Giorgio Morales

Giorgio Morales (born 26 March 1932 in La Spezia) is an Italian politician, former Mayor of Florence.

Giorgio Morales
Mayor of Florence
In office
2 October 1989 – 24 April 1995
Preceded byMassimo Bogianckino
Succeeded byMario Primicerio
Personal details
Born (1932-03-26) 26 March 1932
La Spezia, Italy
Political partySocialist (till 1995)
Forza Italia (1995-2009)

Career

He started his political life at a very early age in Popular Unity and then enrolled in the Italian Socialist Party in 1957.

After graduating in Political Sciences at the Cesare Alfieri Institute of the University of Florence, in 1970 he was appointed coordinator of the Legislative Office of the Regional Council.

He was elected municipal councilor in Florence uninterrupted between 1975 and 1989. He served as councilor for decentralization in 1975, with Mayor Elio Gabbuggiani, then became deputy mayor from 1979 to 1983. He has been councilor to culture with mayors Alessandro Bonsanti, Lando Conti and Massimo Bogianckino.

He was elected Mayor of Florence twice: in 1989 he succeeded Bogianckino, supported by the same parties (PCI, PSI, PSDI and PLI);[1] in 1990 he then formed a Pentapartito junta (DC, PSI, PSDI, PRI and PLI).[2] He ran again for the office of Mayor in 1995 supported by Forza Italia and the Italian People's Party,[3] but was defeated by Mario Primicerio.[4] From 1995 to 1999 he sat in the city council.

Giorgio Morales was an advocate for culture with a passion for refined wines and art books, as well as being a Socialist. As Valdo Spini was the first candidate to be considered as mayor of Florence; it was Craxi who recommended Morales as the appropriate alternative to Spini, believing that having Spini as mayor would set a dangerous precedent for following alliances.[5]

Giorgio Morales, along with the entire city council, resigned from being Mayor of Florence in 1990 amidst a time of racial strains and anti-immigration shortly after a violent attack on African immigrants.[6] Immediately before Giorgio’s resignation, members of his coalition were unsupportive of his wanting to “militarize” downtown Florence, a popular tourist location.[7] The task force would be in place to combat deteriorization of the historic center and prevent violence as well as other crimes such as vandalism and sexual assaults.[8] Upon leaving, Morales expressed his content with additional efforts to control racist attacks and crime in Florence. Morales had managed to receive police support from Rome during his time in office, which some citizens in Florence regarded “Florence Besieged” (William Montalbano).[7][9][10]

Political offices
Preceded by
Massimo Bogianckino		 Mayor of Florence
1989–1995		 Succeeded by
Mario Primicerio

References
  1. La Repubblica (3 October 1989). "È Giorgio Morales della sinistra del PSI il sindaco di Firenze".
  2. La Repubblica (19 July 1990). "Morales succede a se stesso ma l'alleanza è ribaltata".
  3. La Repubblica (18 March 1995). "Firenze, il sindaco Morales sarà il candidato del Polo".
  4. elezionistorico.interno.gov.it. "1995 Comunal Elections".
  5. "E' GIORGIO MORALES DELLA SINISTRA DEL PSI IL SINDACO DI FIRENZE - la Repubblica.it". Archivio - la Repubblica.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  6. "Italy's Renaissance Capital Tries to Ease Racial Tension". Christian Science Monitor. 1990-05-01. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  7. MONTALBANO, WILLIAM D. (1990-03-24). "In Florence, Racial Strife Over African Immigrants Tarnishes an Artistic Jewel : Italy: A police crackdown in a city known for its refinement sparks protest and fuels national debate". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  8. tfnews (2006-11-16). "City under siege?". The Florentine. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  9. Post, JENNIFER PARMELEE, The Washington. "RACIAL TENSIONS MAR PICTURESQUE CITY OF FLORENCE". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  10. "MONUMENTS OF FLORENCE TO GET HIGH-TECH SECURITY". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.