Reform of Udine's Neighborhood Councils: The majority defends autonomy.

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WATCH THE VIDEO. Udine's Participatory Neighborhood Councils are moving toward a future of greater autonomy from politics. This is the position of majority councilors Antonella Fiore (Spazio Udine) and Carlo Giacomello (Democratic Party), both members of the Support Body, elected just seven months ago and now set to be eliminated in the next City Council vote. The two defend the proposal, which arose from discussions with the Neighborhood Council coordinators, who deemed the body "not very useful," calling instead for increased staffing in the Decentralization Office. Both the Democratic Party councilor and the representative of the Lista Marchiol maintain that eliminating this body will make the councils more efficient and less subject to direct political interference.

The firm response comes in response to the controversy raised by the two minority members elected to the Support Body: the group leaders of the League, Francesca Laudicina, and the Brothers of Italy, Luca Vidoni, who see the amendment as an attempt to centralize power and silence the opposition.

"Abolishing this body doesn't mean 'muzzling the opposition,' but rather restoring full centrality to the Neighborhood Councils themselves, avoiding interference and superstructures," Fiore and Giacomello explain. The direction taken, in short, is to make the participatory bodies "autonomous, free from direct political influence, whether from the majority or the minority," so they can operate more effectively in listening to and engaging with citizens. Mayor De Toni, meanwhile, explained to Telefriuli that this is merely a proposal that will be discussed by the City Council as soon as possible.