Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi on
Friday named staffer Andrea Mazzillo as new budget cabinet
member and businessman Massimo Colomban as her new head of
municipally controlled companies.
"We're facing important challenges and Mazzillo can make a
valuable contribution given his experience in local finance,"
Raggi said.
"I'm... also naming him to show the (5-Star) Movement (M5S)
fields its most qualified militants". Raggi is from the M5S and
was elected in June.
"I will present a program for the next quarter as soon as
possible," Mazzillo said. "It will be shared with city
councillors, boroughs, and the relevant city commission. At the
same time, we will get started immediately on next year's
preliminary budget".
Colomban, who is now in charge of municipally controlled
companies such as troubled trash company AMA and struggling
public transport firm ATAC, is the founder of Permasteelisa, a
world leader in making architectural envelopes for buildings
including the Sydney Opera House and the Guggenheim Museum in
Bilbao.
"I welcome Massimo Colomban to the cabinet team," said
Raggi. "His experience will be useful to achieve our programme
for municipally controlled companies. The aim is to rationalize
them, optimize public services and eliminate waste".
Colomban said he "accepts the job with the necessary
determination, knowing it's a complex challenge but that it is
within our scope... I know I'm joining a group of great
professionals and experts in their fields".
Also on Friday, anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S)
founder and chief Beppe Grillo congratulated Raggi's two new
cabinet members and reiterated his backing for the young mayor,
who has had trouble filling vacancies in her executive and other
key city posts after a slew of resignations.
"I'm sure they'll do a great job in making the M5S program,
which a vast majority of the Roman people voted for, a reality,"
Grillo said, adding that Raggi "has all his trust and that of
the entire M5S". Raggi was elected in June with almost 70% of a
runoff vote against the incumbent center-left Democratic Party
(PD) of Premier Matteo Renzi.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
