Mayor of Bari, Iacovone's resignation is a matter of rigor, not a showdown

I firmly reject the attempt to transform a question of institutional rigor into a political showdown or, worse, into an alleged personal persecution. Those who know my story know well that neither trials of intentions nor moral disqualifications belong to my culture. This was stated by the mayor of Bari, Vito Leccese, in a note in which he "takes note" of the resignation of the deputy mayor Giovanna Iacovone, thanks her "for the contribution given to the administration", but does not hide "a certain amazement" at the accusations that the now former councilor addressed to him in her resignation letter.

"I return to the point from which everything arose, because that is where the substance of the story lies." "It cannot be ignored - he adds - that incorrect behavior repeated several times, one of which even touched the sensitivity and respect due to the most vulnerable people, risks compromising the bond of trust between the administration and the citizens. I had already mentioned, since the first episode, the need to set an example, but that invitation has evidently fallen on deaf ears.

In the meeting held last Thursday, my deputy mayor continued to deny the reality of the facts. I have never been afraid of the truth: my teacher of life and politics, Enrico Dalfino, taught me the revolutionary power of the truth. We can now try to shift attention to something else, perhaps it will be convenient, but it does not erase the substance of what happened."