Roberto Lagalla (born 16 April 1955), is an Italian

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and academic, who has been

Mayor of Palermo The mayor of Palermo is an elected politician who, along with the Palermo's city council, is accountable for the strategic government of Palermo in Sicily, Italy. The current mayor is Roberto Lagalla, who took office on 20 June 2022. Overview ...

since 2022.

Biography

Born in

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...

, at the age of two he moved to

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

, where he grew up and in 1979 graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Palermo, specializing in diagnostic radiology and oncological radiotherapy. In 1983 he became professor at the University of Palermo in "Diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy". He will later be

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the same university from 2008 to 2015. In 2006, he was appointed councilor with regional powers for health in the new council led by Salvatore Cuffaro; after Cuffaro's resignation in 2008, he will be forced to abandon the role. In 2017 he founded the political movement "Idea Sicilia", with which he ran for the regional elections in Sicily that year, in the motion of

Nello Musumeci Sebastiano "Nello" Musumeci (born 21 January 1955) is a right-wing Italian politician. Musumeci is serving as Minister for Civil Protection and Sea Policies since 22 October 2022 in the government of Giorgia Meloni. He previously served as Presi ...

, being elected in the district of Palermo with 8,158 preferences as deputy to the

Sicilian Regional Assembly The Sicilian Regional Assembly is the legislative body of Sicily. While it has a long history as an autonomous entity, the modern Region of Sicily was established by Royal Decree on 15 May 1946, before the Italian Republic. The Regional Assembly ...

. From 29 November 2017 to 31 March 2022, when he resigned in order to run as

mayor of Palermo The mayor of Palermo is an elected politician who, along with the Palermo's city council, is accountable for the strategic government of Palermo in Sicily, Italy. The current mayor is Roberto Lagalla, who took office on 20 June 2022. Overview ...

, he held the position of councilor with regional powers for education and professional training, and, in the meantime, he joined the Union of the Centre.

Mayor of Palermo

In view of the

2022 local elections This local electoral calendar for 2022 lists the subnational elections held in 2022. Referendums, Recall election, recall and retention elections, and national By-election, by-elections (special elections) are also included. January *9 January: ...

, Lagalla officially announces his candidacy for mayor of Palermo, which was supported, following long discussions, by the entire

centre-right coalition The centre-right coalition ( it, coalizione di centro-destra) is an alliance of political parties in Italy, active—under several forms and names—since 1994, when Silvio Berlusconi entered politics and formed his Forza Italia party. Despite ...

. He is subsequently elected in the first round with 47.63%.

Controversies

During the electoral campaign for the local elections in Palermo in 2022, some newspapers make public the fact that Lagalla's wife, Maria Paola Ferro, is the nephew of Antonio Ferro, prominent boss of the

Agrigento Agrigento (; scn, Girgenti or ; grc, Ἀκράγας, translit=Akrágas; la, Agrigentum or ; ar, كركنت, Kirkant, or ''Jirjant'') is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento. It was one of ...

mafia, considered the patriarch of a Canicattì clan linked to the

Corleonesi The Corleonesi Mafia clan was a faction within the Corleone family of the Sicilian Mafia, formed in the 1970s. Notable leaders included Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Riina, Bernardo Provenzano, and Leoluca Bagarella. Corleonesi affiliates were n ...

. Although Lagalla has distanced himself from his wife's family, the spread of this news has helped to fuel the controversy according to which he is linked to the mafia world, already fueled by the support given previously to his candidacy by Salvatore Cuffaro, definitively sentenced for personal aiding and abetting towards people belonging to Cosa Nostra, and

Marcello Dell'Utri Marcello Dell'Utri (born 11 September 1941) is a former Italian politician and senior advisor to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Formerly Senator in the Italian Senate.

, sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment for external complicity in mafia association.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lagalla, Roberto 1955 births Living people Union of the Centre (2002) politicians Politicians of Sicily 20th-century Italian politicians 21st-century Italian politicians University of Palermo alumni University of Palermo faculty Mayors of Palermo