Bari and Castellammare municipal councils plunge into paralysis over mafia‑linked disputes

In Bari, a council meeting to endorse the conversion of a confiscated villa into a nursery school collapsed after three majority councillors walked out and three opposition members left, leaving the session without a legal quorum. President Annamaria Ferretti posted on Facebook that the episode represented a “bottom‑most” failure, apologized to citizens and hinted at possible resignation, while the matter now moves to the city council.

In Castellammare, anti‑mafia investigators say the local government is on the brink of dissolution because the D’Alessandro clan still dominates municipal affairs. A commission is reviewing the future of the executive amid a clash between the mayor, the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement, both of which originally supported the administration.

Both incidents highlight how mafia infiltration and internal political rivalries can stall local decision‑making in Italian municipalities.