgilio: “We are in a transition – said Gori – in which we outgoing mayors feel the need for continuity, but we also realize that there is a great need for innovation and fresh energy. The city has moved forward in the meantime, but it takes the ability to keep all the good things from previous years and put in new ideas and strength. I’m sure Andrea is the right person.” gbiagi
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