Once upon a time there was Ada Natali, who in 1946 was elected the first female mayor of Italy in Massa Fermana. Once upon a time, because since then in the Marche, the tricolor bands with a pink background have remained almost a rarity, mostly relegated to small inland villages or towns with under 15 thousand inhabitants. A further seal was placed by this last electoral round which, for example, in the land of Natali – the Fermo – saw zero women elected to the position of first citizen. And in the end, the count of female Municipality seats is reduced to 30 out of a total of 225 Municipalities: one in every 7.7 won by the mayors. Already Valeria Mancinelli, the first and only mayor of Ancona from 1860 to the present day, had raised the alarm by explaining that it is not easy for a woman to manage to lead a medium-large sized municipality: «Women – she said – bear a large part of care work, not only for children but also for other family members. And housework. All this narrows the nursery from which champions can be born.” In reality, it is not even easy to make your way into decidedly smaller entities, crushed by a predominantly male-dominated politics.
Pesaro Urbino, progressive province: the mayors are rare pearls
It thus turns out that even in a highly progressive province, such as that of Pesaro Urbino, there are only 5 – five – female mayors (or mayors) out of 50 – fifty – Municipalities. All elected or re-elected in these elections. They are found in Belforte all’Isauro where Federica Battazzi is, in Borgo Pace with Romina Pierantoni, in Gabicce with Marila Girolomoni, in Montecalvo in Foglia with Donatella Paganelli and in Pietrarubbia with Assunta Maria Paolini. Everything else – which also includes centers such as Pesaro, Fano, Urbino but also Vallefoglia, Mondolfo and Colli al Metauro – is a monopoly of colleagues who never give up.
Macerata, look what’s happening
It turns out that instead, in a province that is more center-right in percentage terms like that of Macerata, there are 12 female mayors out of a total of 55 municipalities that make up the territory: of these, 8 are fresh from election or re-election. They are Giuseppina Feliciotti in Cessapalombo, Lorella Cardinali in Montecosaro, Angela Barbieri in Montefano, Sara Simoncini in Poggio San Vicino, Noemi Tartabini in Potenza Picena, Vanda Broglia in Sant’Angelo in Pontano, Silvia Pinzi in Serra Petrona and Rosella Sensi in Visso. But Cristina Gentili in Bolognola, Giuliana Giampaoli in Corridonia, Rosa Piermattei in San Severino and Silvia Bernardini in Ussita also govern.
Ancona tries but we are still far behind
The Ancona area has few women with the tricolor sash, 7 in 47 Municipalities, but it has a recent past on its side, namely Valeria Mancinelli (centre-left) at the helm of Ancona for ten years and a more than dignified present with the mayor Stefania Signorini ( centre-right) installed for the second mandate in Falconara Marittima, a town of over 25 thousand inhabitants. But there is also Daniela Ghergo (centre-left) in the populous and industrial Fabriano and Cristina Amicucci in Chiaravalle. If the ballot were in favor of Michela Glorio (who has to contend with Francesco Pirani), Osimo could also change the course of a story that has so far been entirely male. The elections instead brought Marisa Abbondanzieri in Arcevia, Sara Ubertini in Belvedere Ostrense, Federica Fanesi in Ostra and Debora Pellacchia in Serra San Quirico to the Town Hall.
The Fermano between black jersey and bringing up the rear
The province of Fermo rightfully takes the black jersey in terms of pink quotas. In this electoral round, 22 municipalities went to the vote and only mayors were elected. Out of 40 municipalities only three female strongholds: Altidona with Giuliana Porrà, Monterubbiano with Meri Marziali and Ortezzano with Carla Piermarini.
Ascoli celebrates the record (all-male)
In the Ascola area, where the record of the most voted mayor of the provincial capital in Italy has just been celebrated – namely Marco Fioravanti in Ascoli – the situation is truly sad. Three female mayors out of 33 municipalities: in Appignano there is Sara Moreschini, in Castorano the newly elected Rossana Cicconi and in Montemonaco Francesca Grilli.
Oh yes, once upon a time there was Ada Natali.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Read the full article at
Adriatic Courier
){kind=link}