Joseph Fratesi is the former

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

and former chief administrative officer of

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in northern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of the St. Mary's River directly across from its "twin city," Sault Ste. Marie, in the state of Michigan. The city's population was 72,051 at the 2021 census, makin ...

. Serving as Sault Ste. Marie's mayor from 1986 to 1996, he was the longest-serving mayor in Sault Ste. Marie's history, breaking the record that W. John McMeeken had held since 1945. On January 29, 1990, during his term as mayor, the city council approved a resolution making

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

the sole working language of city government. The council's decision, which Fratesi had strongly supported, caused controversy within the town and across

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The resolution was widely seen as retaliation for Quebec Premier

Robert Bourassa Robert Bourassa (; July 14, 1933 – October 2, 1996) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd premier of Quebec from 1970 to 1976 and from 1985 to 1994. A member of the Liberal Party of Quebec, he served a total of just ...

's move to override the Supreme Court of Canada ruling that declared parts of

Bill 101 The ''Charter of the French Language'' (, ), also known as Bill 101 (, ), is a law in the Canadian province of Quebec defining French, the language of the majority of the population, as the official language of the provincial government. It is th ...

unconstitutional. Bill 101 had declared French as the only official language of Quebec. Many prominent politicians, such as Premiers

David Peterson David Robert Peterson (born December 28, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20th premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990. He was the first Liberal officeholder in 42 years, ending the so-called Tory dynasty. Back ...

and

Bob Rae Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...

, and Prime Minister

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studi ...

, refused to meet with Fratesi on unrelated matters due to his stance. However, Fratesi was re-elected by a landslide in 1991. The resolution was struck down by a court ruling in 1994, one year after Premier Bourassa passed Bill 86 which amended that province's language laws in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling. Fratesi was involved in a

conflict of interest A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple wikt:interest#Noun, interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates t ...

controversy in 1995 when he applied for and got the post of chief administrative officer while still sitting as mayor. The Ontario Superior Court banned Fratesi from running for municipal officer for six years following a finding he had been in conflict of interest by applying for the chief administrative position while still holding the mayoral office. After stepping down as mayor, he was briefly replaced by Michael Sanzosti before former MP

Steve Butland Steve Butland (born March 26, 1941) is a Canadian politician. He represented the Sault Ste. Marie electoral district in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1993 as a member of the New Democratic Party. Butland was born in Sault Ste. Ma ...

was elected in a special 1996 byelection. He retired as chief administrative officer in 2015.

References

Canadian people of Italian descent Mayors of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Canadian city managers and chief administrative officers 20th-century mayors of places in Ontario {{Ontario-mayor-stub