Letizia Moratti

Letizia Moratti
23rd Mayor of Milan
In office 1 June 2006 – 1 June 2011
Preceded by	Gabriele Albertini
Succeeded by	Giuliano Pisapia
Italian Minister of Education
In office 11 June 2001 – 17 May 2006
Prime Minister	Silvio Berlusconi
Preceded by	Tullio De Mauro
Succeeded by	Giuseppe Fioroni
Chairwoman of RAI
In office 12 July 1994 – 24 April 1996
Preceded by	Claudio Demattè
Succeeded by	Giuseppe Morello
Personal details
Born	26 November 1949 Milan, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Political party	FI (1994–2009) PdL (2009-11)
Spouse(s)	Gian Marco Moratti
Children	Gilda Moratti Gabriele Moratti
Alma mater	University of Milan
Profession	Manager
Religion	Catholic Church

Letizia Moratti (born Letizia Brichetto Arnaboldi; 26 November 1949) is an Italian businesswoman and former politician. She is the former mayor of Milan.

Biography

Moratti was born in Milan. She is married to the oil magnate Gianmarco Moratti (brother of Massimo Moratti) and has two children, Gabriele and Gilda. She is the granddaughter of Mimina Brichetto Arnaboldi, an intellectual society lady who hosted an important salon in Milan in the years before the Second World War, and who was also an ardent anti-fascist.

She is a businesswoman who has worked in insurance and telecommunications. Between 1994 and 1996 she was president of the Italian state television company RAI. At the end of 1998, and for about a year, Letizia Moratti became chairman of News Corp Europe, a company headed by Rupert Murdoch and owner of Stream TV.

From 2001 to 2006 she was Minister of Education, Universities and Research in the second and third Berlusconi cabinet. During her administration reforms of the Italian school system and university teaching was passed.

She ran as a candidate for Mayor of Milan in the 2006 municipal election as the House of Freedoms candidate. She won the election, with over 52% of votes.^[1] She ran again in the 2011 municipal election, facing the left-wing candidate Giuliano Pisapia, but lost both first and second round and failed to be re-elected.

Mayor of Milan

Expo 2015

Under Moratti, Milan was selected in 2007 as hosting city for the Expo 2015. Its rival İzmir, Turkey, lost for 61 votes against 86 in the Bureau des Expositions gather in the Palais des congrès of Paris.^[2] Moratti was Commissioner of the Expo until 2011, when after his electoral lost, resigned herself as Commissioner, for respect to the new administration.^[3]

The Moratti Administration also continued the Gabriele Albertini's parkings program, and in 2006 created 64,000 underground parking spaces, also in neighborhoods like Naviglio Grande and Sant'Ambrogio's zone.^[4] In 2007 Moratti launched the "Cycle Mobiliting Plan", that foreseed 53 km of cycling infrastructures, 2,385 new racks in 1,174 different localities, with 5,000 bikes and 250 stations in all city within 2011. In 2008 Moratti created the Ecopass, a road pricing, in the Milan Center. This decision received several critics also in his majority. In 2010 she also launched the use of public electric car in various zones of her city.^[5][6]

Moratti proposed unsuccessfully a park dedicated to Bettino Craxi, the controversial Socialist leader died in exile to Hammamet in 2000.^[7]

Controversies

• In 2006 Moratti was accused of fire 10 dirigents of the city. For this spoils system, Moratti was convicted for office's abuse. However, the sentece was archivied because her acts weren't illegal.
• She served in the city council only 6 presences in 2008 and 3 in 2009.
• In 2007 Moratti intervened to prevent the opening of Art and Homosexuality - From von Gloeden to Pierre et Gilles at the Palazzo della Ragione in Milan. Curated by Eugenio Viola, promoted by Vittorio Sgarbi, Moratti backed objections to the exhibition from Catholic politicians insisted that it would only proceed if a blacklist of works were removed on the ground that they could be offensive for Catholics and unsuitable for children.
• Moratti appointed Lucio Stanca, a member of the Chamber of Deputies, as managing director for the Expo 2015, despite the vote of the city council against her decision.^[8]
• In 2010, a civil court complainted against Moratti Administration, the Minister Roberto Maroni and the prefect of Milan Gan Valerio Lombardi for the lack appointment of popular houses to 10 Romani families, called it as "racist gesture".^[9] The accuseds justified themselves like the Romani are a nomadic people.

References

1. (30 May 2006). Veltroni Wins Rome Mayoral Race; Moratti Takes Milan, Bloomberg
2. "L'orgoglio della città". In Milano.com. November 23, 2010.
3. "Parigi, Moratti lascia l'Expo 2015. E il Bie dà un ultimatum a Milano". La Repubblica. June 14, 2011.
4. "Pace fatta tra Albertini e Letizia: "Sintonia sul piano parcheggi"". il Giornale. April 20, 2006.
5. "E-MOVING, MORATTI: MILANO PRIMA IN EUROPA PER RETE RICARICA AUTO ELETTRICHE". Omnimilano. August 17, 2010.
6. "Dal Convegno "Una scossa alla città" soluzioni per la diffusione delle auto elettriche". Ecocar. July 1, 2010.
7. "Il sindaco "regala" un parco a Bettino Craxi". La Repubblica. December 29, 2009.
8. "Cara Madunina". Report. November 18, 2007.
9. "Accolto il ricorso dei rom sulle case: "Il Comune di Milano li ha discriminati"". La Repubblica. December 20, 2010.