Farinacci and Cesari leave municipal politics

At LaSalle’s Borough Council meeting on September 3, Alvaro Farinacci and Vincenzo Cesari–the city and borough councillors representing the Cecil-P.-Newman district–announced that they will not seek re-election on November 3.

Thanks to both of you for many years service.

The borough released the following press release concerning Mr. Farinacci’s decision:

After 30 years as a Councillor in LaSalle, including the last 12 years as City Councillor, Mr. Farinacci said that he was leaving political life for personal reasons.

“Following 8 consecutive terms of office, including 30 years in public service, I believe it is time to make way for energetic young people who, like myself, have a passion for serving the public,” he stated.

Elected as a municipal councillor for the first time back in 1983, Alvaro Farinacci quickly succeeded in gaining the confidence of the Mayor and Council, as reflected in his appointment to the Executive Committee the following year. Due to his 40 years experience as a certified real estate broker and member of the Board of Directors of the Montreal Real Estate Board for 17 years, he was entrusted with the responsibility of a number of matters relating to urban development. At the same time, Mr. Farinacci also held various other positions over those years, including chairman of the Commission de l’aménagement du territoire et du développement économique (land use planning and economic development committee), member of the Comité de toponymie (toponymy committee) and, for 16 years, was a member of LaSalle’s Comité consultatif d’urbanisme (urban planning advisory committee), where he in fact served as that committee’s first chairman.

Mr. Farinacci also contributed to LaSalle’s economic growth. He was a founding member of the Corporation de développement économique de LaSalle (CDEL) in 1984 and then served as CDEL’s chairman for a number of years. He was also one of the founders of the Comité de sécurité industrielle (committee on safety in the workplace). Recalling that the Mayor had given him the mandate “to develop a structure designed to arouse interest in order to promote and attract investment to LaSalle”, Alvaro Farinacci mentioned how very proud he was of his contribution to the birth of CDEL, “which was one of the biggest successes in the history of LaSalle”.

From 2001 to 2013, he was a Council member of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, which greatly benefited from his real estate experience and expertise, entrusting him with the position of vice-chairman of the Commission permanente du logement social (standing committee on social housing). At the present time, he is a member of Ville de Montréal’sCommission sur le développement économique et urbain et l’habitation (committee on economic and urban development and housing).

In addition to his role as a businessman actively involved in his community, Alvaro Farinacci has also played a major role in LaSalle’s community and cultural life, for instance, as a member of the Board of Directors of Centre culturel Henri-Lemieux and the Fondation de l’Hôpital LaSalle, where he was a Board member and vice-chairman for 25 years.

“Serving as a municipal councillor is a noble responsibility. The satisfaction of seeing the results of decisions, as perceived in residents’ appreciation, has given me confirmation that the municipal level of government is the closest one to residents. Despite the honours that come from such positions, the main objectives of my commitment as a councillor have always been the same—to be attentive to my fellow citizens and to meet their needs,” he commented.

Alvaro Farinacci made a point of expressing his heartfelt thanks to those who had placed their confidence and trust in him over his past 30 years on LaSalle’s Council.

“Throughout all those years, I had the opportunity to work on very interesting mandates and I had the privilege of associating with competent colleagues, some of whom have become good friends. That well-known phrase ‘Happy is he who, like Ulysses, has made a beautiful voyage’ well applies to my years of political life. It was a very rewarding odyssey, during which I gave my best to serve my fellow citizens. The future of the municipal world is rapidly developing and I wish the very best to all those who will be taking up these new challenges.”