2025 is at risk of being a year with few elections. In fact, it has not yet been decided what the fate of the regional elections will be. The last ones were held in September 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, when voters in a handful of Belluno municipalities also went to the polls to renew their administrations. So far, the government has made a decision only for these municipalities, six in total in the province of Belluno, granting them an extension until the spring of 2026. The 2020 elections were held in September due to COVID-related issues, and a decree was required to move the usual spring election date. Therefore, the mayors of Colle Santa Lucia, Vodo di Cadore, Borca di Cadore, Valle di Cadore, Zoppè, and Gosaldo will remain in office for another year. A quick round of phone calls reveals that the mayors involved haven’t yet thought about what to do in a year, except for Marianna Hofer, the mayor of Valle di Cadore. "Five years as mayor are too few, ten are right, fifteen are too many," she said. Meanwhile, the mayors of Vodo, Domenico Belfi, and Borca, Bortolo Sala, haven’t yet made a decision. The two municipalities in the Boite Valley have many projects in common, such as the combined kindergarten and primary school in Vodo, or the bike path that runs through the entire valley, which constantly needs investment and maintenance. Belfi has already served two terms as mayor, followed by five years as a councilor, then another ten as mayor, bringing the total to 11 years due to the extension granted. Sala is on his third term as mayor. The problem, the mayors explain, is the same for all small municipalities: it’s easy to find candidates to form a list, but what’s always missing is a candidate for mayor. There are too many responsibilities, and there’s a risk of having almost no private life if one continues to work as well. The salary for the mayor of a small town barely exceeds 1,200 euros, with no contributions for pension purposes, making it impossible to maintain a full-time job. Paolo Frena, the mayor of Colle Santa Lucia, also has extensive experience as an administrator, mayor, and deputy mayor. "We are evaluating with my team what to do; we will decide together in a few months. It would be important for a young person to run; there are some in my team, the deputy mayor who has been with me for two terms is 35 years old." Like Belfi, Frena welcomed the extension of almost a year in his mandate because there are important projects underway in their municipalities that the current administrators would like to complete. Stefano Da Zanche, mayor of Gosaldo, is in his first term and is postponing any decision until the autumn: "I haven’t yet thought about re-candidacy, we will talk about it with my team in the autumn. One or two people should not run again due to work commitments, but the team is there. As for the mayoral candidate, we still need to evaluate that." Paolo Simonetti, the mayor of Zoppè, is also in his first term, dealing with urgent matters rather than thinking about the future. "There’s a need for a turnover of young people, if I run again, I’ll be close to 80," he explains. "It would be nice if a young person ran, also to ensure continuity in the administration. But at the moment, I don’t see any turnover on the horizon." Currently, two other municipalities in Belluno are without a mayor after the recent passing of their mayors. In San Nicolò Comelico, Giancarlo Ianese, 82 years old, who had been elected eight times, passed away last August. For now, the deputy mayor, Davide De Rigo Cromaro, is in charge. Another case is Sospirolo, where Mario De Bon passed away on November 4, 2024, at the age of 55, and the municipality is currently led by deputy mayor Livia Cadore. By rule, the affected municipalities will go to the polls on the first available date, meaning the next spring.
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