Arco Council Dispute Deepens After Budget Resolution Complaint
Just when it seemed that there was a subtle rapprochement between the opposition and the majority of the Arco city council, it appears that a big blow has occurred. A complaint has been filed with the Tar (Regional Administrative Court) regarding the resolutions (the budget adjustments, to be clear — we’re not talking about trivial decisions) that the minority members consider to have been adopted during council sessions convened without following all the proper procedures. In short, things are no longer a laughing matter.
The controversy between the parties and reactions
All this, paradoxically, comes after what can be described as a sort of admission of a formal fault, not a substantive one, by president of the Arco city council Marco Joppi. However, he allegedly waited until journalists and some councilors left the chamber before making this statement — that is the accusation against him — and he would have remained notably alone in his plea for public forgiveness.
No comments from the mayor, the executive committee, and other representatives of the majority. Accordingly — except for Eurocivica and Castello — all the other opposition political forces have signed the complaint that had been threatened multiple times but so far kept on hold. It will be up to the Tar to assess the legality of those acts, on which the Province had already issued a legal opinion, in some ways favorable to the complainants.
The new rules and the start of the appeal
With the new “rules,” however, the “ni” — the negation — is no longer sufficient. An appeal must be filed with the regional administrative court, which yesterday officially departed for Trento. Truthfully, not everyone was convinced of this course of action. Indeed, among the opposition, representatives of Eurocivica, for example, expressed satisfaction with Loppi’s “apologies,” albeit late. On this point, it seems, even Mirri of Castello agrees.
There were also some nuances within other groups. But in the end, despite some setbacks, the “hard line” prevailed. It remains to be seen what will happen in the upcoming leaders’ conference. Until a few weeks ago, this body was effectively boycotted by the minority, who remained consistently on the sidelines. Only representatives of Eurocivica and Castello participated.
The dialogue between political forces and opinions of some representatives
“I believe we should restart from the conference to improve not only the relationships between groups in the council but also the work itself — says President Joppi — especially since I think there is willingness to dialogue and to evaluate operational and formal needs of all. Certainly, if everyone closes ranks and Byzantine obstinacy prevails, then…”.
Yesterday, Severino Bombardelli (Arco Domani) mentioned, among other things, the “ill-tempered attitudes” of the Democratic Party’s group leader, which would have further complicated matters. De Laurentis (Alleanza Nazionale) talked after Friday’s session about a president “left alone, exposed, probably to unload all faults on him.”
Apparently, Mayor Veronesi disagrees with this view:
“President and mayor hold two distinctly different roles in the council. I agree with Joppi’s intervention. That’s why I didn’t speak myself: I would have said the same things. In any case, the accusation was once about collusion between the majority and the council presidency. Now, it’s exactly the opposite. Maybe it’s time they came to an agreement…”
