Nicola Battista, known as Nico, of the Democratic Party is the most supported councilor candidate in all the Bari municipalities with 946 preferences. Born in ’67, he is first in Municipality 1 (Torre a Mare, Japigia, Madonnella, San Nicola, Murat and Libertà). A result that rewards the method of those like Battista, who have been involved in politics every day at the service of the community for over 20 years. From 1999 to 2019 he was a district and then municipal councilor. The headquarters of Municipality 1 His second home is located in the heart of the Madonnella district, in the PD headquarters of Municipality 1 in via Zara.
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A result that stands out.
“It is the fruit of a consensus built through the resolution of daily problems posed by citizens. From public lighting to the installation of benches. From the trees of Corso Sonnino to the redevelopment of Piazza Madonnella. The next objective is to arrange the garden in Piazza Diaz. In recent years I have always guaranteed objective feedback. The votes obtained are the result of long political work of proximity, between the elderly and children I meet every day. I have always been active in Via Zara, the historic Democratic Party club.”
What campaign did you run?
“We set it up like we used to, banishing the virtual world. We organized meetings in people’s homes to explain what we would like to do. A method that went against the trend, which favored ‘face to face’. And I think it has borne fruit.”
And what did you tell the citizens house by house?
“That we will increase the greenery, create additional meeting spaces, redevelop squares and spaces for children and families. We will focus on interventions in sports facilities, which are lacking in the city, and which instead in a neighborhood like Japigia can take on a role of social recovery. And we would like to focus precisely on this area. A lot has been done for urban planning and transport but we still need to guarantee much more in the social sphere, for minors. They are the first ones who otherwise risk getting lost.”
Is there already a space you have in mind?
“One of our objectives is to get the football pitch near San Luca back into shape. And then we would like to entrust the management of the parish pine forest to a third sector entity to organize summer camps, because not everyone can afford summer sports courses or camps”.
When did you enter politics?
“I started between 1999 and 2000, the prelude to political change in the city, close to the transition from the centre-right to the centre-left. There was a desire for change because politics was blocked by the traders and builders sectors and neglected the lower middle class. Then with Michele Emiliano and Antonio Decaro the benefits of the center-left became tangible.”
What has been the line followed in these 20 years between the District and the Municipality?
“I worked thinking that politics is a service. If you don’t make yourself heard in the area, everything is ruined. There must be concrete, tangible signs of your passage. In recent years I have had benches with backrests installed in Piazza Diaz. First there were stone ones but the elderly couldn’t stay seated for too long. It was a huge success, because there are council houses nearby, which are too small. And so Piazza Diaz has become the garden of those who live in the area.”
What do you foresee in discontinuity with the Decaro administration?
“More greenery, more trees, more support. Antonio did a good job, but everything can be improved. However, we are waiting for the Costa Sud project to be implemented.”
Municipality 1 includes very different neighborhoods, how will you work?
“Network and teamwork. The method is to stimulate participation and involvement with all the parishes of the neighborhoods together with third sector bodies: they are the human front in the areas of degradation”.
