Toscolano Mayor Suspends Garda Community Membership Over Management Dispute

“After acknowledging the absolutely inconsistent management approach intended for the Community, I am informing you that I have instructed the accounting office of my municipality to suspend the payment of the annual membership fee. In the next meeting, I will submit for the council’s approval any withdrawal.” This is the content of the letter sent in recent days by the mayor of Toscolano, Paolo Elena, to his colleagues from Brescia, Trento, Verona, and Mantua, as well as to the presidents of other entities and companies that are part of the Garda Community.

A bolt from the blue (but perhaps something was simmering beneath the surface after the delegation distribution) that caught many by surprise, starting with the president of the Community, Giuseppe Mongiello, who has been in office for just over two months. In Bardolino, on March 10, the general assembly of the Community has been convened to approve the president’s program report, the modification to the 2001 budget forecast, and last year’s financial statement. That would be the true moment for discussion and debate, notes Mongiello himself, who also clarifies:

Programs and Meetings of the Community

“In order to establish a collegial and shared approach to the program, I am completing a series of meetings with institutions and economic operators, such as presidents of provinces and chambers of commerce, mayors, APT associations, and category representatives. The three meetings of the board held in December and January were dedicated to the necessary internal organizational restructuring and vital issues such as road infrastructure, water quality, coordination of major tourist and cultural events, and the unified tourism promotion in Italy and abroad.

Therefore, it is very difficult for me to understand the absolute inconsistency of my management, not because I believe it is susceptible to criticism or censure, but solely because I have not yet had the opportunity to submit the administration’s program I am leading for the assembly’s evaluation, just over two months after my election.

The Bardolino assembly will constitute a first step in the necessary dialogue among mayors, the president, and the board. I am available to meet with Elena to evaluate the matter with calm objectivity, providing all necessary details.”