Surprisingly, yesterday morning, during the press conference called to reiterate the reasons for the no to the single city, the commissioner of Rende also showed up, Santi Giuffrè. In the midst of the mayor of Cosenza, Franz Carusoand to that of Castrolibero Orlandino Greco. Perhaps this photo alone would be enough to summarize an important political message that the urban area wanted to send to regional politics. Although Giuffrè expressly clarified that he participated to listen, not to take a position.
The positions taken by Greco and Caruso were much more vehement and political. Also with them is the citizen committee that has been fighting for the merger since its inception. What's new then? In the next week the bill for the merger of Cosenza, Rende and Castrolibero will complete its process in the 1st Institutional Affairs commission chaired by Luciana De Francesco. Once the resolution has been obtained, the eight signatories of the legislative initiative, all centre-right councilors from Cosenza, will bring the text to the regional assembly for approval. At the press conference, organized by the spontaneous “no to merger” committee, a popular initiative law proposal was presented (supported by Antonello Barbieri, president of the fusion associations) of amendment to regional law no. 13 of 5 April 1983. This is the one that regulates the rules for implementing the statute for popular legislative initiatives and referendums. The contents were explained by Fabio Liparoti of the Rendese spontaneous committee. “We will file it in the next few days with the Regional Council. We will ask to change the rule for holding referendums which, on the occasion of mergers and although consultative, the law can only be approved if in each individual municipality there is a majority of votes in favour. Conversely, it would be clear that the assize should stop the process.” He introduced the works Pierpaolo Iantornoformer Rendese councillor, who spoke of an “ongoing annexation attempt” before giving the floor to Mario Bozzorepresentative of the Polycentric City Committee of Cosenza, and others Massimo Scarpelli of the Castrolibero Associations Forum. Also at the presidential table Clelio Gelsomino And Massimo Ladeda, of the Rendese committee. The two mayors, however, attacked the Region head-on. Franz Caruso had already reiterated his position yesterday, denouncing the “authoritarian attitudes of Palazzo Campanella, which attempts to bypass the methods of sharing and participation. The fact that the “friendly” government did not challenge the law does not mean that it does not present aspects of unconstitutionality”. While for Orlandino Greco “this law has no reason to exist, the merger must be done starting from the bottom and this popular initiative law will restore dignity to citizens. The position of the Northern League? We will confront them, we will try to make them understand that what they have presented has no reason to exist.”
