Cosenza, Luciana De Francesco: “The unique city is a great opportunity”

John

By John

The woman of change. Friendly in relationships, kind in manners but determined in action: Luciana De Francesco, a member of Fratelli d’Italia, chairs the Institutional Affairs Commission of the Region. She is the “engine” – with the councilor Pierluigi Caputo – of the constitution of the “Unique city”. A merger project between the capital, Rende and Castrolibero announced for decades and never brought to fruition. The issue divides the political world but appears as a possible perspective for the future, development and stability of the urban area. De Francesco signed the proposal-project together with 7 other colleagues from the center-right majority then, the other day, in the council it was the Democratic Party that presented a unitary and revised proposal that was voted by 25 political representatives.

Mr. President, how did the idea of ​​a single city come about?

“I proposed, together with my colleagues from the center-right of the province of Cosenza, the creation of the single city and I claim its political significance. However, I also allow myself to claim the correctness that we have followed in a process that has lasted more than a year. As president of the First Commission, thanks above all to the colleagues who compose it, we have listened to associations, committees, parliamentarians, mayors, both for and against. Without any prejudice. An authoritative feasibility study by Prof. Luigino has been carried out that demonstrates all the advantages for the urban area of ​​this merger that already exists de facto for the citizens. But the most important element will be the opportunity that we will give to the citizens of Cosenza, Rende and Castrolibero to express themselves freely and to be able to vote in the referendum. There is no better democracy than popular sovereignty that has precedence over the city councils.”

What could be the benefits?

“The single city is not only an opportunity to have special ordinary funds but above all to give back to the urban area of ​​Cosenza the authentic role of capital of a province that exceeds 40% of the Calabrian territory. We will have to think of it by combining university knowledge, industrial areas with the particularity of the historic center of Cosenza and its open-air museum, which are opportunities for historical-tourist enhancement and can, indeed must, be linked to a great reality such as the university”.

What value will the referendum have?

“In every democracy it is right and proper to listen to dissent but the best way is to vote and for us the referendum will have an important political value which will be, precisely, the restitution of sovereignty over the choice of this unique reality”.