Rome mayor facing threats from mobsters whose cozy ties with local pols laid bare by probe

Rome's mayor Ignazio Marino talks during a press conference at the Foreign Press Club in Rome, Friday, Dec. 5, 2014. Marino told reporters Friday he'd decide soon on new security measures after local mobsters said in intercepted phone conversations he needed to be eliminated or chased out of office. They complained he was an obstacle to a well-oiled system of payoffs to win contracts for refugee centers and other municipal activities. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) (The Associated Press)

Rome's mayor Ignazio Marino, right, arrives to attend a press conference at the Foreign Press Club in Rome, Friday, Dec. 5, 2014. Marino told reporters Friday he'd decide soon on new security measures after local mobsters said in intercepted phone conversations he needed to be eliminated or chased out of office. They complained he was an obstacle to a well-oiled system of payoffs to win contracts for refugee centers and other municipal activities. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) (The Associated Press)

ROME – Rome's mayor is weighing whether to stop using a bicycle and accept a limousine escort from police after facing threats from mobsters allegedly in cahoots with city politicians over lucrative municipal contracts.

Mayor Ignazio Marino told reporters Friday he'd decide soon on new security measures after local mobsters were heard in intercepted phone conversations saying that he needed to be eliminated or forced out of office. They complained he was an obstacle to a well-oiled payoff system to win contracts for refugee centers and other municipal activities.

Police arrested 37 people this week, including a reputed far-right terrorist, and notified former Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno and dozens more they were being investigated for suspected mafia-like ties and corruption.

Marino defeated Alemanno in a 2013 election.