“I voted no to the budget adjustment,” declares city councilor Eugenio Riccio, “because I believe it is the duty of the opposition, the authentic and consistent one, to fully assume the responsibility of opposing, by every democratic means, an administration now lacking direction and credibility.”
“Those who govern Catanzaro today,” Riccio continues, “no longer have vision or authority. This is demonstrated every time that, when faced with their responsibilities, Mayor Nicola Fiorita responds with political maneuvers and theatrics worthy of the best illusionism, dusting off councilors ready to recite scripts written elsewhere, in a desperate attempt to confuse public opinion.”
The councilor also points the finger at the majority in the chamber:
“The behavior of councilor Caviano is particularly serious, as she has shown she cannot distinguish the fundamental roles of democracy, ignoring the value of proposals simply because they come from the opposition. I am referring, in particular, to the two amendments I presented together with colleague Concolino: one for the redevelopment of the Giovino pine forest, the other for video surveillance along the seafront. Concrete proposals, rejected not for reasons of merit but out of pure political prejudice. A short-sighted and damaging decision for the whole city.”
Riccio then highlights the attitude of the “control room”:
“A majority conditioned by an increasingly self-referential mayor and by a president of the City Council, Gianmichele Bosco, elected with 50% of the center-right votes, who today leads a system incapable of accepting even the most reasonable proposal from the opposition.”
The situation is particularly critical in the Lido district, where the decay is evident:
Abandoned spaces, filth, and weeds in areas such as via Marco Polo and via Caprera.
Garbage and poor services along the seafront, ahead of the bathing season.
Illegal occupations and commercial abuse on the seafront and throughout the district.
“The dunes continue to be devastated, funding is lost without anyone being held accountable, illegal activity is rampant, urban insecurity is growing, and the seafront is in an unacceptable state of neglect. This is the real picture, not the triumphalist press releases.”
The councilor presses further:
“I would also like to know what happened to the intervention for the regulation of stormwater in via dei Crociati, announced with great fanfare by Caviano herself: promises vanished into thin air, like the funds.”
And he adds with biting irony:
“Meanwhile, while Catanzaro sinks into its real problems, Mayor Fiorita poses as a statesman and, between one statement and another, even seems to be thinking about whom to award the Nobel Peace Prize to, instead of concretely addressing the city’s emergencies.”
In conclusion, Riccio makes a direct appeal:
“Mayor Fiorita, enough with the smoke screens and political theatrics. The citizens are not naive and will not be deceived. The city is tired of unkept promises, empty proclamations, and slapdash management. What is needed is seriousness, competence, and respect for the institutions. Catanzaro deserves truth, not stage scripts.”