Posted by on Wednesday, May 31, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

The mayor in his office

Relatively early in our time in Sicily, I got the chance to have a conversation with the mayor of Cefalù, Rosario Lapunzina. We met in his office, and discussed politics. We talked about Italian government and its similarities and differences to American government. The interview was extremely interesting at the time, and has only become more fascinating to listen to since I began my government internship in DC.

We started by discussing Italian politics, and the mayor’s daily responsibilities. He described his role helping Cefalù run smoothly. He also explained by a typical Italian city government is set up. For example, one of the other major things citizens vote for is a council to represent their interests and make decisions for Cefalù. It seemed to by similar to a city council in an average American city. He also discussed later in the interview how important he considers a balanced budget. Mayor Lapunzina believes that the city shouldn’t spend money it doesn’t have. In his past term, he has helped Cefalù spend money more responsibly. This is a conversation that certainly recurs in American politics as well.

Professor Greenfield and myself with Mayor Lapunzina

Next, we shifted to the topic of American politics. The mayor talked about hearing news reports about our politics. He said that he does not think our new President’s approach to governing is as inclusive as it ought to be – or as inclusive as the last administration’s approach. However, he was nowhere near as critical as many Americans are. After only two days, I am getting a better grasp on the workings of Washington, D.C., and I can better appreciate the local government that the mayor exists within. Sicily may be relatively slow and laid-back, but it cannot be more difficult to enact change there than it is in our federal government.

Our final point of conversation was the relationship that Cefalù has with tourists. Mayor Lapunzina explained that while Cefalù has a permanent population of about 15,000 people, it has a summer population of about 40,000 people because of tourism. Obviously, as a result, tourists are crucial to the economy of Cefalù. The mayor described how both permanent residents and tourists must be considered when decisions are made, because both are ultimately impacted by the local government. His thoughts reminded me of some small historical towns in the US, that have a decent population but couldn’t survive without tourism. I suppose that catering to visitors is a universal challenge for tourist spots, whether in Sicily or Virginia.

Here’s the link to the full video interview, with the exception of a few seconds at the end of the mayor’s answer regarding American politics (camera cut out)

In conclusion, interviewing Mayor Lapunzina provided me with clarity and new information about the way Italian government is alike and different from American government. It also allowed me to better understand and appreciate Cefalù. I will undoubtedly draw upon my new knowledge of Cefalù’s government as I navigate politics in the future.