Martín Sabbatella
Encyclopedia
Martín Sabbatella is an Argentine politician and member of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
.
suburb of Morón
in 1970. He enrolled at the Manuel Dorrego
National Middle School, where he became active in the Communist Party of Argentina
. He served as Secretary of the center-left Frepaso caucus in the Morón City Council from 1995, and in 1997, was elected to the body on the Alliance
ticket recently formed with the centrist Radical Civic Union
(UCR). He married a psychologist
, Mónica Macha, and they had one daughter.
An institutional crisis developed in the city government when, in December 1998, Mayor Juan Carlos Rousselot was suspended amid corruption charges. Sabbatella was named to head the committee investigating Rousselot, and the latter was impeached. He was nominated as the Alliance candidate for mayor, and in elections the following October, was elected to the office.
The youngest mayor in the city's history, Sabbatella created a civilian review board and Discrecionalidad Zero ("Zero Tolerance"), an anti-corruption
office, during his first year. He signed an agreement to the effect with Transparency International
whereby the Berlin
-based corruption monitoring group would review all city contracts, as well as the personal financial disclosure forms of its elected officials. A fiscal conservative, he trimmed the municipal workforce by 1,000 (23%) and reduced the city's debt by over 20%; his rescission of the waste collection
service subcontracted during the Rousselot tenure alone saved the city nearly us$6 million annually.
The December 2001 resignation of President Fernando de la Rúa
, who had been elected in 1999 on the Alliance ticket, dissolved the latter party, and in 2002, Sabbatella formed the Nuevo Morón ("New Morón") party. His efforts against municipal and subcontractor corruption were featured in a July 1, 2003, story in the Wall Street Journal. Running for reelection that year, he refused to join a larger Party list, and instead urged voters to "cut the ballot." Adopting school scissors as a campaign symbol, Sabbatella supported Justicialist Party
candidates for Governor and the Provincial Legislature, while only fielding candidates for City Council and School District elections. The strategy succeeded, and both Sabbatella and the candidate he supported for Governor (the incumbent, Felipe Solá
) won in Morón as well as in the province as a whole.
Sabbatella launched a new alliance, Encuentro por la Democracia y la Equidad ("Encounter for Democracy and Equality"), in 2004, and his candidates won 9 of 12 seats contested in the 2005 City Council elections. He was named Executive Secretary of Mercociudades, a conference of 160 cities in the Mercosur
trade bloc, for a two-year term in November 2006, and in 2007 served as coordinator of Mercosur's Municipal Advisory Forum. Reelected as Mayor in 2007, he earned a Konex Award
in 2008 for his work in public administration
, He later reaped controversy, however, by signing a municipal ordinance in February 2009 that would donate stray animals to laboratories for animal testing
.
Sabbatella ran for a seat in the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
in 2009
, merging his Encounter ticket with the leftist Free of the South Movement
, the Communist Party, and others into a Nuevo Encuentro ("New Encounter"). Garnering fourth place in the province, the party nevertheless elected two members to Congress: Sabbatella and Graciela Iturraspe (Mar del Plata
). He expressed support for President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
ahead of the 2011 general elections
. He ran for Governor of Buenos Aires on his New Encounter ticket later in the year, and obtained fourth place (6.4%).
Argentine Chamber of Deputies
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Argentine National Congress. This Chamber holds exclusive rights to create taxes, to draft troops, and to accuse the President, the ministers and the members of the Supreme Court before the Senate....
.
Life and times
Sabbatella was born in the western Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
suburb of Morón
Moron
Moron may refer to* Moron , disused term for a person with a mental age between 8 and 12, and a common insult for a person considered stupid * "Moron" * "Moron"...
in 1970. He enrolled at the Manuel Dorrego
Manuel Dorrego
Manuel Dorrego was an Argentine statesman and soldier. He was governor of Buenos Aires in 1820, and then again from 1827 to 1828....
National Middle School, where he became active in the Communist Party of Argentina
Communist Party of Argentina
The Communist Party of Argentina is a communist party from Argentina. It was founded in 1918.At the 2005 legislative elections, the Party joined the Encuentro Amplio with other left-wing parties in Buenos Aires and Buenos Aires Province...
. He served as Secretary of the center-left Frepaso caucus in the Morón City Council from 1995, and in 1997, was elected to the body on the Alliance
Alliance for Work, Justice and Education
The Alliance for Work, Justice and Education was a party coalition in Argentina around the turn of the third millennium...
ticket recently formed with the centrist Radical Civic Union
Radical Civic Union
The Radical Civic Union is a political party in Argentina. The party's positions on issues range from liberal to social democratic. The UCR is a member of the Socialist International. Founded in 1891 by radical liberals, it is the oldest political party active in Argentina...
(UCR). He married a psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
, Mónica Macha, and they had one daughter.
An institutional crisis developed in the city government when, in December 1998, Mayor Juan Carlos Rousselot was suspended amid corruption charges. Sabbatella was named to head the committee investigating Rousselot, and the latter was impeached. He was nominated as the Alliance candidate for mayor, and in elections the following October, was elected to the office.
