Gualtieri scores a goal: Atac leaves the preventive agreement regime. A good sign for Rome

Popularity is certainly not a reasonable goal for those who try their hand at leading the municipality of Rome. Better to give up applause and crowds, at least in the first half of the mandate, and devote oneself to the concrete part of administrative activity. Roberto Gualtieri, from an economic point of viewis holding this line well. The mayor can be criticized for many thingssuch as ordinary waste management (Rome, Gualtieri said, had to be clean by Christmas 2021, perhaps it will be by Christmas 2023, certainly not by Christmas 2022). But on some fronts it deserves encouragement. Yesterday, for example, an interesting result arrived, with the exit of the transport company, Atac, from the composition with creditors regime. It will say little to the citizen dealing with old buses and subways, but it is a necessary step to return to invest and guide the company towards greater efficiency. Investments resumed immediately, with the 500 million tender, a European record, for new trams. The recovery of operational capacity for Atac is just one of the results. The list does justice to the coldness with which Gualtieri’s mandate has been judged so far. At the top, even if obviously there is still to be done, the commitment and the first concrete steps for the waste-to-energy plant, with administrative steps all mapped out and the will reaffirmed against nimby and delaying tactics. The same goes for the Roma stadium, with the new project. Then there is the (very slow) recovery of the Metro C construction siteswith the ability, creditable to both, to work in an intelligently cooperative spirit with Minister Matteo Salvini. There are 700 million for the very long-term arrangement of the Peschiera aqueduct, meravijoso, his rival in the ballot for the Capitol would say. If you’re already thinking about potholes, there’s plenty for them too. 500 million to finance the agreement with Anas whose effects on the road surface perhaps come more slowly than the patches placed and inaugurated on Instagram but then they can last over time and this would, in fact, be wonderful.