by Elena Coatti
Four minus one. Once again the outgoing mayor decides not to engage with the candidates in view of the local elections. This time – perhaps the only one in the region – on the occasion of the traditional Rai political platform, a fundamental moment for citizens to understand the content of the various electoral programmes. Fabio Anselmo comments on his social channel as follows: “It goes without saying that Alan Fabbri didn’t show up: perhaps because to make your ideas known you first have to have them?”.
Concrete ideas and visions on the future of cities are those that emerged during the discussion broadcast on Rai3 on Tuesday 4 June, at 1.15 pm. Anna Zonari, Daniele Botti and Fabio Anselmo (in this order) expressed their respective solutions to issues such as safety, welfare, management of major events and tourism. We have a Zonari that is very attentive to the environment and to a city “tailored to women” and the most fragile categories. Botti focuses on the decline in the birth rate and the corporate desertification that afflicts the city and the consequent unemployment. Anselmo intends to revalue the work of municipal employees and return the most essential services to the most vulnerable citizens, blocking continued privatization.
All three said they were in favor of large events, but believe that they should be managed differently than has been done so far. It is necessary to identify suitable places such as the South Park “more convenient for motorway connections – explains Botti – and for traffic management”. So certainly no more events in the Urban Park, “a naturalistic area that must be protected” as Zonari states, and no more concerts in the historic center because they not only damage commercial activities, but also international tourism “which has dropped by 25%”, specifies Anselmo . Those who visit the city, in fact, cannot fully enjoy its monuments.
“Ferrara Arte was a famous brand all over the world – claims Anselmo -. Now it has become a franchise: it takes on sight unseen exhibitions which are also held in nearby cities. This makes us lose identity. We want a city that breathes and a free square. There is a need for careful and planned management and we want to return to being known in the world.” And he adds: “We cannot think that Ferrara lives only on large events and concerts must be financed by the companies that organize them and not by our taxes.” The citizen then also wonders how the increases in costs of up to 3 million euros for the Municipal Theater are possible since, he states, “we do not see the respective increase in the cultural offer for citizens”.
Finally, the long-awaited question to the three candidates: “What are the priorities in the first hundred days in the event of an election as mayor of Ferrara?”. Anna Zonari intends to establish a single department of urban planning, energy and environment aimed at managing climate neutrality by taking control of the PUMS, “paralyzed since 2019”. Then re-publicisation of water and waste by immediately starting a participatory process to start a public company at provincial level. Subsequently, insert more benches in the historic center and, in collaboration with Unife, create a Ferrara Lab Urban Center that enhances the students’ degree thesis work. Finally, establish thematic public assemblies “because we believe in participatory democracy”.
Daniele Botti, to deal with the birth rate and unemployment, wants to bring the Future Factor, i.e. “a criterion that balances the ISEE to increase the burden of children, thus having a positive impact on citizens’ pockets and family policies”. Botti would then ask the Government to create an urban free zone in the city “which is now essential to tackle corporate desertification” and, finally, to involve the petrochemical industry by valorising the Moretec technology “which we studied in Ferrara and then exported to Germany, not giving continuity to the research virtuosity”.
The discussion ends with the proposals of Fabio Anselmo, who “would immediately restore dignity to the Municipality’s employees, of whom 25% complain of mobbing and discrimination”. This would allow them to provide the indispensable service to businesses, surveyors, engineers and demographic services. The second priority point of the civic body is “returning the money to the people of Ferrara” who paid the extra profits from district heating. Finally, an urgent dialogue with credit because “we have a banking desertification which means space for organized crime, it means taking away the most essential services from the elderly who have no branches available”. He therefore proposes a credit table to “force the banks to reverse the trend” and to “give the people of Ferrara and businesses their money back”.
