Bergamo council, the bet at the centre: the technicians defeated by political reasons

When Giorgia Meloni read the names of her government in October 2022, she announced that Gilberto Pichetto Fratin would be Minister of the Civil Service. He rejoiced on social media, then it was discovered that there was a mistake in the list: his ministry was that of the Environment. Pichetto, impassive, took note and then rejoiced a second time. The moral is that when a government is formed, competence often ends up in the background, compared to political balances and one place is as good as another, as long as there is room. And this, on a smaller scale, can also happen for the council of a city like Bergamo.

Elena Carnevali, on the day of her proclamation as mayor, indicated competence as a fundamental criterion. The purpose was also honored for some important boxes: from urban planning with Francesco Valesini to social services with Marcella Messina, also possibly for education with Marzia Marchesi. But, in the days of negotiations for the formation of the junta, it was clear that there were other constraints that the new mayor could not escape when compiling the list. First, obviously, the weight of parties and lists in relation to the electoral results. Second, personal success in terms of preferences: hence the strength of Marchesi, but also of Oriana Ruzzini for the left-wing Futura list (pharmacist, going broke). And then the trust that the mayor showed in some people weighed heavily, first of all Sergio Gandi: not only does he remain deputy mayor and budget councilor, but he moves on to deal with culture as well as commerce. Quite a load for someone who eight months ago seemed to have one foot out of politics.

Then there is Giacomo Angeloniwho maintains some of the powers he is a veteran of (cemeteries, innovation, registry office), but he also finds himself managing security: one of those roles that exposes him to the risk of becoming a political lightning rod. Same risk for Marco Berlanda: here we have the highest relationship between the importance of the delegations and the electoral result (Bergamo Europea, on the ruins of the third pole, got less than 3%) and, even surpassing his most voted list colleague Paola Rossi, the philosopher-banker Berlanda wins the mobility department. He was on the Atb board of directors for 6 years and this perhaps helped him win the competition of a technician with decades of experience in the sector such as Gianni Scarfone. However, it does not seem to be a coincidence that, in the last hours of the conclave, the need to balance the Carnevali council at the center emerged.

And so today there are several councilors linked to the Catholic world, in its various expressions, inside and outside the Democratic Party: from the new councilor for public works Ferruccio Rota (Giovanni Sanga area) to Claudia Lenzini (Acli world, with delegations to participation and home), to Berlanda himself, heir to a Christian Democratic dynasty (the father was a senator). The mayor called the path taken to create the team the “Elena method”. You are certainly aware that on some issues (security, mobility, but also trade) the Gori years leave more than one open question that is not easy to manage. To do this, he relied on a council that was much more political than technical, especially in key roles. It is a method that, as long as everything goes well, guarantees compactness. Certainly, the mayor and councilors are also aware of the risks to which it is exposed when some cloud gathers.

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