George Savoidakis
Encyclopedia
George Savoidakis was a politician in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. He served on the Montreal city council
from 1978 to 1986, representing the Parc-Extension ward as a member of mayor
Jean Drapeau
's Civic Party of Montreal
.
island of Crete
and spent his formative years in the community of Agioi Deka
. He moved to Canada in 1955, studied business at Concordia University
, and later became a broker with Whalen Beliveau and Associates. He also served as vice-president of the Caisse Populaire de St. Roch and the Hellenic Community of the Island of Montreal.
Savoidakis ran as a Union Nationale candidate in the 1976 provincial election
.
, as the Civic Party won almost all seats on council. He was re-elected in 1982
. Throughout his time on council, he was a backbench supporter of Drapeau's administration. He also served on the Montreal Urban Community
and was a member of its committee on minorities.
The Civic Party in this period was strongly centered around Drapeau's personality, and Savoidakis was known as one of the few party mavericks on council. In October 1985, he was quoted as saying, "Being a councillor in the Civic Party is a lonely place to be. Decisions are reached beyond our power. There are some of us, like myself, who feel we should have more input." Savoidakis tried, without success, to convince Drapeau's administration to hold night court sessions for the convenience of working Montrealers.
Savoidakis also sought to increase representation from Montreal's cultural communities on the city's police force, despite reluctance from within his own party. In 1985, he proposed that a local complaints committee be established at every police station in the Montreal Urban Community to ensure a more transparent complaints review process.
He welcomed a Quebec Superior Court
ruling in 1985 that determined the province's Charter of the French Language
could not prevent businesses from using English on signs and advertisements.
Rumours circulated in the mid-1980s that the Civic Party could drop Savoidakis as a candidate. Savoidakis said that he was not concerned with this threat; describing himself as a "small-c conservative," he also said that he would not defect to the progressive Montreal Citizens' Movement
(MCM), which was then in opposition.
When Jean Drapeau announced that he would seek not re-election in 1986
, Savoidakis supported Yvon Lamarre
's unsuccessful bid to become the party's new mayoral candidate.
The Gazette supported Savoidakis's bid for re-election in 1986, even as it gave a general endorsement to the MCM. He was defeated by MCM candidate Pierre Goyer
, amid a landslide MCM victory across the city.
On occasion, the Montreal Gazette described him as "one of the few high-profile politicians in the city who is respected by almost everyone, no matter what their political orientation."
and ran for council under its banner in the 1990 election
. In the 1994 election
, he ran for the Montrealers Party
.
He died of prostate cancer
in 1995.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He served on the Montreal city council
Montreal City Council
The Montreal City Council is the governing body of Montreal, Quebec. The head of the city government in Montreal is the mayor, who is first among equals in the City Council. The mayor is Gérald Tremblay, who is a member of the Union des citoyens et des citoyennes de l'Île de Montréal...
from 1978 to 1986, representing the Parc-Extension ward as a member of mayor
Mayor of Montreal
The Mayor of Montreal is head of the executive branch of Montreal City Council.The Mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and provincial laws within Montreal....
Jean Drapeau
Jean Drapeau
Jean Drapeau, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as mayor of Montreal from 1954 to 1957 and 1960 to 1986...
's Civic Party of Montreal
Civic Party of Montreal
The Civic Party of Montreal was a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It existed from 1960 to 1994. Throughout its history the Civic Party was dominated by the personality of its leader Jean Drapeau.-Origins:...
.
Early life and career
Savoidakis was born on the GreekGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
island of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
and spent his formative years in the community of Agioi Deka
Agioi Deka
Agioi Deka is a village in the Heraklion peripheral unit, Greece, with 796 inhabitants . It is located in the 44th km of the Heraklion-Tympaki national road and it is the centre of the municipality of Gortyna ....
. He moved to Canada in 1955, studied business at Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
, and later became a broker with Whalen Beliveau and Associates. He also served as vice-president of the Caisse Populaire de St. Roch and the Hellenic Community of the Island of Montreal.
Savoidakis ran as a Union Nationale candidate in the 1976 provincial election
Quebec general election, 1976
The Quebec general election of 1976 was held on November 15, 1976 to elect members to National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled only by the 1960 general election, and caused major repercussions in the rest of Canada...
.
Councillor
Savoidakis was elected to the Montreal city council in the 1978 municipal electionMontreal municipal election, 1978
The 1978 Montreal municipal election took place on November 12, 1978, to elect a mayor and city councillors in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Longtime mayor Jean Drapeau was re-elected to another four-year term in office, defeating Canadian federal parliamentarian Serge Joyal.Elections were also held in...
