The most voted councilor in Francesco Balocco’s team, candidate for mayor in Fossano, is Paolo Lingua. A banking manager, he is re-elected to the Council for the third time: the first, in 2014, he received 110 preferences and was majority leader of the Democratic Party; the second, in 2019, rose to 140 preferences; the third, a few days ago, totaled 227. In the mandate that is about to begin he will sit on the minority benches, as he did in the one that has just ended.
How did you come out of this vote?
With a double feeling: on the one hand a lot of bitterness, on the other just as much satisfaction. The bitterness is, obviously, for the final result: in the last few days we believed in it so much, the sensations we felt in the city had perhaps deluded us. The satisfaction is for my personal result, because over 200 voters evidently evaluated my opposition and my policy in the City Council – what I have done in the last 5 years – in positive terms, as careful, non-ideological work, proactive for the city. That said, the numbers tell us that the vote for Tallone was much more of a party vote. Just look at the preferences. After Bergesio, in fact, there is a void: Tallone’s front line is behind many of our candidates. If the voter had been convinced of the value of the team, of the outgoing council, he would have voted for the team. I also look, another clue, at the number of clear votes assigned to the mayoral candidates, without the lists: Tallone got 289, Balocco more than double. And I come to the same conclusion.
However, something was missing to complete the comeback. What, in your opinion?
I can’t say, to be honest. But I am happy with what we said and did during the election campaign. And that is, that he told the truth. We didn’t need to sell smoke: to inaugurate a school that ten minutes after the ribbon cutting had gone back to being a construction site; or a Polfer garrison which – as I understand – was immediately closed because there is no furniture yet; or a ring road still closed to trucks from multiple accesses. It was all fluff: things that will become reality in a few months. We didn’t tell lies about biomethane either. It’s not our way of doing politics.
Will your opposition be tough?
It will be an attentive opposition, without prejudice, but without discounts. We will approve what is in the city’s interest, we will vote against as many times as necessary. We will check the many things people whisper about. We will prepare, we will study the documents. We will listen to those who haven’t had it. It’s what we’ve always done.
The centre-right prevails, in the province of Cuneo, also in the European and regional elections. As a member of the Democratic Party, do you see a way out?
In Fossano at the regional elections with Ivana Borsotto as a candidate, the Democratic Party was the first party in terms of votes. From here and from the excellent result of the European Championships we must start as a Democratic Party to grow further. The votes, unfortunately, follow very little logical and linear reasoning: first all for the Democratic Party with Renzi, then all for the 5 Star party, then the League, now the Brothers of Italy… People are not happy otherwise they wouldn’t change. We have to start again from here…
