Despite his city's serious
financial woes when he took office, Naples Mayor Luigi de
Magistris said Monday that he was not seriously tempted by
lucrative offers from Russian businessmen to buy pieces of the
ancient city's heritage.
De Magistris, during an ANSA forum, talked about the dire
circumstances he inherited when he took office four years ago,
Italy's current political situation, crime in Naples, and his
efforts to boost tourism there.
But the latter did not involve selling off parts of the
city to wealthy entrepreneurs, he said.
"In the early days of my mandate, in times of severe
crisis...some Russian entrepreneurs came forward and suggested I
allow them to purchase some monuments, important symbols of my
city," said de Magistris, adding he intends to stand for
election again.
"Sure, it would have helped with some financial issues but
I realized I would have abdicated my role (as mayor), to help to
enhance the cultural heritage of the city and I would go down in
history with the label of the man who sold the best pieces of
Naples," he said.
The entrepreneurs were interested in pieces including such
architectural gems as the Castel Nuovo and the Castel dell'Ovo,
said de Magistris, a former prosecutor.
During the forum de Magistris said that early in his
mandate he had to act quickly to cut spending on consultants,
try to get the books in balance, and pay debts owed to
creditors.
He said he has also worked to get the Camorra mafia out of
city contracts.
"We have worked like ants; some people initially were
disappointed but then, a little at a time, they understood our
efforts," he said.
More work is being done to open Naples and its cultural
heritage to tourists, and it is proving successful, said de
Magistris.
"We have one of the most important art heritages, we are a
friendly city," and tourists are realizing that, said the mayor.
On national issues, de Magistris said that when voting
begins this week for a new president, Italy needs "a new
Pertini" - referring to Alessandro 'Sandro' Pertini, who served
as the seventh president, from 1978 to 1985.
"But it would be interesting to have a woman," as
president, said de Magistris, adding that the names of possible
candidates that have appeared in the media up to now "are not
good".
De Magistris also described Premier Matteo Renzi as "a
disappointment" particularly in the former Florence mayor's
dealings with municipal governments.
"I expected he would be closer to mayors...I was expecting
something more concrete," to help local government, said de
Magistris, adding that under Renzi the centre-left Democratic
Party (PD) "is not (of the) left".
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