Cesena is getting closer to the vote and the discussion on Monday evening, in the “Peace Builders” meeting room of the Adventist church in Case Finali, demonstrated that there is interest and participation in the city. The four candidates who aspire to the tricolor band confronted each other on various grounds, it was the ninth debate (guarantees whoever kept the accounts) and it should be the last, on 8 and 9 June the people of Cesena will go to the polls.
A very warm audience on a fairly cool evening, the room was really packed, so much so that some even followed the debate from outside. There was some “intemperance” especially when one of the mayoral candidates, Paolo Sensini, spoke of a “health dictatorship” referring to the restrictions of the Covid period. Journalist Elide Giordani, who moderated the debate, reminded the protesters in a timely and appropriate manner that “everyone must have the opportunity to express their ideas, you have the power not to vote for him, but you must make him speak”. It was a four-way confrontation between Enzo Lattuca, the outgoing mayor and leader of the broad centre-left coalition; Marco Casali, centre-right mayoral candidate; Marco Giangrandi who leads the civic center and Paolo Sensini, the last minute mayoral candidate with the list ‘For Peace and the Common Good, Cesena alive and united’ which was born as a ‘projection’ of the No Fear Days which followed one another during the pandemic in Cesena, also having national prominence.
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Marco Casali spoke of the centre-right coalition as “a solid team with precise values, the five priorities are the safety of people, of the territory, mobility for all, support for the family and infrastructures, Lotto Zero of the Secant and connect Cesena at very high speed”.
Marco Giangrandi said that “our motto is ‘Citizens at the Centre’, because we want to change the method and put the transparency of the municipal administration and long-term planning at the centre, we must look at the next twenty years, not five “. Enzo Lattuca underlined that “our objective is to allow people to say that in Cesena people live better and better, the quality of life derives from many things, from quality work, from services to citizens. I think that the best support for the family is provide many services for children and the elderly. Our motto is never to leave alone those who have a need and cannot satisfy it on their own”.
Paolo Sensini immediately returned “to the health dictatorship we experienced, some questionable measures to say the least have decimated economic activities”.
During the evening the topic of poverty and the third sector was discussed and the four mayoral candidates illustrated their respective ‘recipes’. Lattuca underlined “the support that the Municipality gives to Caritas, to Cucine Popolari, to Il Barco, in 2023 we provided 440 thousand euros to third sector entities”. Marco Casali remarked how “the solidarity emporium in Cesena started five years late, we can say this”. Lattuca said that “exceeding the citizen’s income without providing an alternative has increased the problem for the Municipalities”. Cesena has around 70 homeless people who use the city’s dormitories, and there are 700 families under the care of the social services”. Sensini emphasized the fact that “the middle class is becoming increasingly impoverished”, pointing the finger at the directives of ‘European Union”.
Marco Giangrandi made a reflection: “At the moment in Cesena 800 people who, based on their income, would be entitled to public housing cannot have it. How can you say that poverty is being addressed, there are 1,500 families at risk of poverty and it is a enormity”.
A theme that always warms minds is that linked to the housing emergency, Casali remarked that “Cesena has a gap of 700 public housing units compared to Forlì, like it or not this gap must be filled” dusting off the proposal to use the former Peep of Sant’Egidio “we are not afraid of consuming land if it is needed to solve problems, it would bring 300 homes for the city”. Then the jab at Novello: “We’re talking about a project from 2007, we’re in 2024… and the Municipality has invested ten million euros as the value of the land.”
“Lies” was how Enzo Lattuca intervened, the Novello neighborhood always warms spirits: “We’re talking about an investment by the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, the Municipality only put in a piece of land which at the time was valued at ten million euros, but a piece of land close it was sold for 700 thousand euros so perhaps that valuation wasn’t so adequate.” On the subject of housing, Giangrandi took things further: “They told us that the Novello was supposed to be the solution, we went from 600 to 300 accommodations which today perhaps will become 100, meanwhile rents in Cesena have increased by 35%”.
Lots of irons in the fire, there was also talk of young people and youth problems, Lattuca underlined that “we tend to describe young people as reckless but perhaps the problem is in those who are getting older. Then there are also those who see fights when young people they are making a video on YouTube”, the outgoing mayor’s dig at the case that emerged a few days ago”.
But tempers heated up even more when Sensini returned to talk about “a healthcare dictatorship, the one in which young people were the most tortured”. A mini protest started: “We are here precisely because we don’t support your ideas”, some “shame on you!” also started. shouted from the rear, then Elide Giordani allowed Sensini to continue speaking”. “I see that for some, democracy is something difficult to accept, it means listening to other people’s ideas”.
Closing were the appeals to vote for the four candidates with Marco Casali for the centre-right reiterating that “the Municipality must take care of the fundamentals, the city is falling asleep because for many years those who govern have been crystallising the public sector to the detriment of the private sector”. Marco Giangrandi with his civic center invited people to “read the programs as well as listen to the people, ours is the only transversal project, trust us”. Sensini and his list For Peace and the Common Good, Cesena viva e Unita said that “freedom should be the priority and not accessory element, that freedom that was denied by closing people at home during covid”. Enzo Lattuca, outgoing mayor, closed the dispute: “If you think that in these five years we have achieved many objectives, we have fought, we have risen again, give us your support. We will fight for an increasingly inclusive Cesena, a city that does not close but it opens up to the world, a Cesena that is not asleep, we do not speak badly of our city”.
