The vice-president of the Puglia Region, Raffaele Piemontese, is the new Puglia councilor for Animal Health and Welfare, Sport for all.
This was decided by governor Michele Emiliano who invited Fabiano Amati into the regional council, appointing him as councilor for Budget, Accounting, Finance and General Affairs.
The delegation for the programming of the Development, Cohesion and European Funds has been assigned to the former councilor Alessandro Delli Noci. The delegation to Water Resources, Water Protection and Hydraulic Authority goes to the former councilor Donato Pentassuglia.
The president retained the mandates for Infrastructure, Land Defense and Seismic Risk, State Property and Heritage.
President Michele Emiliano dissolves the reservation and decides the name of the new councilor. Fabiano Amati from Fasano leaves the presidency of the Budget Commission to become councilor for the same subject, with the addition of Accounting, Finance and General Affairs.
In this way, on the one hand, Emiliano completes the council with ten members (as per the Statute), after the executive was left with a free seat due to the exit of the M5S in April. On the other hand, it responds to Action’s request to join the council and obtain adequate recognition for belonging to the centre-left. Except that controversy erupts on this last point.
The shareholders reject the appointment. In recent days it was the group leader Ruggiero Mennea who led the negotiations with Emiliano: his entry into the council was communicated by the governor during the last majority meeting. On the choice of the name Emiliano first spoke with Mennea and in the last few hours with the leader of Action Carlo Calenda. Last night he made it known that he had exercised “the presidential prerogative of choice” and explained that he had obtained the green light from Calenda to decide between the three who refer to Action (also Clemente in the group).
Mennea denies it: «Emiliano’s decision is an arbitrary one and has nothing political: it was not agreed with Azione. Neither Calenda, nor I, nor Clemente were ever informed. We had agreed to meet with the president: I’m still waiting to find out where and when.” Amati, who has been distant from Action for some time after leaving the role of regional coordinator, seemed to Emiliano to be the most appropriate name. First of all because he was president of the Budget Commission for nine years: the transition seemed natural. Secondly, Amati is from Brindisi and the Province of Brindisi was the only one without representatives on the council.
The third reason, unspoken, is that Emiliano was held back from indicating Mennea by the barrage of the dem Filippo Caracciolo, from Barletta like the shareholder group leader: worried about a possible competitor in the area (the similar brake exercised by the Brindisi Maurizio Bruno for Amati , was less successful).
With the appointment of Amati, Emiliano has reorganized various delegations. Vice President Raffaele Piemontese (Pd) is appointed to Healthcare (which he had been in charge of for some time) and loses the powers he had. The budget goes to Amati; water resources to the agriculture councilor Donato Pentassuglia (Pd); the Programming of EU and FSC funds to the Councilor for Economic Development Alessandro Delli Noci (Con). Which becomes the councilor with the richest portfolio, after Healthcare. «
The Democratic Party – comments the regional secretary Domenico De Santis – welcomes with satisfaction the decision to entrust Piemontese with the delegation for Healthcare”. Then, speaking of Amati, he adds that «with the entry of Azione the majority is strengthened. We will continue to work to broaden the progressive front with our allies, especially with our friends of the M5S.”
