During a meeting held at the Consulate General of Italy in New York, the new members of the Comites in the presence of the Consul General of Italy Fabrizio Di Michele, elected Predident Alessandro Crocco, 35 years old, of White Plains, New York. 

The new President immediately addressed the assembly, thanked everyone for having participated in the first meeting of the Comites and thanked the Consul General Di Michele and the deputy Consul Bieller for having made the room available in the consulate and went on to say: “Congratulations to all of you and to all of us. If you're here today it's because you've worked so hard in our extensive community of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

I thank everyone that has reached out to me in the  recent days.  A brief parenthesis on the elections of the Comites just ended. The low turnout was certainly a source of regret for all of us. These elections required a great deal of effort on our part and on the part of the Consulate, and despite this the registration on the electoral roll was disappointing.

We now have an opportunity to change the course of this negative trend and make the Comites known for what they are and want to be: a beacon in the community.”  Crocco concluded by turning his thoughts to young people and the future: “I think of many young people who come to New York and are disoriented and lost in facing the bureaucratic world, or the elderly who have lost contact with the community and are often put on the margins of society.

The Comites wants to be there, wants to be the voice of those who have no voice ensuring a constant presence to all and in all sectors, from health to civil rights, from subsidiarity to welfare, from education to research, from equal opportunities to young people. If we can do this and work with the new generations, the associations, and the great and cosmopolitan Italian scene present, I believe that this will already be a great victory.

I do not believe that we will be able to change everything immediately, but I believe that together in our daily lives we will be able to transform our actions into an extraordinary work. We want to leave future generations a strong Italian identity, they must be proud to be Italian. I hope that this afternoon can be an example of democratic debate where our selfishness does not take over, but common sense prevails in all of us and the real reason for being here, that is, to serve our community. “ The following members were elected to the Executive Board: Claudia Carbone, vice president, Dario Corradini secretary; Enrico Zenon, treasurer; Riccardo Costa and Barbara Pelechin, members of the Executive Board.

Also present at the first meeting of the Comites were the former President of the Comites Salvatore Fronterre and the outgoing President Paolo Ribaudo who participated via Zoom. The newly elected representatives of the Comites are: Community Project List: Alessandro Crocco, 233 votes; Claudio Carbone, 177 votes; Riccardo Costa, 177 votes; Giuseppe Rizzi, 157 votes; Enrico Zanon, 117 votes; Francesco Prandoni, 102 votes and Dario Corradini, 101 votes. Lista Italia nel cuore: Barbara Pelachin, 71 votes; Ornella Buttazzo, 69 votes and Leide Porcu, 68 votes.  Lista Civica Tricolore: Salvatore Ingrassia, 96 votes and Francesco Antonio Caramagna, 92 votes. 

The Comites is a body  created to collaborate with the Consulates, carry out, and improve the protection of our compatriots abroad. 

In the photo, Alessandro Crocco the new President of the Comites, guest of the former Vice Consul of Italy Alfonso Panico. Greenwich, Connecticut.