This Italian Mayor is Not Just an Official, but an Activist

About the author: Yulia Kozyreva
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I was so surprised by what happened that I even posted my story on Facebook. And I was surprised because Italy actually has a terrible bureaucracy. 

And it went like this. The lights have gone off on one of the streets in my municipality of Citta Sant'Angelo (Abruzzo region). The area is not the busiest one, there are just a few locals, most come here just to have a walk along the sea. As a rule, people signal problems to public utilities right away, they do not wait.

So, it happened now. But it was at night, and my neighbor in the condominium reported the broken lights not to some service, but directly to the mayor of our commune. Not by letter, they simply sent a message to WhatsApp! The most amazing thing in this story is that the mayor responded instantly, taking responsibility for resolving the issue on himself. Here is the correspondence.

Source: Facebook

After sharing the story on Facebook, I have received the expected reaction: everyone doubted that this way of solving the problem is even real. I wouldn't believe it either. But the fact remains that the highest-ranking person of the commune can be contacted directly. And most importantly, he will actually answer.

I also had to communicate with the mayor. Before the pandemic, it was possible to come to him for a meeting without an appointment. The opportunity to communicate in person still exists, but only by appointment. You can also contact the mayor by phone or messenger.

By the way, every local resident has the mayor's number, which is sent in letters concerning the life of the town. Subscription to this newsletter occurs automatically upon receipt of a residence permit.

The story is indicative: the official took the responsibility. I received the request, took it under personal control, redirected it to a specialist. In general, the mayor is more of a coordinator, an organizer of processes. You can often meet him on the streets of the city, approach him with a question, talk to him.

I don't want to idealize anything. Our commune is small (about 10-15 thousand people), and it is incorrect to compare the processes taking place in it with Rome or any other large city. Of course, even our mayor is not always free, besides, it is unlikely that he himself makes mailings and responds to everyone in the messenger. Surely there is a secretary…

But for me it is still important that the reaction in WhatsApp was immediate: at 21:00 an appeal was received, at 21:01 – a response. And the lanterns were repaired the next day.

Although I can't say that such promptness is typical for Italy. Of course, you can only contact the mayor directly when it comes to urban issues...

What do you think?

Quoting conditions of Prian.info materials