Piero Bitetti, the civic-minded person supported by the centre-left: this is who the new mayor of Taranto is

After nearly twenty years of centre-left-led city government, Taranto has chosen continuity. The ballot between Piero Bitetti and Francesco Tacente, which saw the former get the better of the latter, was the last act of a long electoral campaign marked by twists and turns, appearances and transversal appeals. In the end, victory went to the candidate from the progressive area: 54.3% of votes in the second round against Tacente's 45.6%. "An appeal I make to the competitors. The citizens have given us a role, the election campaign is behind us, now we all need to work together, for the roles that will fall to each one, in the interest and for the common good,' said the new mayor.

An exponent of Michele Emiliano's 'Con' civic movement supported by the centre-left and former president of the city council, Bitetti had closed the first round in the lead with 37.39% and at the runoff he was able to count on the external support of the 5 Star Movement, which, while maintaining its autonomy and opposition role, invited its voters - 10.91% collected by journalist Annagrazia Angolano - to support him to 'avoid a victory for the right'. Also supporting Bitetti are Pd, Avs, Azione, Demos and several civic lists.

"Piero Bitetti's victory is the victory of real politics, of patient work, of the courage of choices. The PD strongly claims the centrality of the project that led to the construction of centre-left unity, even at the cost of a step backwards by our candidate. We have believed from the outset in the possibility of offering the city a credible and solid alternative. Today the citizens are telling us that it was right". So say Anna Filippetti, provincial secretary of the PD, and Giuseppe Tursi, city secretary, commenting on the victory, now taken for granted, of the centre-left candidate.

In Taranto, the last centre-right mayor was Rossana Di Bello. It was 2006, the year when financial instability was declared. Then came a phase of commissarial management, ten years of Ippazio Stefàno's government and the era of Rinaldo Melucci (the first term lasted four years, the second - after seven months of commissarial administration - a little over two and a half years), who fell from office twice due to the contextual resignations of 17 councillors. Finally, the provisional management of the extraordinary commissioner Giuliano Perrotta.

Born in 1973, 27 years in public life (first appointment in municipal pharmacies at 24), father of Luca and Sara and married to Giulia, a lawyer and administrative employee, Bitetti is a surveyor who later graduated in Legal Services Science. He works in administration and management in the family business.