ROME (AP) – The day the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement triumphed in Rome’s mayoral election, its exultant founder, comic Beppe Grillo, immediately turned his supporters’ sights on the next destination for what he calls their “mission impossible airplane” – soaring into national power.
But early reviews of the new 5-Star mayor, Virginia Raggi, have been anything but stellar, leading some to wonder if her bumbling administration might end up eclipsing the Movement’s dream of having one of its own in the premier’s office.
Raggi, a 38-year-old lawyer whose political resume before becoming Rome’s first female mayor consisted of a stint as a city councilwoman, swept away Premier Matteo Renzi’s Democratic candidate in a mayoral election runoff in June to become the “anti-party” 5-Star’s most prominent local office holder yet.
Three months into the job, Raggi is struggling to assemble her team at the city hall atop ancient Capitoline Hill.
Her choice for chief of staff exited after an uproar over an exorbitantly high salary, an embarrassment for the Movement, which rails against the political elite. While Rome sinks in debt, Raggi still is sifting through resumes to pick a budget czar.