Venice floats autonomy vote as answer to city’s problems

This Sunday Venetians will vote in a consultative referendum on whether to give the lagoon city autonomy over its government — cutting Venice’s administrative ties to the Italian mainland.

After the floods, this seemingly dry subject of local governance has become a rallying point for residents’ anguish over the problems that are submerging Venice: vast cruise ships in the lagoon, a history of corrupt local politics, dysfunctional rubbish collection leaving an almost permanent stench in its alleyways and the pressure of 20m tourists a year on its fragile ecosystem.
Venice and its 250,000 residents are part of a wider council area that includes its mainland neighbours, the industrial town of Mestre and port hub of Marghera. The two municipalities have shared a single mayor and council since 1926. But residents of Venice in favour of a “Yes” vote argue that changing this structure will allow them to prioritise the city’s needs when it comes to preventing floods or controlling numbers of cruise ships and tourists.

Via FT