The TAR of Catania ruled on the appeal relating to the administrative elections of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto which led to the election of Melangela Scolaro as mayor, declaring it inadmissible and rejecting the appeal.
A decision that concerns the issue relating to the presentation of the South calls North lists and the collection of signatures.
«We welcome the ruling of the Catania TAR with great satisfaction», declares Danilo Lo Giudice, regional coordinator of South calls North. «We have always supported the correctness of the path followed and today a ruling from the administrative justice arrives which takes on an important meaning for us. We faced this matter with serenity, convinced of our reasons and above all aware of having acted in compliance with the procedures.
In recent months there has been an attempt to continually question not only an electoral result, but the very will democratically expressed by the citizens of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto. Melangela Scolaro and her team, however, never allowed themselves to be influenced by the controversies and continued to administer the city in compliance with the mandate received from the voters.”
Cateno De Luca also spoke on the TAR’s decision: «Just justice always triumphs! The Catania TAR rejected the appeal presented by the usual “ambiguous and smelly circles” to obtain the annulment of the elections for mayor of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto of our Melangela Scolaro. I thank all the judges of the Catania TAR who confirmed the correctness of the procedures used by South calls North to collect signatures for the Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto elections.
Tonight at 7.30pm on our social media channels we will tell you the background of this squalid affair with Melangela Scolaro, Giuseppe Lombardo and Santi Delia. We trust in the same verdict for the city of Messina from the Catania TAR, which will address the identical issues in the hearing on 20 October following the appeals presented by the same “ambiguous and smelly environments”, states Cateno De Luca.
The Judge then also recalls the matter relating to the administrative elections of Messina, on which the Regional Administrative Court of Catania will be called to rule at the hearing on 20 October.
«We are naturally awaiting the ruling on Messina in full respect of the autonomy of the judiciary. We will continue to support in the competent bodies the correctness of the procedures followed by South calls North, with the same serenity with which we faced the judgment relating to Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto”.
Satisfaction is also expressed by the mayor Melangela Scolaro, who underlines how the appeal has never influenced the activity of the Administration: «The appeal has not influenced our administrative activity in the slightest. My entire team and I worked daily as if the case were not pending, until this morning. Because the duty of those who administer is to do everything that is possible to do as long as they carry out a role that, signatures or no signatures, has been assigned by the people.
The people of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto wanted to convey a message and we try, with our abilities, even with our limits, but certainly with all our good will, to welcome it and work day after day.
This judgment, around which there have been controversies, discussions, satirical cartoons and everything and more, has not influenced our administrative action in the slightest. And I am satisfied with this and I am proud of my team, because none of my councilors have ever thought of waiting for the outcome of the judgment or of being influenced in any way by the possibility of no longer being here, from one day to the next, to administer the Municipality of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto. None of us were influenced by social controversy. For me the best result, in terms of personal satisfaction relating to my team, is precisely this. Because this is how responsibility is demonstrated.”