Michael DiGiorgio
Michael DiGiorgio | |
|---|---|
| File:Michael DiGiorgio.JPG | |
| Mayor of Novato, California | |
| In office 1999 – 2000, 2003–2004 | |
| Councilmember of Novato, California | |
| In office 1995–2003 | |
| Director, Novato Sanitary Board | |
| In office 2005–2014 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 12, 1940 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 6, 2014 (age 73) Novato, California, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Gordonna DiGiorgio |
| Profession | Realtor |
Michael DiGiorgio (born April 12, 1940) was an American politician. He was the former mayor of Novato, California, and director of the Novato Sanitary Board. He served on the Novato city council from 1997 to 2003 and on the sanitary board from 2005 onward.
Life before politics
Born in New York, DiGiorgio's family moved to California in 1942. DiGiorgio attended Menlo High School and the University of Arizona before serving a three-year stint in the United States Army. After returning, he completed his undergraduate degree in international trade at San Francisco State University and earned his MBA at Pepperdine University.[1]
DiGiorgio held a variety of positions before entering politics. He worked on BART with Kaiser Sand & Gravel, was a stockbroker, worked for the family business at DiGiorgio Corp., managed Sun Aire commuter airliners out of Palm Springs, California, worked for aircraft speculators in London, UK, before finally moving to Novato in 1989 and purchasing a video store.[2]
Entry into politics
After the closure of Hamilton Air Force Base in 1993, DiGiorgio was concerned by the U.S. government's reluctance to return the land to the city of Novato. In an effort to get the land returned, he joined the Hamilton Advisory Board, and after a successful term, he was asked to run for city council. He had also served on the Novato Homeless Commission. His early efforts helped transform Hamilton and Ignacio into the thriving communities they are today.[3]
City council years
The Hamilton projects occupied much of DiGiorgio's early years on the council. The abandoned naval houses in Ignacio were demolished, and multi-million-dollar homes were built. Hamilton base itself was revitalized with businesses and million-dollar homes. While not the sole driving force, DiGiorgio played a significant role in the area's renovation.[4]
His later years on the city council included some contentious controversies. DiGiorgio unsuccessfully advocated for the dredging of Bahia, a community in northern Novato that had lost its ocean access.[5] He was also the subject of an investigation, later deemed a witch-hunt, by fellow council member Pat Eklund in the "streetgate" scandal. While never formally accused of wrongdoing, Eklund's negative campaigning contributed to DiGiorgio's defeat in the 2003 election.[6]
Sanitary board
Seeking to return to politics, DiGiorgio ran unopposed for the Novato Sanitary Board in 2005. Controversy followed him there as his efforts to privatize the sewage plant's operations faced strong opposition from the workers' union. This led to a contentious campaign when DiGiorgio ran for reelection in 2009.[7] DiGiorgio won despite the negative campaigning.[8]
Personal life
DiGiorgio married his wife, Gordonna Vuksich, in 1977. She is an addiction counselor. He had one son, Anthony, born in 1982, who is a neurosurgeon at LSU in New Orleans.[9] He died on April 6, 2014, from acute myeloid leukemia.[10]
References
- ↑ "Novato Chamber of Commerce". Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ↑ "SmartVoter Profile". Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ↑ "Marin IJ". Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ↑ "All Marin Homes". Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ↑ "Novato City Council Minutes". Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ↑ "Novato City Council Minutes". Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ↑ "Marin IJ". Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ↑ "Marin IJ". Retrieved 2009-12-23.
- ↑ "LSU Neurosurgery Residents". Retrieved 2012-01-18.
- ↑ "Marin IJ". Retrieved 2014-04-07.
External links
This article "Michael DiGiorgio" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
