The municipal elections are rapidly approaching, and GiocoNews’ journey continues in the cities involved in the event scheduled for 8 and 9 June, at the center of a special published in the magazine currently in distribution (which can be consulted in full online at this link).
After Florence, we stop in Reggio Emilia.
Here there are seven mayoral candidates: Marco Massari, supported by his civic list, Democratic Party, 5 Star Movement, Action, Greens, Possibile and Sic, Socialist Party, + Europe and Italia viva; Giovanni Tarquini vying for the centre-right with the support of a civic list, FdI, FI, Lega; Fabrizio Aguzzoli of the Civic Coalition; Giuliana Reggio of Civic Alliance; Paola Soragni from Movimento per Reggio; Gianni Tasselli for React; Vladimir Sabillon of Bread, Peace and Work.
TARQUINI (CENTRE-RIGHT): “GAP, TRAINING AND PREVENTION FIRST” – First of all, Giovanni Tarquini answers our questions.
What are, in broad terms, your plans for Reggio Emilia?
“Reggio Emilia needs an important renewal in many different sectors. The project we want to carry forward covers all the city’s realities and embraces all the most well-known and relevant problems: safety and legalityroads and transport, parking areas, the resumption of commercial activities in the historic centre, the improvement of sports facilities in all areas of the city, including hamlets, the promotion of local specialties in the various production sectors, the care of sociality and of the education of young people, the protection of the elderly and much more.”
You could be the first mayor of Reggio not from the centre-left area. How do you deal with this challenge?
“The time has come for a change. The democratic system on which our country is founded requires it. Almost 80 years of centre-left government have led to a situation of inaction and unmotivated rejection of all good proposals that do not come from that area and which for this reason alone are not considered worthy of consideration. This is all wrong. And it is precisely because these are attitudes that prevent a healthy alternation and a consequent correct development of society. Proposing yourself at the helm of a project which, in the event of victory, will produce the historic effect of becoming the first non-centre-left mayor actually causes a particular sensation; is born from it a condition that makes the pressure even stronger and that makes the challenge more difficult, but which we must try to face with the best motivations and above all with commitment and seriousness, without looking at the finish line; by working head-on on people’s problems and needs to find new solutions, the result will come.”
Have you ever dealt with the fight against pathological gambling and the regulation of gaming activities? What is your general position on this matter? Is it better to invest in information or prevention, or to introduce time limits and distance meters?
“Pathological gambling is one of the most widespread disorders among adults. It causes a condition of psychological isolation and unhappiness, like any other form of addiction. We also know well that the same problem is very widespread today even in the world of young people, above all due to the morbid relationship that is established from an early age with smartphones and other technological tools that allow surfing the net. Personally I believe that information and prevention, consisting of teaching on the risks of the phenomenon, are preferable to the introduction of methods that physically prevent gambling. In this type of pathology, in fact, prohibition and inhibition more easily increase the desire to transgress and, consequently, the problem worsens instead of being resolved.”
The Government and the Unified Conference have opened a discussion table on the national reorganization of public gaming, with the aim of rewriting the rules. What should be the powers of the Municipalities in this area, given that there is also talk of introducing the sharing of territorial bodies in the profits deriving from gaming, could we organize information campaigns?
“It is known that public gaming allows the State to collect very high sums. Only rarely are the social damages that gaming addiction causes, the very serious psychological consequences and the financial devastation of people who find themselves imprisoned in the tunnel of gaming, highlighted. The prospect of Municipalities sharing in the profits deriving from gaming is, in my opinion, a wrong prediction, unless it is accompanied by a serious and concrete information companion on the very high risks for the person and on all the negative effects that gambling addiction can cause.”
SORAGNI (MOVEMENT TO REGGIO) – Concise but effective in her answers, candidate Paola Soragni.
Immediately after her candidacy, she declared “My goal in the next municipal elections? To become mayor and turn the city of Reggio Emilia inside out.” How do you intend to do this and what are your priorities in this regard?
“1. Legality cannot be ‘interpreted’, it must be applied! Also intervening radically in municipal administrative management.
2. For regular, safe, fairly paid work.
3. The environment is our home, let’s defend it!
4. Urban safety as a community social right.
5. We want a city suitable for disabled people.
6. Less concrete, stop land consumption, more trees!
7. Stop waste, clientele, malfeasance!
8. Facilities and resources for public health.
9. Peace, justice, international solidarity between peoples.
10. Love and care for our animal friends.
11. Total transparency, the Municipality is a glass house.
12. Health first, then profits: stop the proliferation of antennas!
13. Sport as a resource against youth deviance.
14. Our small local businesses before multinationals.
15. Direct participation of citizens in a shared administration.
16. Space for young people in their choices for the city and more space for young people.
17. Promote our local, healthy and zero-mile peasant agriculture.
18. Favour small local businesses, not shopping centres.
19. School as a full-time civic care of our children.
20. No to any form of social control in the city.
21. Iren is not a resource but a problem to be solved.
22. Intelligent mobility and surface metros.
23. Change and discontinuity to free Reggio from the Pd system!.”
And what, in your opinion, is the strategy to implement to combat pathological gambling?
“With my former party, the Five Star Movement (Ed.) we have had a resolution approved in this regard which is currently in force for the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, introducing with it the new gambling regulation (in June 2021, Ed.).”
What do you think of the hypotheses of reorganization of the physical game currently on the table and what should be the prerogatives of the Municipalities?
“It will certainly be the responsibility of the Municipality to intervene by monitoring the situation of gambling addiction, regulating and adapting regulatory discipline, and offering prevention and treatment servicestraining educators also in collaboration with the ASL”.
