More Resignations Needed from Florence Commission

With the recent resignations of Henry Schiro and Marilyn Dorsa from the Florence Commission, the franchise of the Medici Masked Ball should be re-evaluated with the aim of diminishing its tone of exclusivity. Like some of the commissioners on the Florence Commission the fund-raising extravaganza has been there way too long. County government is a good place to get things started but if you are going to make a particular fund-raising event a permanent affair, then it should be required to spin off, just like a start up company that has been nurtured within a business incubator. The Florence Commission looks like an organization that has become too comfortable with its status and has become entrenched and entitled. It’s time for the franchise to spin off and become a stand-alone nonprofit.

Those commissioners who have served for more than 10 years should voluntarily step down and allow new people with new ideas to have an opportunity to make a difference.  They should do so in the spirit of democracy and out of a sense of fairness. We would like to thank them for their service and for their energies but it is time for them to do the right thing and step down from their public positions of privilege on the Florence Commission.

The Commission has become too extravagant in its thinking.  They appear to have lost their sense of modesty that was the hallmark of earlier Italian Americans who settled in the Santa Clara Valley, making it a unique place to live and grow. The Valley of the Heart’s Delight brought many Italian immigrants to the region because of its mild weather and the laid-back attitude of its denizens. The Commission needs to find a way to get back to this friendlier tone. Remember why the Florence Commission exists in the first place–to share the values, accomplishments and ideas of Italian culture with the wider public. It was created as a way to exchange and connect between the peoples of both Florence, Italy and Santa Clara County. With a new president going into the White House, now would be a good time to set a new tone that celebrates in an inclusive way the values and diversity of Italian heritage.

The Florence Commission should contribute to the greater good of Santa Clara County by reducing the barriers of exclusiveness that have marked the commission in recent years. The Commission is an excellent resource to train future leaders, especially those who appreciate Italian heritage and culture, for Santa Clara County. The opportunity to learn about how county government functions and operates is very valuable to producing our future leaders and should not be hogged by those who have no interest in anything but themselves.

If the Florence Commission cannot change its attitude, President Matteo Renzi and the Province of Florence, Italy would best be advised to discontinue the relationship with Santa Clara County and find some place else that appreciates and respects the spirit of enlightenment of the Italian Renaissance.

You can contact the President of the Province of Florence, Italy at:

Presidenza della Provincia di Firenze
Via Cavour, 1 – Firenze
Tel. 055-2760212
Fax. 055-218226
presidente@provincia.fi.it
http://www.matteorenzi.it/

President Matteo Renzi of the Province of

Florence, Italy