Mayor Franz Caruso doesn’t appear upset at all. The removal of deputy mayor Maria Pia Funaro does not in fact appear to be the beginning of a breakdown of the government majority.
Mayor, is there no political crisis underway?
Absolutely not. A personal and trusting relationship with the deputy who should be the figure closest to the mayor and instead has been the most distant in recent months has disappeared. I didn’t see her or meet her for weeks. There was the middle summer, when she returned I only received an email for a technical inspection: if this is a relationship of trust… And she was absent from the council meeting in which the budget forecast was voted on: all the councilors were present except her.
You say that there is no crisis underway: is there a precedent, however, that of the resignation of councilor Francesco Giordano?
Giordano enjoyed my absolute respect and trust and resigned due to a personal problem and to my great disappointment.
What will happen now?
After the approval of the budget I will make my assessments, I will discuss with the political forces and the council groups and I will evaluate the completion of the necessary steps to encourage the relaunch of the administrative action. The choice of the budget councilor will be the result of my personal choice and outside of any political agreement. Funaro’s replacement, who was appointed following an agreement with the Democratic Party, will be nominated or appointed after a discussion with that party. However, the choice of councilors remains an exclusive prerogative of the mayor but we hope to reach a shared choice.
Will the deputy mayor remain part of the Democratic Party?
It is not certain that there will be the figure of the deputy mayor. I have to reflect on the necessity of this figure.