COSENZA The province of Cosenza is third in Italy in the presentation of Pnrr projects. The news, communicated by the Ministry of the Interior, was given this morning by the prefect Vittoria Ciaramella during the greeting ceremony of the 65 new mayors of Cosentino in the province’s hall of mirrors: «The allocated funds must be spent well and above all they must not be lost» he stated, recalling the coordination cabin in the prefecture, to which will also be added the control room imagined by the government.
A solemn and formal moment where, however, there was some embarrassment when the mayor Franz Caruso was “stopped” by Ciaramella herself because – during his greeting – he called the first citizens present to the common «battle» against differentiated autonomy « to defend and protect the values of Italian unity”. Hence the prefect’s “braking”: «Here today – he said to Caruso, blocking him – we are at an institutional meeting», so no politics (we also remember that the prefect is the highest representative of the executive in the territories). No sooner said than done, the mayor of Cosenza has turned to another “battle”, high-speed rail.
«Autonomy, responsibility and pride»
Foiled gaffe aside, Ciaramella wanted to replicate this morning a ceremony «that was done when I joined the administration, namely the swearing-in: a truly emotional moment. You are an important presence – she said, addressing the mayors – and it is essential that you get to know each other.” Then he recalled the values of «autonomy but also responsibility» in «a job that must be invented day by day to serve citizens and dedicate itself to emergencies and, together, plan: civil protection plans will be very important, especially in a region with high hydrogeological risk like Calabria” added Ciaramella mentioning the Territorial Area Contexts which replace the Com and allow several neighboring municipalities to be united.
“Don’t forget – said the prefect – that you are health and public safety authorities, functions that must make you proud”: hence the reference on the one hand to what was done during the Covid emergency, on the other to the commitment of the Prefecture in the Committee for order and security, «here you will always find an open door but – Ciaramella urged – it is important that you equip yourself with local police covers. The right policy – he concluded – is the physiology of the system, we don’t like appointing commissioners…”.
Succurro: the community is more important than the party to which it belongs
Rosaria Succurro, who speaks in the triple role of mayor of San Giovanni in Fiore, president of the Province and president of Anci Calabria, invites us to «network by putting aside selfishness for challenges and projects. Be ready for the imponderable but have vision and planning. As a colleague – he added – I recommend constant dialogue with the Prefecture, it will be essential to start a virtuous path together”. Finally, the reference to “pride and identity” because “many of us here are party leaders but belonging to one’s community and territory is more important”.
Franz Caruso echoed her: «No selfishness, mine will be a function of glue, cooperation and coordination: the presence of the prefect here today is a “tranquilizer”, we feel the friendly presence of the State in times of need and we will have to be good at have the ability and courage to also say no to criminal forces.” Finally, the mayor of Cosenza joked about how even in the provincial capital we can clash with macro issues such as roads and waste management but also with those who complain about a broken light bulb.
