«Me instead of Pompeo? The feminist issue has nothing to do with it. And in a divorce, there are always two versions.” Antonella Parigi is the new Councilor for Culture of Moncalieri after the ousting of Laura Pompeo by Mayor Paolo Montagna. An achievement that comes after the failed election in Brussels: «But I wouldn’t define it as a total defeat. In my city I was the most voted. Even if the support of the Turin secretariat was lacking.”
Paris, how did Montagna’s nomination come about?
“During the election campaign I received his support, I thank him. And then walking around Moncalieri we chatted several times, also because as a regional councilor I had already followed topics such as the Castle, the royal residences, the theaters. Then came the call and the offer, which followed a decision of his.”
The choice fell on you after the expulsion of Pompeo, who accused Montagna of tripping up and retaliating. Weren’t you embarrassed?
“I won’t go into the merits of wrongs and rights because I don’t know the boundaries, I know that when a team breaks down it’s difficult to move forward and the work itself is undermined. Team adjustments are not daily issues, I would say, but almost, because then when situations become exacerbated, what is affected is precisely the work”.
She, however, founded an association for women and the women’s issue is one of her strong points…
«It has nothing to do with this, and it also seems out of place to me. Here the theme is professional, it is not feminine, we are not talking about someone persecuted on the basis of her being a woman. If it had been a man, it would have been the same.”
But she says she was mistreated…
«There is not just one version, but two, as in all divorces. What matters is the fracture in an otherwise cohesive team, which affects work.”
So it was Pompeo who created the rift?
«I absolutely didn’t say that. I say that, as in love stories, the truth lies in the middle. And that the topic is purely professional, that we are not talking about adversity as a woman.”
Did you hear it?
“No, I met with the City Council first.”
Did she feel welcomed?
«Yes, also because I believe that this decision precedes me».
What convinced you?
“The wealth of Moncalieri and the possibility of inheriting a job already well done and being able to continue it to make people talk about the city with respect to the metropolitan and regional territory. And then I believe it has the cards to become a political cultural laboratory that becomes a model.”
Come?
«Is the mayor building a strategic plan for structures and materials? I would like to combine this work with the strategic plan for intangible structures; its ability for dialogue, energy, hospitality, to carry out participatory planning. All those structures that are the key that distinguishes the places and the environment itself.”
For you, is it a revenge compared to the European Championships?
“Partly yes and partly no. The European elections were a disappointment, but also a satisfaction: in my city I got more votes than anyone else. Of course, I would have expected more diligence at the metropolitan level to help the Piedmont candidates.”
Do you mean the secretariat?
«Yes, it helped the Lombard candidates, who also left much earlier. Time has its own value: where I went, I received preferences. I would like to discuss this, it is a topic that concerns the community.”
