Threatened mayor retracts resignation Lanzetta back in office after mafia intimidation

(ANSA) - Monasterace, April 12 - A Calabrian mayor who endured repeated death threats retracted her resignation Thursday. "It's not due to blackmail," said Maria Carmela Lanzetta, mayor of Monasterace. "It comes from an honest attitude of consistency and trust that should not be broken, especially for the younger generation". Lanzetta, a mother of two and a pharmacist by trade, tendered her resignation earlier this month shortly after someone fired shots at her car.Last June her pharmacy was burned by arsonists.Her decision to return to office came after meeting with Vittorio Piscitelli, the new prefect of Reggio Calabria.Lanzetta, who travels with a police escort, was applauded by Democratic Party (PD) leader Pier Luigi Bersani."She and other threatened administrators are the tip of the iceberg of decent community servants who should be supported and helped," he said. Lanzetta took over in 2003 after the town was dissolved for infiltration by the 'Ndrangheta mafia, which is based in Calabria.