A complaint that appears like a bolt from the blue. And it turns a gloomy day at the end of November into a real disaster for a mayor who has recently suffered countless disappointments. An exponent of the Democratic Party who is the first, at least according to rumors, to run in the next European elections. “Nardella decided to end his term with a bang, no, not with fireworks, but with a bang of public money entrusted directly to the same agency, Futurevox srl of Genoa, which oversaw Secretary Elly Schlein’s primary campaign and has collaborations with PD groups in Liguria and Tuscany. Just under 100 thousand euros for the creation of seven videos made up of 210 photos, the use of a drone and some interviews with citizens. A scandal that is not only economic, but also, if not above all, political.”
Inflammatory words, those spoken by the leader of the Brothers of Italy group, Alessandro Draghi, accompanied at the press conference that illustrates the denunciation of party leader Sandra Bianchini. “Not content with paying generously to a head of the municipality’s communications office, and having already entrusted, again directly, therefore without a public tender, 60 thousand euros to another external company, this time from Turin, Avventura Urbana srl, for communications activities half and even at the end of his term, our mayor is thinking about resorting to this last trick, to show how good he has been in these 5 years, with the Florentines’ money – added Draghi -. Money that can become even more, because the agreement provides that in the event of the creation of materials other than those foreseen, there will be an increase of 20% on the total”.
There is a lot of nervousness in the Democratic Party these days. The candidacy (although not yet official, but now certain beyond any reasonable doubt) of Eike Schmidt as candidate for president of the Chamber for the center-right risks blowing up the last red fort. And to set off a long, unpredictable series of chain reactions. It was no coincidence that Mayor Nardella did not appear to deliver the documents that made the current director of the Uffizi an Italian citizen in all respects. “We remember how the communication project, which is the responsibility of the mayor, already has 14 people appointed – highlighted Dmitrij Palagi and Antonella Bundu, councilors from Sinistra Progetto Comune – Centralizing everything in the hands of the executive and spending this money like this is not appropriate”.
Strong criticism also from the leader of the League group, Federico Bussolin. “In a historical phase in which the mayor threatened to turn off public lighting due to lack of funds, it is unacceptable to know that the same public money is destined for communication campaigns at the end of the mayor’s term.” Great doubts are also expressed by the leader of the Italia Viva group, Mimma Dardano. “The number is exaggeratedly high. We also know that there was a direct assignment and we will check if other quotes were requested. Direct assignments are often made for insignificant amounts. This money could have been good for many families and, instead, we chose to invest in communication.”
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
