“May best wishes for good work in serving the common good go to Senator Poli Bortone. The people of Lecce have democratically chosen the mayor for the next five years and now it is up to the new mayor to welcome and transform the expectations of his fellow citizens into wise administrative choices”. With these words Archbishop Michele Seccia wanted to greet the new mayor of the city. “I met Senator Poli Bortone several times during the years of my ministry in Lecce – continues the archbishop -. I have always appreciated her love for this city but also her tenacity and courage as well as her skills. I cannot hide, however, that the person who binds me most to her is Archbishop Cosmo Francesco Ruppi of whom we both had the gift and the joy, albeit for different roles, places and times, of enjoying his friendship and of its human and spiritual richness”. “I don’t allow myself to make recommendations to the new mayor: he doesn’t need them, his experience is a great guarantee – adds the archbishop -. I only ask you to take care of the suburbs above all, to listen to the hardship and poverty that comes from some neighborhoods of Lecce. Families and lonely people who often choose hiding and silence in order to maintain a residue of dignity. I ask you to know how to invest your energies in young people who I see are increasingly attracted to escape to other shores; not to neglect the disabled and to work to combat the various forms of dependency”. “I feel – he underlines – and I have been a citizen of Lecce since my arrival in 2017 and the mayor, yesterday as today and in the future, will always find me at his side when it comes to engaging in projects that make this city increasingly welcoming , more inclusive, more supportive. More beautiful inside and out.” Finally, Seccia addresses a thought of gratitude to the outgoing mayor, Carlo Salvemini. “I appreciated his great political passion and courageous choices despite the difficulties of being at the helm of a southern city”.
