Castellammare, the left: "Poor decisions and opaque coalitions, the city risks another administration."

Castellammare– Amid the political and administrative turmoil affecting the municipality of Castellammare di Stabia, marked by judicial investigations into alleged ties between certain politicians and the D'Alessandro clan, a controversial political document has entered the debate.

The document was signed by Base Popolare – Democratici Progressisti, a left-wing wing that directly implicates Mayor Luigi Vicinanza, his majority, and the Democratic Party.

The text begins with a clear premise: the city risks slipping back into a dangerous spiral, marked by the Camorra's influence over the economy, professions, and politics, with the concrete threat of a new suspension of the city's democratic life.

A perspective that recalls the 2022 dissolution due to mafia infiltration and, going even further back, the administrative events that have affected Castellammare since 2010.

According to the signatories, the crux of the matter isn't the assessment of the first 18 months of the administration or the debate over individual public policies, but a more fundamental question: have the choices made been sufficient to prevent further Camorra influence, even within the "new" City Council? The answer, for Base Popolare, is no.

The document openly discusses flawed solutions and widespread responsibility, while also acknowledging a degree of self-criticism. It challenges the model of "broad" electoral coalitions, constructed to win but incapable of ensuring solid and transparent political leadership. This approach, according to the statement, has produced a heterogeneous and fragile majority, so much so that Mayor Vicinanza himself, in the initial stages, resorted to a so-called "technical" government to gain time in the face of difficulties in composing the executive.

The idea that dissolution and administration by a special commissioner could definitively resolve the issue of the opaque relationships between politics and organized crime also comes under scrutiny. On the contrary, the document states that there has been a lack of genuine internal reflection within the parties and the coalition on the need to eliminate ambiguity, collusion, and distorting electoral practices, often fueled by electoral committees and civic lists that are only nominally such.

The signatories point to the recent municipal elections as a case in point: a coalition composed of 14 lists and 336 candidates, described at the time as a model of "broad field," but which today reveals all its weaknesses. It's too easy, according to Base Popolare, to now attempt to separate the responsibilities of the City Council from those of the Executive: coalition building, they point out, is also the direct responsibility of the mayoral candidate, as required by law through the declaration of connection with the lists.

The criticism extends to the behavior of the mayor and the Democratic Party during the weeks marked by the judicial investigations. They criticize the lack of a strong political initiative, such as the formal request for the establishment of an Access Commission and the simultaneous initiation of a political review through resignations, to prevent the city from once again paying a very high price. This is a path that, they argue, had already been outlined in a November 12th memo.

The document also raises concerns that the Democratic Party's inaction will fuel confusion and weaken figures who have long been committed to fighting the mafia, such as Sandro Ruotolo, who is called upon to contribute to the city despite his national responsibilities.

There's no shortage of references to administrative issues that, in the signatories' view, have remained marginalized in political debate: from economic development to neighborhoods, from ports to the Ancient Baths, from springs to waste management contracts, to the risk of losing resources from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and the CIS (Central Economic and Social Plan). Not to mention healthcare and the city hospital, which are blamed for political choices that have nothing to do with the work of their staff.

The decision to leave the majority is being hailed as a necessary political act to denounce the lack of a truly participatory process and the failure to follow up on a motion approved by the City Council regarding development and the involvement of social and professional groups.

The document concludes with a call for transparency and democratic participation. The fight against the Camorra, it is reiterated, cannot divide the city. On the contrary, an urgent political shift is needed, capable of uniting healthy forces, saying no, overcoming electoral "heaps," and restoring citizens' trust, countering abstentionism and controlled voting.

The judiciary, the statement concludes, is responsible for determining responsibility and collusion. Politicians, starting with the mayor, are responsible for making immediate decisions to avoid the nightmare of another commissionership in Castellammare.