The new mayors
The new mayor of Pavia: “The Municipality must be in charge of the local economic system. Sport, youth policies and culture as factors of integration”
“I am deeply grateful to the city because it has given me so much: it welcomed me when I was 18, it allowed me to study: I graduated twice and obtained a PhD. Pavia has given me a lot but also in terms of life and career opportunities. I feel a deep sense of gratitude, culminating first in my mandate as a city councilor for ten years and then in my candidacy for mayor. I want to give back what I have had and I am available to the city.” Michele Lissia, originally from Calangianus in Gallura but resident in Pavia since 2000, is the new mayor of the capital of Pavia, having won in the first round with 53% of the votes at the helm of a centre-left coalition. Company manager in the healthcare transport sector, his CV also includes experience as a journalist for a local newspaper and study activities at the Regional Institute for the support of Lombardy policies where he dealt with the aggregation processes of the entities locals.
Knowing the city area well, Lissia has already identified the three priorities on which to intervene. “First we will do a survey of the ongoing projects, which ones we want to keep, possibly preserving those useful for the city, which ones to redirect and modify because they do not fully respond to the public interest. Another thing will be the reactivation of the neighborhoods to maximize the transparent participation of citizens; finally, I would like to start the process of two emblematic projects: the reconstruction of the Folperti municipal swimming pool and the opening of the Leonardo middle school in Pavia Ovest”.
The mayor is convinced that the Municipality is the fulcrum of the local economic system. “We must play a directing role to govern and exploit opportunities for economic development in collaboration with all the city institutions, from the Polyclinic, to the CNAO Foundation – National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy, up to the IRCCS Maugeri. These public bodies, with professional associations and employers’ associations, must be involved in an economic and social development project that takes potential into account. There are generally two areas in which to work: that of microchips – Pavia is the Italian capital with the launch of the Chips.IT Foundation – and the biomedical sector, focusing on the so-called knowledge economy”.
In his administrative action Lissia will give ample space to social issues and inclusion. “A city that wants to be alive must focus on two elements of strong social integration, sport and youth policies and culture in all its expressions,” she highlights. For this reason “I intend to establish a tourist tax with a purpose restriction using all the resources collected to finance new tourist routes and cultural activities that give young people spaces where they can express themselves. On the other hand, sport is fundamental for us: not only the reconstruction of the municipal swimming pool but also the valorisation of events such as the CorriPavia which could not take place this year”.
As a passionate biker, Lissia has a new vision of city mobility. “To build a sustainable and green system we must not put the different types of people who move in competition, cars on one side, bicycles and pedestrians on the other. But we also need investments in infrastructure (such as cycle paths) and a model that encourages the use of public transport. We will also aim to valorise Ticino, the city’s main naturalistic asset.”
Finally, the relationship with the community of local administrators. “I believe very much in Anci and in the dialogue between institutions, we need to be networked and united and try to exchange the best experiences to improve the lives of citizens. I will try to do my best to make this happen, I think I can commit myself to Anci when necessary with important roles”, concludes the mayor of Pavia.