, as the Civic Party won almost all seats on council. He was re-elected in 1982
Montreal municipal election, 1982
The 1982 Montreal municipal election took place on November 14, 1982, to elect a mayor and city councillors in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Longtime mayor Jean Drapeau was re-elected for what turned out to be his final term in office, defeating challenger Jean Doré.Elections were also held in...
. Throughout his time on council, he was a backbench supporter of Drapeau's administration. He also served on the Montreal Urban Community
Montreal Urban Community
The Montreal Urban Community was a regional government that covered all municipalities that later merged into the megacity of Montreal.- History :...
and was a member of its committee on minorities.
The Civic Party in this period was strongly centered around Drapeau's personality, and Savoidakis was known as one of the few party mavericks on council. In October 1985, he was quoted as saying, "Being a councillor in the Civic Party is a lonely place to be. Decisions are reached beyond our power. There are some of us, like myself, who feel we should have more input." Savoidakis tried, without success, to convince Drapeau's administration to hold night court sessions for the convenience of working Montrealers.
Savoidakis also sought to increase representation from Montreal's cultural communities on the city's police force, despite reluctance from within his own party. In 1985, he proposed that a local complaints committee be established at every police station in the Montreal Urban Community to ensure a more transparent complaints review process.
He welcomed a Quebec Superior Court
Quebec Superior Court
Quebec Superior Court is the highest trial Court in the Province of Quebec, Canada. It consists of 144 judges who are appointed by the federal government.Chief Justices : [partial listing]* Edward Bowen...
ruling in 1985 that determined the province's Charter of the French Language
Charter of the French Language
The Charter of the French Language , also known as Bill 101 and Loi 101, is a law in the province of Quebec in Canada defining French, the language of the majority of the population, as the only official language of Quebec, and framing fundamental language rights for everyone in the province...
could not prevent businesses from using English on signs and advertisements.
Rumours circulated in the mid-1980s that the Civic Party could drop Savoidakis as a candidate. Savoidakis said that he was not concerned with this threat; describing himself as a "small-c conservative," he also said that he would not defect to the progressive Montreal Citizens' Movement
Montreal Citizens' Movement
The Montreal Citizens' Movement was a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It existed from 1973 to 2001.-Origins:...
(MCM), which was then in opposition.
When Jean Drapeau announced that he would seek not re-election in 1986
Montreal municipal election, 1986
The 1986 Montreal municipal election took place on November 9, 1978, to elect a mayor and city councillors in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Longtime mayor Jean Drapeau did not seek re-election, and Jean Doré from the opposition Montreal Citizens' Movement was elected to the position by a significant...
, Savoidakis supported Yvon Lamarre
Yvon Lamarre
Yvon Lamarre was a Canadian politician and a City Councillor in Montreal, Quebec.Lamarre was born and brought up in the Cote St. Paul district of Montreal. He graduated from the École des Hautes Études commerciales at the Université de Montréal in 1957...
's unsuccessful bid to become the party's new mayoral candidate.
The Gazette supported Savoidakis's bid for re-election in 1986, even as it gave a general endorsement to the MCM. He was defeated by MCM candidate Pierre Goyer
Pierre Goyer
Pierre Goyer is a Canadian politician and a City Councillor in Montreal, Quebec. -City Councillor:He was elected to Montreal's City Council as a Montreal Citizens' Movement candidate in the district of Jean-Talon in 1986, defeating Civic incumbent George Savoidakis...
, amid a landslide MCM victory across the city.
On occasion, the Montreal Gazette described him as "one of the few high-profile politicians in the city who is respected by almost everyone, no matter what their political orientation."
Later political career
Savoidakis was chosen as one of the Civic Party's vice-presidents in August 1988. He resigned from the party executive in March 1989, however, saying that, he was "tired of the perpetual infighting." He later joined the Montreal Municipal PartyParti municipal de Montréal
The Parti municipal de Montréal was a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1987 to 1994.-Emergence :...
and ran for council under its banner in the 1990 election
Montreal municipal election, 1990
The 1990 Montreal municipal election took place on November 4, 1990, to elect a mayor and city councillors in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Jean Doré was elected to a second term as mayor by a significant margin....
. In the 1994 election
Montreal municipal election, 1994
The 1994 Montreal municipal election took place on November 6, 1994. Pierre Bourque was elected to his first term as mayor, defeating incumbent Jean Doré...
, he ran for the Montrealers Party
Parti des Montréalais
The Parti des Montréalais was a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It existed from 1993 to 1995 and won two council seats in the 1994 municipal election.-Origins:...
.
He died of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
in 1995.