Mayor Giuseppe Ranuccio chooses the reception room for this interview without much notice. He doesn’t ask to know the questions beforehand, he dismisses the staff for an hour and shows his availability in the era of direct line with followers.
An adjective for Palmi’s summer?
“Pretty”.
Yet on July 13th the first tile fell with the fire at Poly2Oil: what memories do you have of that afternoon?
«I started receiving images of the smoke on WhatsApp and after the arrival of the local police we verified that it was not a small fire, making it necessary to activate the civil protection machine».
There has been criticism about the timing of the proceedings and the fact that they were only communicated online.
“We have constantly informed through the two channels we have: the Librarisk page, which sends a message to those who have this application, and the personal and institution social pages. We have reached over 90,000 people, the information has been there.”
And the documents?
«Even though I arrived on site immediately, there was no shortage of people who criticized the lack of ordinances».
She’s saying it.
“It is a fact that the wind has moved the cloud to other countries. Interfacing with the Prefecture and Arpacal I felt I had to exclude an intervention that would force something to be done or not to be done.”
However, other mayors have issued ordinances prohibiting outdoor parties.
“If they just advised, it’s not an order. They were advices that I myself gave to stay away from the fire site.”
Is there nothing to reproach yourself for?
“My conscience is clear, there were no grounds for the ordinance.”
Did you understand if that plastic could stay there?
“That was improperly called a deposit, never and then can you say that it functioned as a landfill. It is a platform, I presume with all the authorizations of the supra-municipal bodies, to select the material of the differentiated waste to send to the consortia, so the plastic could be there. If you ask me if it is normal for a fire like that to break out, I don’t know how to answer.”
What edition was this of the Varia?
«Important, because the city has shown that the Festival flies high compared to the politics of controversy».
Did everything go perfectly?
«Absolutely yes».
How and when will you decide whether the Festival will become annual?
«I intend to hear from the protagonists, from the historic families to the workers, from the festive community to the higher institutions that finance us».
The times?
“I want to take a few weeks. If from a local point of view one could say that every year it tires, from the perspective of an administrator who sees the Varia as an opportunity for social and economic growth, then every year it could be done, indeed I say it should be done.”
Why did the Foundation approve the previous budget so soon after the new edition?
“It had to face difficulties due to its unpreparedness as a new entity, and the 2023 edition left a arrears that is being repaid. Our interest is that the situation be clarified to know the real extent of these debts to pay them off as soon as possible, in the knowledge that if mistakes have been made in good faith, they must not be repeated.”
Many are calling for a rebalance between Varia shows and Varia culture.
“I agree and that’s what we did, giving more emphasis to the traditional aspects linked to religion. Our duty is also to launch a program of events that can bring visitors from all over Italy.”
Do you feel under observation by UNESCO?
“Unesco has recognized the value of this Festival and it is right that it supervises, lends a hand. Everyone must respect the skills of others.”
Can we say that it was your political magic to obtain funds from the Metropolitan City, of which you are a delegate, while the previous budget recorded debts?
“They are two different things. The Metropolitan City gives the contribution to the Municipality and not to the indebted Foundation.”
Did Reggio Calabria give credit to the Festa?
Absolutely yes. We all remember last year’s edition, probably the most important summer event program in Italy with an induced effect that registered hundreds of thousands of people. It is true that there are debts, but we should all be proud of those presences”.
Why is the Metropolitan City coming to the photo finish in allocating 130,000 euros?
“No. It arrived just in time.”
Was this fairness also present with respect to where the resources were taken from?
“We made a budget change touching sums that we would not have used anyway, such as those destined for the Civil Service, an activity that the Metropolitan City does not carry out. They were resources that we would not have spent because we made calls for tenders, I am thinking of those for contributions to the deaf and blind, which did not have much participation. The territorial areas that manage social services already have many millions of euros and should commit to spending well.”
The idea has spread among citizens that money from the anti-poverty fund was invested in recreational activities.
«I would like to point out that the criticisms did not come from citizens, but from those who instrumentally wanted to interpret the change in bad faith».
Did the Region act in time?
«The decree for the 70,000 euros this year arrived again in August but certainly earlier than last year».
The future. «The candidacy for the Region? It’s no secret that I’m thinking about it»
Born in 1988, Ranuccio was elected for the first time in 2017 and confirmed by popular acclaim in 2022. He continues to define himself as a “centre-left mayor at the head of a civic laboratory” with whom former right-wing figures are also aligned.
What is the health status of your team?
“The city has rewarded us twice by asking us to expand this virtuous experiment. Perhaps for the first time in the history of Palmi, people and not lists have found themselves in a program.”
So this lab is always working better?
“Certainly yes, we are completing a program of public works never seen before in Palmi, we are talking about over 15 million euros. I hope that this approach can be repeated outside the municipal borders, precisely because I believe in the primacy of politics: if people are valid and competent, it matters little if they have sympathies for this or that ideology”.
Does he already have in mind who will be his heir when he cannot run again?
“It’s premature. Surely, once my second term is over, I will find a way to follow local dynamics closely.”
And what if the Democratic Party were to propose her as a candidate for the regional elections?
“It’s no secret that I’m thinking about it. We’ll evaluate how and when.”
You at the Metropolitan City, the Lega Nord regional councilor Giuseppe Mattiani: are you equally resources for this city?
«We are both called to do the good of Palmi, I am convinced that he thinks the same».
Are you aware that this is the case?
“It’s not up to me to say. I can show off a rich list of achievements for the city.”