Solagna, men in government and women in opposition: city council split in two (by gender)

OfFrancesco Brun

In Solagna, in the province of Vicenza, the city council is split in two by gender. The mayor: «The only candidate was not elected»

Males (in the majority) against females (in opposition). What happened to could be summed up with the title of Fausto Brizzi’s film Solagnain the Vicenza area, at the end of last municipal elections. For a particular combination what seems to be taking shape in the small town at the mouth of the Brenta canal is a City council split in two, but on the basis of gender.

Divided but by gender

On the one hand there is the majority, all maleled by the outgoing civic mayor Marco Stefano Bertoncello, confirmed with 46% of the votes. It is made up of Giuseppe Bittante, Stefano Boin, Sebastiano Bianchin, Maicol Scramoncin, Daniele Andrea Nervo and Sergio Nervo, from the «Together for continuity» list. Former majority councilor Laura Carraro is in oppositionhead of the civic «Ora per Solagna», which with 251 votes earned a place in the city council together with Vittoria Vettorazzo, the most voted on his list. Finally, again with regard to the minority, the candidate for mayor of the tthird civic by votes «For the Common Good Solagna», Marco Vanzo, has decided to give up his seat on the Council. Just as her most voted councilor candidate Daniele Nervo did and therefore she entered in his place Cristina Todescocompleting the minority, all female.

The reactions

For the second most voted mayoral candidate, this situation does not cause any fear, on the contrary. «The outgoing mayor presented a list made up of eight peopleand – explains Laura Carraro – he could have presented ten. The only one who did not join the council is the only female candidate. Now there are three women in the opposition, but there is no fear, on the contrary, yesI move forward with the utmost serenity. I believe that a woman should access certain positions only on merit, not because of female quotas.” According to Carraro, the situation in Solagna is “a bit blocked”: “We find ourselves in a municipality that has nominated a list made up of people representing various associations in the country and in fact we cling to what is there, for fear of a young man or woman entering the classroom. Solagna is a beautiful, distrustful lady, she takes a little longer than the others but she will get there.”
For his part, Mayor Bertoncello maintains that he could not have done otherwise: «We are only men in the majority because the woman we had as a candidate did not get enough votes, even if she continues to be part of the group. I only managed to bring one woman among all the inhabitants of the country, from this to getting her elected is another thing.”