It is a real political earthquake that has hit the Municipality of Villapiana in the last few hours. With a joint and irrevocable decision, eight city councilors resigned, effectively decreeing the early end of the Mayor’s mandate and the opening of an unprecedented institutional crisis.
The motion, signed by Paolo Montalti, Felicia Favale, Rita Portulano, Ilaria Costa, Maria Valentina Calà, Domenico Muscolini, Angela Aurelio and Michelina Dramisino, leaves no room for interpretation: the administration is accused of a “prolonged inaction” which is compromising the future of the community.
A “guideless” municipality
According to what we read in the official document, the crisis is not only political, but structural. The councilors denounce the absence for months of key figures for the functioning of the institution: the President of the Municipal Council; the Vice President of the Council; an Assessor.
This “vacancy” of institutional roles would have led, according to those who resigned, to a chronic lack of governmental viability, preventing the regular carrying out of council work and breaking the balance of powers necessary for a healthy local democracy.
The “Business and Services Villapiana Srl” node
One of the most critical points raised in the letter concerns the management of the in-house company Business and Services Villapiana Srl. The councilors accuse the Mayor of inertia and of not having assumed concrete responsibilities to guarantee essential services.
“The services in the area are deficient”, write the signatories, placing emphasis on the lack of protection of the rights of workers and citizens, the final recipients of services which, at present, would be grossly insufficient.
The failure of dialogue
The decision to resign would not have come out of the blue. The letter refers to numerous attempts at discussion and constructive proposals presented during the mandate, all of which regularly fell on deaf ears. The lack of strategic planning and an organic vision would have made it impossible to continue the relationship of trust with the mayor.
“Give the citizens the word back”
The gesture of the eight councilors is presented as an act of responsibility towards the common good. The declared objective is to interrupt an administrative phase now considered “non-authoritative” to move the Municipality towards a new management based on transparency, efficiency and legality.
With the contextual resignation of the majority of councilors, we are now awaiting the intervention of the Prefect for the appointment of a prefectural commissioner who will lead the institution until the next elections.