Mayor Francis Mazzeo of the Municipality of Cessaniti, in the Vibonese area, has resigned from the position of mayor. The decision to leave office – as he explains in a note – follows the publication of some investigative articles that start from the Maestrale-Carthago anti-mafia operation of the Catanzaro DDA. Newspaper reports giving account of possible influences and mafia infiltrations in the municipal administration of Cessaniti of which Francesco Mazzeo has been mayor for two councils. In twenty days the resignation will become definitive and the Municipality will be governed by a prefectural commissioner until new elections, but this does not prevent the possible sending of a Commission for access to the documents to the Municipality of Cessaniti by the Prefecture of Vibo to ascertain any influences mafiosi and subsequently entrust the management of the institution to a trio of commissioners after scrutiny by the Ministry of the Interior.
Mayor’s letter
Dear fellow citizens,
I inform you that a little while ago I resigned from the office of Mayor of the Municipality of Cessaniti. I won’t hide from you the fact that it was a very difficult choice, but at the same time the result of the sense of #responsibility I have towards all of you and the institutions. A heavy choice, but taken consciously. I have been administering the Municipality of Cessaniti since 2008, first as Councilor and then as Mayor, years in which I gave all of myself, I grew up a lot and met many honest and capable people, with whom I had the opportunity to work and collaborate .
Becoming the mayor of the municipality where you grew up and where you live was a #privilege that I feel very lucky about and I think, without false modesty, that the two councils that saw me as head of the municipal administration, a sign have left, as the works, ideas, programming and modus operandi will remain as a point of reference for future Administrations. I’m not here to list the many things done during these long and demanding years, I’m sure time will prove me right, but I vigorously and proudly defend all the results achieved and the projects still in progress, while highlighting the many objective difficulties encountered in their implementation. Unfortunately, in recent months, some press reports have made me reflect a lot and have led me to make a weighted and responsible choice. From the day the first journalistic news appeared until today, punctually informing all the relevant institutions, I have tried to find an appropriate solution, which would respond to the needs of legality, transparency and #opportunities that those who administer public affairs must pass on to your community of injury. Unfortunately I didn’t succeed, not for lack of solutions, but because some personal #interests got the better of those of an entire population. For this reason, I have decided to give a tangible and concrete sign of my way of working, interrupting the administrative experience in advance.
I assume full and total responsibility for the early termination of my mandate. No shadow on the administrative and political action must gather on my Administration, least of all on my person, for this reason I have reflected a lot and, although this decision weighs heavily on me, I have come to the conclusion that it is right that the word returns to the Cessanitesi Citizens , free to choose a new Administration, with the indispensable political and administrative practicability, which allows to make the best choices for the future of the Citizens of Cessaniti.
Dear fellow citizens, you and your children deserve the best that a mature Community can express. Therefore, in light of the intellectual honesty that has always distinguished me, I return the tricolor sash that I have worn with honor and pride in these long 8 years as Mayor. I recognize that in politics resignation is a rare and anachronistic gesture, it takes #courage. It was much easier to remain in office, but I have never considered attachment to my position as a binding element of my mandate, as I have always worked with respect for the people around me.
I conclude this experience with #regret, but without resentment against anyone, thanking the members of the “Cessaniti nel Cuore” list, the municipal councilors, the municipal employees, the police forces, the press and the many beautiful people who in this long time I have come to know and from which I have learned a lot of my personal and political formation.
Pursuant to art. 53 of the Consolidated Law on Local Authorities, I will continue to be “your Mayor” for the next 20 days, only for ordinary administration, after which my resignation will become irrevocable.
Your mayor
Francis Mazzeo