Single city Cosenza, the citizens’ committee against the merger project: “We don’t want the debt burdens of others”

The citizens of Rende and Castrolibero take the field against the project of a single urban area of ​​Cosenza. The ad hoc committee gave birth to some reflections, entrusted to the spokesperson Carlo Rinaldo, an expert in administrative matters. “With respect to the vital, from an administrative point of view, the question of merger between the municipalities of Cosenza, Rende and Castrolibero“, he explains, “we are turning to politics, especially to the majority of the regional government, to reopen the path of the debate which was interrupted too soon and so a significant part of it is missing. We are not intervening to hold a referendum against the Region, but to be alternative on a single issue, to reach out and be proactive. Indeed, with the regional majority we share the reasons for achieving cooperation between the three different cities, but we do not share either the path, which needs to be explored further, nor the form that creates a precedent that could be repeated in all the other Calabrian municipalities. However, the dynamism, competence and great propensity to work of Roberto Occhiuto’s regional government are appreciated. And the aptitude for debate: therefore we are convinced that there is ample margin to partly review what has been done perhaps with the calling of a Referendum for each individual Municipality on the Resolutions of the Municipal Councils for the Union and not the Merger: it is an example precisely the acceptable No that President Roberto Occhiuto said about the too hasty timing of Differentiated Autonomy with respect to some conditions that must be preliminarily achieved in the most backward territories of the South: “We want to start at the equal!”, as stated by President Occhiuto for Differentiated Autonomy. AND WE SAY THAT WE WANT TO START EQUAL, WITHOUT HAVING A NUMERICALLY SMALLER VOICE IN THE CHAPTER AND WITHOUT THE DEBT BURDEN OF OTHER CITIES. A No from President Occhiuto to the “blitz” which has reopened the debate throughout the national centre-right on Autonomy just as we say no to the too fast timing of the Fusion. You can’t reasonably agree on everything. In the field there are more positions on Yes as well as No, not simplistically dry Yes and No. Our No has a different logic from the parochial ones and aversion to the entire administrative action of the Regional Council, which is good for us. Our logic is constructive, I define it as the famous PEDAGOGICAL NO WHICH HELPS TO GROW. The No which shares the meaning of the cooperation initiative between cities which are now unique in one way, also and above all to take the path of reducing the costs of services to the population through the generation of economies of scale. BUT, BEWARE! CITIES NOT YET CLOSE IN THE FULL SENSE OF THE IDENTITY THAT STILL NEEDS TO BE BUILT. There is a need to move forward, not to stand still or re-propose the past, but with a more gradual path to have time to acquire a greater common identity. A buffer period with the step of the Union of Services, a less sudden approach, with bottom-up decisions and awareness of what is chosen, more debate and expansion of the same to fully involve the population, EXPANDING THE PARTICIPATORY SPACE. Decision-making is positive, and on this the dynamic and competent action of the Regional Council is appreciable, but on purely administrative management issues. It is right that the people decide on this issue of the Fusion. We prefer not to kill the patient, the Municipality, with FUSION EUTHANASIA, but to treat him with UNION MEDICINE, much less leave him in agony without doing anything. Move forward as the Region suggests but with more gradual steps and with decisions made by citizens.”