For many years he was a provincial and regional councilor, with an experience as councilor in the Municipality of Premilcuore behind him when he was 20 years old. Today, Luca Bartolini has joined Gian Luca Zattini’s team in the ranks of Fratelli d’Italia. The mayor has entrusted him with the responsibilities for urban regeneration, major works, construction, security and local police.
His name emerged only in the days before the formation of the council, how did the decision come about?
«I was offered this opportunity after 10 years of regional council and 19 of provincial council. I was a councilor as a boy in a small municipality, but I missed this experience. So I make available the skills that I have gained in these years of political activity to further contribute to the growth of Forlì and I thank those who indicated my figure, in particular the president of Fratelli d’Italia Alice Buonguerrieri and the deputy minister Galeazzo Bignami”.
In your opinion, is this appointment the result of the work done at local level in recent years?
«I have never stopped doing politics. In recent years I have built a network of relationships with the administrators of the territories, this is an added value that I can make available to the council in relations with other Municipalities. Unlike what the left claims, Zattini is not isolated from neighboring realities because he left the Union, and in my opinion he did well. This does not mean that there are no relationships with other Municipalities in a synergy of agreements for some services, as happened for example with Castrocaro for the local police”.
FdI has three councilors on the council. How do you respond to those who say that this is a team that has moved further to the right?
“FdI is the first party at the national level and that expresses the Prime Minister. In the last year, the government has given great help to the city of Forlì through our parliamentarians and the vice minister who has intervened several times with success, in addition to the presence of Marco Catalano in the past council. Today Fdi has three assessors and we are convinced that we can do well with a strong representation. We will work as a team with the mayor and the other members of the council trying to give an important contribution, thanks also to the network of relationships at the national level”.
You are responsible for Urban Regeneration. What should we expect for the future?
“In fact it is always about urban planning. In these five years, we trust as soon as possible, the goal is to approve the Pug. Urban regeneration because in the future the regional law does not allow us to build the new, but to regenerate the existing. The Pug has already done some initial work, let’s start from that and given the new guidelines of the Region I will reactivate a path of continuous comparison with the trade associations and professional orders. It must not be an imposed tool, but a shared one”.
The Administration has been criticized in the past, especially after recent approvals and the proliferation of supermarkets.
«Zattini inherited a 2017 commercial plan which was completed in May 2024. Therefore, there will be no proliferation of further areas of this type. On the productive side, however, there will be maximum willingness not to block the growth potential of the city for companies that want to develop the area. Furthermore, on this front, we will try to de-bureaucratize the procedures.”
What do we mean by great works?
“The former monastery of Ripa, where we are in close contact with Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano to complete the commitment made. Then there is the former Hotel della Città where a process has been started to make it available to University students and the former Eridania. Yes to a large park in the historic center, in addition to starting a competition of ideas at a European level that involves the largest architectural studios precisely to try to identify a use compatible with the needs of the city”.
Security, a tough nut to crack. How do you intend to move?
“A topic that is very close to our hearts. In the meantime, we need to reinstate the neighborhood police. We’ll start with Ca’ Ossi with two shifts and then expand to other areas. Implement the video surveillance system and then we want to strengthen some garrisons to send an important signal in the hot areas of the city, such as Portici-Stazione and between Piazza Saffi and Corso Mazzini. So a greater presence of uniforms on the streets, especially the local police.”
There are also those who have raised the possibility of using the Army.
“There is a ministry project called “Safe Cities”, but it is still immature and we need to understand if the conditions are right for Rome. I would not be against it, in the sense that the more law enforcement agencies there are on the territory the better. Ours is a difficult historic center: due to bad choices in the past that led to having a lot of public housing here, today we have contexts of degradation that need to be addressed. We will not have a magic wand, but we will be fully committed to ensuring that the Pl and other law enforcement agencies are more present”.
How will the local police be structured?
“First of all, we need to merge the local police into a single office in via Punta di Ferro (now they are decentralized in three areas of the city, ed.), while also maintaining a presence in the historic center. Finally, we will increase the staff.”
