Two-way challenge in Ponte dell’Olio between the outgoing mayor Alessandro Chiesa and the candidate Tiziana Lavalle. “I’m here, we’re here” is the slogan of Alessandro Chiesa, 28 years old, a tailor by trade, and from his “Pontolliesi per Ponte” list, “ready to have the work done judged and to present a new project for our country with the same passion as on the first day”. Tiziana Lavalle, 67 years old, a Pontolli resident for 24 years, a retired healthcare manager, has decided to run together with the civic group “Ponte Viva” “to build a future for Pontedellolio”. Her three key words are “innovation, development and participation”. Those entitled to vote in the municipality of Val Nure are 4061 out of a population of 4681.
QUESTIONS TO THE CANDIDATES
1 Let’s pretend it’s June 10th. She just won. What is the most urgent commitment you think of? Basically, what does Ponte dell’Olio need right away?
2 Ponte dell’Olio has a lively social fabric, trade for example. How to support the Via Veneto of shops, for example?
3 Environment, Nure, woods, hamlets. How to enhance them?
4 Ponte dell’Olio as of 31 December had 2179 families and 1269 over 65s. What will your commitment be to them? What about associations?
5 Why should a person live in his municipality? What is your favorite place? An anecdote, even a personal one, about it?
ALESSANDRO CHIESA
1 “Start immediately to plan the relaunch of the “Cementirossi” sports center, both at a management and investment level, and resolve the critical situations not yet resolved on the road network: pavements and roads in particular, in which we have tried to invest in recent years all possible resources, concentrating in the hamlets and then starting with the urban center on via S. Lucia, Brizzolari and Caduti sul lavoro. There is still a lot missing, as always, and we would therefore like to continue spending many resources on this front, including the village to provide a welcoming place for our traders. The energy crisis took away over 300,000 euros of resources that we would have spent on this maintenance: we faced it without increasing taxes, which for us is a categorical commitment, and we want to do everything in the next five years to recover this lost ground for this international event.”
2 “The Municipality cannot do anything directly for the individual shop or bar, but must keep the town tidy and maintained, adequately promote the area by attracting visitors and strengthen services to ensure that more and more families come to live here, as is already happening happening for three years: all this means having more people and therefore more wealth in circulation which favors our trade. The best social cohesion occurs when the public and private sectors talk to each other and collaborate together for common objectives: the recovery of historical heritage such as the painting in Piazza Alpini, the fountain and the War Memorial are examples of how important cooperation between the Municipality and citizens is, businesses and associations.”
3 “Continue to invest in the maintenance of the territory and on hydrogeological instability, which also just means keeping the ditches clean as well as asphalting and making gabions, but also having more welcoming and sustainable green areas especially in playgrounds, taking advantage for example of the 200,000 euro loan euro already obtained by the Region on the public gardens of Via Veneto. Working, as has already been done, together with private individuals will also be fundamental in this case, because the Municipality alone can do little.”
4 “First of all, confirm those services introduced in the mandate such as medical guard, “supportive guardian” to transport the elderly for tests or visits and the agreement with Caritas to bring expenses and assistance to lonely people under the coordination of the social service, but also think for recreational and aggregation occasions: for the S. Rocco Fair, for example, there will be a smooth orchestra, while initiatives can also be developed together with the young people of the Le Fornaci community center, to unite the generations even more, and also to former Riva school, taking advantage of the important spaces both indoors and outdoors.”
5 “Because we have a complete range of services (nursery, summer centre, paediatrician, etc.) which has been strengthened in recent years, a welcoming area which is slowly recovering more and more, also together with private individuals, and a historical heritage absolutely valuable (Fornaci, village, Riva castle for example). Favorite place: the swimming pool, that is, our romantic place par excellence, which we are all fond of. Anecdote: I risked drowning in it as a child and from there I never learned to swim!”
TIZIANA LAVALLE
1 “The first administrative commitment will be the environmental and urban planning plan, but first, if we are elected, I will attribute 90% of the Mayor’s salary to development projects and 10% to a fund for reimbursement of entertainment expenses.”
2 “We want to promote different methods of trade, such as the seasonal opening of businesses, thematic tasting initiatives along the village and in the squares, thematic markets in cooperation with other cities, offer Ponte dell’Olio as a satellite partner for particular trade fair events, for example we would like to propose a day at Ponte dell’Olio of Cibus or the European Market, support the virtual opening of typical commercial activities, create taste festivals. To increase entrepreneurial capacity: laboratory for young people who want to plan and create a productive activity.”
3 “Among our commitments we have the creation of Energy Communities, energy recovery from sources present in the area, the creation of the LungoNure path, the valorisation of the paths, bicycle trekking and days on horseback. We intend to survey the historic trees and each route to make Pontedellolio “visible” on the maps of agritourism, camper tourism and “green” tourism, particularly attractive for generation Z. Furthermore, we will take care of the gardens so that they tell the story of the flora local, starting from the recovery of the Villa Rossi gardens.”
4 “For families we have planned many interventions, for every age group. For families with elderly and disabled dependents, we have provided for the presence of volunteers and socially useful operators who help with care activities: accompaniment, collection and delivery of medicines, collection and delivery of shopping, delivery of water and hydration checks on days or periods of heat alarm. With the Piacenza Local Health Authority we will look for ways to develop remote assistance with the participation of general practitioners and to encourage, as stated in ministerial decree 77, the home as the primary place of care. Social cohesion is created by giving meaning to being together. The associations will be involved in the creation of the Council of Associations, to build an integrated agenda of initiatives and support the Municipality’s tourism promotion desk: cultural events, of economic or recreational value, which use the places of the capital and the hamlets as venues. We will establish the children’s and young people’s council to plan with them what development they would like and to make Pontedellolio the center of orientation for young people towards the professions of the future and the creation of a widespread hotel for families and young people dedicated to sustainable tourism.”
5 “Ponte dell’Olio, seen from above, in the evening, looks like a fairytale town. It has hamlets with beautiful landscapes, photo album views, ancient places that give a sense of serenity. I was in Canada, a professor from the University of Quebec asked me where I came from. I replied that I lived in Ponte dell’Olio, in the province of Piacenza. And he said, “Ah! Sideshow, Gizo (Ghizzo, ed.)! Good wine!”.
Alessandro Chiesa
Tiziana Lavalle
