The reaction of the opposition was inevitable, after what happened today in the Chamber. The document was signed by the councilors of the Brothers of Italy, the Democratic Party, the Popular and Autonomist League – Greater Sicily and Scurria Mayor. “The opposition notes with satisfaction the surrender of the majority – they write – Today, immediately after reading the note from the General Secretary, the president closed the session without opening any debate and without proceeding to the vote. The resolution is withdrawn. We start again from the beginning. It was not difficult to predict. If the proposal had been drafted correctly, without errors and without the critical issues that the opposition denounced from the beginning, it would have already been discussed and approved. Instead we are here, weeks later, dealing with an act that does not stood up to scrutiny. Today’s backtracking is not a gesture of good will: it is the inevitable consequence of an approximate and arrogant method of government.”
“The responsibility for this quagmire lies with the majority, and only with it – they continue – Every slowdown, every postponement, bears its signature. And while the Council wastes precious time behind poorly constructed procedures and continuous forcing, the city awaits concrete answers. The most emblematic case is that of social services: after four months from the start of this council, the Municipality of Messina still does not have a service contract with Social City. Thirteen months from the deadline (August 2025). The majority must take responsibility for it, without alibi and without excuses. It is not a technical delay: it is the plastic sign of an administration in disarray, incapable of guaranteeing continuity of essential services for the most fragile segments of the population. The opposition has done its duty: they have supervised, they have resisted the forcing. When the new meeting is scheduled, the opposition they will demand an act constructed in compliance with the rules, properly instructed and presented within the due time in the exclusive interest of users and workers. No other shortcuts will be accepted.
«The opinion of the General Secretary allows for clarity on the disputes raised by the “Marcello Scurria Sindaco” council group regarding the work of the Municipal Council and returns the matter to its correct institutional dimension» declare, however, the majority municipal councilors following the opinion given by the General Secretary on the questions posed by the Scurria Mayor council group in relation to the classroom work relating to the discussion of the proposed resolution no. 161.
The document first reconstructs the practice of “adjournment of work”, highlighting how this procedural method had always been adopted when the discussion of the topics on the agenda had not been completed. An organizational method which, as highlighted in the opinion, has always been shared by the Assembly and which certainly does not represent the convening of a new and autonomous council meeting, but rather a continuation of the work already started.
«It is therefore important to clear the field of interpretations that may suggest arbitrary behavior or procedures introduced today by the Presidency. This is a practice that has been used for years within the City Council and applied over time to the various majorities and oppositions.”
The same opinion also clarifies that any procedural irregularities do not automatically determine the invalidity of the session or of the entire council proceeding. In fact, administrative jurisprudence requires that the concrete impact of the violation on the exercise of the councillor’s prerogatives be verified.
In the conclusions, the General Secretary reiterates that the postponement of the meeting made on 17 September was not aimed at convening a new and autonomous meeting, but to allow the continuation of the discussion of the proposal to approve the MSC contract already established, according to a practice followed by the City Council over time.
«We take note of the indications contained in the opinion, states the president of the municipal council Massimiliano Minutoli, which represent a useful element to ensure even greater procedural certainty in the work of the Chamber. What cannot be maintained, however, is that what happened is automatically invalid: the same opinion expressly states that, at present, the conditions do not exist to declare the procedural activity already carried out en bloc ineffective nor to consider the continuation of the examination of proposal no. precluded. 161″.
«The rules must be respected and applied uniformly to everyone. It is on this ground, without forcing and without transforming a procedural issue into a political clash, that we intend to continue the work of the City Council in the interests of the city.”