In the final sprint of the electoral campaign that precedes the ballots, perhaps the greatest news has come from Milan. Left alone on the pitch, Beppe Sala and Stefano Parisi have set aside certain minuet tones of the early days; the controversy has become more direct and, at times, even more vicious.
A good thing, all in all, because the scenario has become clearer and the stereotype disclosed by many and which presented the two candidates almost as doubles, equivalent and interchangeable, has been swept away. For the benefit, above all, of abstainers and uncertain voters.
In reality, Sala and Parisi have in common only a cultural background as managers and management experience in complex organizations: little stuff, after all.
For the rest (programmatic proposals; style of communication with public opinion; degree of autonomy with respect to the political background of reference) the differences are considerable.
Parisi's keywords appeared above all: change and security. Both suggestive slogans, but quite obvious. It is natural that the issue of security, in a season like the one we are experiencing, is very high in the ranking of citizens' expectations but they are well aware, at least in an advanced reality like Milan, that the powers and role of the Municipality, in this field , can operate in a definitively limited area.
On the other hand, even during the emergency phases (think of the issue of illegal camps or the sudden flow of refugees from Syria last year) the municipal administration led by Giuliano Pisapia, whose experience Sala explicitly refers to, has given evidence of efficiency and ability to mobilize citizens and volunteers without the city suffering in a particular way.
And even during the months of Expo, no acute hardships emerged: a sign that a point of balance between the humanitarian spirit, the duties of hospitality and protection of the safety of the Milanese has been safeguarded.
It is reasonable to predict that, in this matter, Sala could - if anything - do better and no worse than Pisapia. As for change, Milan has already changed a lot in the last five years. He had a jolt of vitality that was widely perceived both in Italy and abroad. The main credit goes, of course, to those who live there and those who work there. But the municipal administration has also done its part and even the most hostile of its critics would find it difficult to deny it.
Sala's program is: to continue on this path, with the necessary corrections, updates and reinforcements, but without distorting it. And focusing above all on the enhancement of the suburbs and on the real creation of the metropolitan city: the most demanding but also the most necessary challenge for Milan.
On these two issues, Parisi did not make particularly original proposals and preferred to reply with an all-encompassing: "change!". Well: but with whom? For now, the first name put forward for the Giunta was that of Gabriele Albertini, who was Mayor of Milan until 2006 and was just re-elected to the City Council.
