“It was a beautiful story. I wish good work to those who will come after me.”
From Monday, April 15, Roberto Ponti began to combine his experience as mayor with the past. He was a member of Brissago Town Hall for 14 years, and for another 20 years he was a member of Brissago Town Hall. A long story, ‘a beautiful story – he says – to which it was right to put an end, because in the administration of the municipalities it is necessary at some point to guarantee a replacement, leaving room for new forces and people’.
"Now for me, who will turn 63 in May, it's like starting a new life," Ponti says. Of course, I will miss the political commitment, the daily contact with the administration, with the citizens, whom I thank for the collaboration, support and trust they have shown me over the years ... But we must have the courage to change and find new stimuli. However, I will always be available to those who want to ask me for advice on the choices that will have to shape the future of our municipality.’
Ponti was an exponent of a historical party, the PLR, in a Brissago that, like many other municipalities, has seen the birth in recent years of several civic lists. “In the end, especially in small towns, people vote more than parties and, once elected, municipalities and city councillors must be able to undress their shirts and work together for the good of the population. The aim is to administer the municipality in the best possible way, trying to solve the concrete problems”.
The last legislatures, Ponti notes, “have been marked in this sense by collaboration. We have finally succeeded, also thanks to a generous private donation, in completing the renovation of Casa Branca Baccalà and now, 50 years after the purchase of the building, we can hand it over to the population and inaugurate it in September. In recent years we have invested a lot, in the port infrastructure and in the Lido, in the paving of the lakefront, in the square in the embarked area, also in this case with the support of a private person. And since many wealthy people live in Brissago, I think it is important to involve them in public life. Their presence is a valuable asset for our municipality, not only in terms of taxation.’
But we must also look beyond our own borders, notes the former mayor: “We have started to discuss concrete collaborations with the Municipality of Ronco sopra Ascona. In my opinion, the next City Hall should continue along this path, while respecting each other’s autonomy, with the aim of saving public money by collaborating on specific projects and topics, as is already the case in schools. And with regard to schools, the imminent opening of our crèche should be emphasised, which is an important step in making Brissago more attractive to families.”
Another shipyard in constant development is that of tourism, which also passes, of course, from the investments mentioned in the lake area. But also from the realization of the hilly cycle road, Ponti points out, and from the enhancement of the nucleus between Via Leoncavallo and the lakefront.
According to the former mayor, the new ‘house of culture’ at Palazzo Branca Baccalà should help to shift the centre of gravity of social life towards the most prized area of the municipality, which is precisely the lake, also encouraging the opening of small shops and public places, as in the past. Without forgetting the mountain, which is another element of great tourist interest.
Then, of things, of projects, there are many to be completed or to be realized, and the challenges for the next Town Hall will be challenging: “I just have to wish good work to all those elected, in the Executive and in the Legislative, with a wish: Let them work together and in harmony for the future of our beloved Commune. And I hope that Brissago will also continue to live the passion of all those who, outside the institutions, engage in person or through associations, to create projects, events, opportunities, jobs and wealth, not only in economic terms but also cultural and recreational. The life of a municipality goes far beyond the walls of the palace’.