He called it “the silent revolution” and it is the publication that condenses, albeit in extreme summary, the results achieved by the municipal administration in the four years of leadership of the city, since the election as Mayor on 18 October 2021. The publication, a sort of Administration bulletin which will be integrated and updated as the realizations and interventions in progress are completed, was presented, in the reception hall of Palazzo dei Bruzi, by Mayor Franz Caruso in the usual meeting with journalists for the traditional exchange of Christmas greetings, in an atmosphere of serene discussion and open dialogue.
The relationship with the press
During his speech, Franz Caruso made a point of thanking journalists “for the difficult daily work they carry out in the editorial offices” underlining how democracy is founded on information “which must always be free and correct”. “Free information – he stated – is information that is not subject to the powers present in the territory. An informed citizen is a citizen who is freer to make his own choices”. Hence the hope addressed to the press to continue to guarantee correct information, in the wake of freedom of the press, “an inviolable principle enshrined in Article 21 of our Constitution”.
Franz Caruso then recalled how the appointment with the press has also become a moment of conviviality: «We have resumed holding press conferences as in the past, without pre-packaged topics, leaving journalists the freedom and autonomy to ask questions ranging over all the topics that they consider to be of greatest importance and of most pressing interest and relevance. This is the most constructive way to cement a loyal relationship and guarantee correct information.”
The budget
Taking stock of the year that is closing, the Mayor spoke of a “particularly important” period, characterized by the completion of works started in 2023 and 2024 and already delivered to the city. Interventions collected in a magazine, number zero of a booklet summarizing the most significant projects carried out by the administration. “These are investments worth several tens of millions of euros – he explained –. All works are visible, because they have been completed or are in the process of being completed.”
Franz Caruso highlighted how the most relevant aspect of these interventions is the impact on the city’s economy: “Investing means creating development, investment opportunities and therefore jobs. This is one of our main objectives”. He also underlined that all the works carried out were regularly paid for, to protect the companies involved and avoid economic and financial difficulties: “The financing was entirely allocated to the construction of the works for which it was obtained and to the payment of the companies that carried out the works”.
The municipal car
An important step was dedicated to strengthening the municipal machinery. “We have brought new energy to this Municipality – he declared – with the entry of around one hundred new work units, young people who will take up service at the beginning of the year”. Franz Caruso then addressed particular thanks to the municipal employees who, despite being just over one hundred, have made it possible to carry out an impressive administrative work in recent years. “Thanks to them – he said – today new employees can count on strong shoulders, on expert staff who have demonstrated professionalism and dedication in the field”. The thanks extended to the entire structure, starting from the General Secretary, Virginia Milano.
Finally, Caruso claimed a result that he considers fundamental: “We have managed to restore dignity to this body. As a citizen, in the past, I saw the Municipality as an institution that did not enjoy the respect it deserved. Today, however, all the other institutions and above all the citizens recognize the dignity of the Municipality of Cosenza. A result – he concluded – built in four years on the principles of transparency and legality. Principles that no one can tarnish or question, because on these values we do not accept lessons from anyone; indeed we are the ones who give her.”