The youngest mayor in the city's history, Sabbatella created a civilian review board and Discrecionalidad Zero ("Zero Tolerance"), an anti-corruption
Anti-Corruption
Anti-Corruption is a 1975 Hong Kong film directed by Ng See Yuen and released under the Eternal Film banner.-External links:* Anti-Corruption at...
office, during his first year. He signed an agreement to the effect with Transparency International
Transparency International
Transparency International is a non-governmental organization that monitors and publicizes corporate and political corruption in international development. It publishes an annual Corruption Perceptions Index, a comparative listing of corruption worldwide...
whereby the Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
-based corruption monitoring group would review all city contracts, as well as the personal financial disclosure forms of its elected officials. A fiscal conservative, he trimmed the municipal workforce by 1,000 (23%) and reduced the city's debt by over 20%; his rescission of the waste collection
Waste collection
Waste collection is the component of waste management which results in the passage of a waste material from the source of production to either the point of treatment or final disposal...
service subcontracted during the Rousselot tenure alone saved the city nearly us$6 million annually.
The December 2001 resignation of President Fernando de la Rúa
Fernando de la Rúa
Fernando de la Rúa is an Argentine politician. He was president of the country from December 10, 1999 to December 21, 2001 for the Alliance for Work, Justice and Education ....
, who had been elected in 1999 on the Alliance ticket, dissolved the latter party, and in 2002, Sabbatella formed the Nuevo Morón ("New Morón") party. His efforts against municipal and subcontractor corruption were featured in a July 1, 2003, story in the Wall Street Journal. Running for reelection that year, he refused to join a larger Party list, and instead urged voters to "cut the ballot." Adopting school scissors as a campaign symbol, Sabbatella supported Justicialist Party
Justicialist Party
The Justicialist Party , or PJ, is a Peronist political party in Argentina, and the largest component of the Peronist movement.The party was led by Néstor Kirchner, President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, until his death on October 27, 2010. The current Argentine president, Cristina Fernández de...
candidates for Governor and the Provincial Legislature, while only fielding candidates for City Council and School District elections. The strategy succeeded, and both Sabbatella and the candidate he supported for Governor (the incumbent, Felipe Solá
Felipe Solá
Felipe Solá is an Argentine politician of the Justicialist Party and was the governor of the province of Buenos Aires until he left office in 2007....
) won in Morón as well as in the province as a whole.
Sabbatella launched a new alliance, Encuentro por la Democracia y la Equidad ("Encounter for Democracy and Equality"), in 2004, and his candidates won 9 of 12 seats contested in the 2005 City Council elections. He was named Executive Secretary of Mercociudades, a conference of 160 cities in the Mercosur
Mercosur
Mercosur or Mercosul is an economic and political agreement among Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Founded in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunción, which was later amended and updated by the 1994 Treaty of Ouro Preto. Its purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, people,...
trade bloc, for a two-year term in November 2006, and in 2007 served as coordinator of Mercosur's Municipal Advisory Forum. Reelected as Mayor in 2007, he earned a Konex Award
Konex Award
Konex Foundation awards, or simple Konex awards are cultural awards from the Konex Foundation to Argentine cultural personalities.Created in 1980, where conceived as a way to reward the Argentine personalities and institutions of different fields, as well as to stimulate the beginners.Even though...
in 2008 for his work in public administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
, He later reaped controversy, however, by signing a municipal ordinance in February 2009 that would donate stray animals to laboratories for animal testing
Animal testing
Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...
.
Sabbatella ran for a seat in the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
Argentine Chamber of Deputies
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Argentine National Congress. This Chamber holds exclusive rights to create taxes, to draft troops, and to accuse the President, the ministers and the members of the Supreme Court before the Senate....
in 2009
Argentine legislative election, 2009
Legislative elections were held in Argentina for half the seats in the Chamber of Deputies and a third of the seats in the Senate on 28 June 2009, as well as for the legislature of the City of Buenos Aires and other municipalities.-Background:...
, merging his Encounter ticket with the leftist Free of the South Movement
Free of the South Movement
The Free of the South Movement is a leftist nationalist political alliance created in 2006 in Argentina, made up of the Movimiento Barrios de Pie, the Agrupación Martín Fierro, the Frente Barrial 19 de Diciembre and the Corriente Patria Libre.In the Argentine general election, 2007, the movement...
, the Communist Party, and others into a Nuevo Encuentro ("New Encounter"). Garnering fourth place in the province, the party nevertheless elected two members to Congress: Sabbatella and Graciela Iturraspe (Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
). He expressed support for President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner , commonly known as Cristina Fernández or Cristina Kirchner is the 55th and current President of Argentina and the widow of former President Néstor Kirchner. She is Argentina's first elected female president, and the second female president ever to serve...
ahead of the 2011 general elections
Argentine general election, 2011
Argentina held national presidential and legislative elections on 23 October 2011. Incumbent president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner secured a second term in office after the Front for Victory won just over half of the seats in the National Congress....
. He ran for Governor of Buenos Aires on his New Encounter ticket later in the year, and obtained fourth place (6.4%).