Sergio Chiamparino

Sergio Chiamparino (born 1 September 1948) is an Italian politician. He was the mayor of Turin from 2001 to 2011, and the president of Piedmont from 2014 to 2019. He is also the author of several books, including Semplicemente sindaco (2006, with ), La sfida. Oltre il Pd per tornare a vincere. Anche al Nord (2010), Cordata con sindaco (2011, with Valter Giuliano), and TAV. Perché sì (2018, with Piero Fassino). Early life and career Born in Moncalieri, Piedmont, into a working-class family, Chiamparino obtained a diploma in and then graduated in political science at the University of Turin, where he worked as a researcher until 1975. That same year, he started his political career in his native city as head of the Italian Communist Party in the town council of Moncalieri. In 1974, he served in the artillery regiment of the Alpini. From 1975 to 1980, he was coordinator of the Economic Planning of the Piedmont Region. From 1985 to 1987, he was an official in the European Parliament. Returning to Italy, from 1989 to 1991, he was regional secretary of the trade union CGIL. He joined the Democratic Party of the Left on its formation and was its provincial secretary from 1991 to 1995. In 1993, Chiamparino was elected as city councillor of Turin. With 51.3% of the votes in Turin's fourth single-member district, he was elected to the country's Chamber of Deputies in the 1996 Italian general election, following an upset in the left-leaning district of Mirafiori (Turin's seventh single-member district) in the 1994 Italian general election to the centre-right coalition candidate , a former Freemason who later became a primate of the Orthodox Church in Italy. With less than half a percentage deficit from Meluzzi at about 31% of the popular vote, Chiamparino had lost in 1994 by less than 400 votes. Mayor of Turin In May 2001, Chiamparino was elected mayor of Turin as a member of the Democrats of the Left, succeeding to Valentino Castellani; he oversaw the organization for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, and the city's transition into a post-industrial society. His strategic vision focused on economic development and social cohesion. This included the conversion of Turin's traditional manufacturing and automobile industry with the technical-scientific business sector, as well as the renewal of its industrial areas, and making Turin a centre for industrial innovation and the information and communication businesses.