Malcesine Leaves Garda Community Amid Budget and Representation Concerns
The Comunità del Garda is losing members. After Peschiera, Garda, Lazise, and Castelnuovo, it’s now the turn of Malcesine, the farthest tip of the Veronese territory on the border with Trentino. The municipal council unanimously decided, with a resolution dated October 9th, to withdraw from the organization that coordinates and promotes the protection, enhancement, and development of Italy’s largest lake basin.
“No political motives but only the acknowledgment of a lack of involvement within the Comunità,” claims Ferdinando Sbizzera, the culture assessor. “All of this despite our maximum willingness to collaborate with the organization. After some calculations, we decided to redirect the membership fee allocated to the Comunità to Malcesine Più, a local institution responsible for promoting tourism. The amount is 20 million lire, equivalent to two thousandths of the municipal budget.”
The economic implications and previous withdrawals
Unfortunately, for 2002, the municipal administration still has to pay the annual fee. The reason is very simple: it relates to the withdrawal made after September 30th. Essentially, this is beyond the terms set by the civil code and not so much by the statute of the Comunità. A real slap in the face.
The only consolation for Malcesine, if such can be called, is that the same mistake was made in the past by Peschiera, Lazise, Garda, and Castelnuovo. But beyond the economic aspect, there is no doubt that the departure of the town from the Comunità sounds like yet another alarm bell regarding an organization that is becoming less and less representative of the Veronese Riviera.
The same vice president of the organization, Giovanni Zappalà, mayor of Brenzone, does not hide his concern. “It is time to seriously evaluate the presence of the municipalities from Scaligeri within the Comunità. However, I believe that addressing issues related to Garda requires collegiality and synergy among the Benacensi centers.”
The reform and proposals for the Comunità del Garda
According to president Giuseppe Mongiello, the Comunità del Garda “must become an organization that does not resemble a hotel lobby, where people come and go (Garda is close to rejoining) at their leisure at all hours to gain credibility”. “The hope,” Mongiello emphasizes in a press release, “is that this volunteer association will soon transform into a Consorzio so that it can manage, besides representation and coordination, some essential services for the entire Garda basin.”
Demanding that the Comunità be a body from which each municipality, having paid the membership fee, can receive contributions for their events, means misunderstanding its function entirely.
Regarding Malcesine’s unexpected decision to leave the Comunità, the president did not hide that “it would have been right to have been consulted beforehand or at least notified about such a serious decision, in order to clarify any misunderstandings, respond to legitimate objections, explore community issues or projects, and, if shared, agree on joint initiatives.”
