{{Short description|French communist politician (born 1974)}} thumb|Philippe Rio '''Philippe Rio''' (born 26 August 1974) is a French politician, serving as mayor of Grigny, Essonne. He is a member of the French Communist Party.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.liberation.fr/politique/philippe-rio-maire-courage-20211015_LXSF2R3L65EGLPBIY5OLASZ6HA/|title=Philippe Rio, maire courage|first1=Marceau|last1=Taburet|first2=photo Marie|last2=Rouge|website=Libération}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2021/09/10/grigny-philippe-rio-maire-et-urgentiste-de-la-republique_6094224_823448.html|title=Grigny : Philippe Rio, maire et " urgentiste de la République "|newspaper=Le Monde.fr|date=September 10, 2021|via=Le Monde}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.challenges.fr/politique/comment-le-maire-de-grigny-philippe-rio-lutte-contre-les-marchands-de-sommeil_563958|title=Comment le maire de Grigny, Philippe Rio lutte contre les marchands de sommeil|date=January 30, 2018|website=Challenges}}</ref>
== Early life == Rio grew up in La Grande Borne in Grigny. He earned a master's degree in urban studies from Sciences Po. In 1995, he joined the French Communist Party.<ref name="10 choses">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nouvelobs.com/politique/20210921.OBS48913/10-choses-a-savoir-sur-philippe-rio-maire-de-grigny-et-elu-meilleur-maire-du-monde.html|title=10 choses à savoir sur Philippe Rio, maire de Grigny et élu " meilleur maire du monde "|date=September 21, 2021|website=L'Obs}}</ref>
== Career == Rio was first elected to the city council in 1998. In the 2014 French municipal elections, he was elected mayor for the first time. In the 2020 French municipal elections, he was re-elected mayor in the first round of voting, with 50,33% of the vote, a lead of 30% over the second-placed candidate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://actu.fr/ile-de-france/grigny_91286/municipales-2020-philippe-rio-victorieux-le-premier-tour-grigny_32301911.html|title=Municipales 2020. Philippe Rio victorieux dès le premier tour à Grigny|website=actu.fr}}</ref> He also serves as co-president of the Committee on Social Inclusion, Participative Democracy and Human Rights of United Cities and Local Governments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/Philippe-Rio.aspx|title=OHCHR | World's Best Mayor: "Poverty makes the realization of human rights impossible"|website=www.ohchr.org}}</ref>
In 2016, he inaugurated a memorial for the abolition of slavery in Grigny.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.le-republicain.fr/a-la-une/grigny-memorial-se-souvenir-de-lesclavage|title=Grigny : un mémorial pour se souvenir de l'esclavage|first=Marguerite de|last=Becdelièvre|date=May 25, 2016}}</ref>
In 2017, he led the Appeal from Grigny, a declaration signed by over a hundred mayors in France calling for increased investment into banlieue regions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.humanite.fr/philippe-rio-nous-avons-cinq-ans-pour-faire-gagner-la-france-et-ca-passe-par-ses-banlieues-724185|title=Philippe Rio. " Nous avons cinq ans pour faire gagner la France, et ça passe par ses banlieues populaires. "|date=October 14, 2021|website=L'Humanité}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jacobinmag.com/2021/11/grigny-best-mayor-banlieue-suburbs-philippe-rio-french-communist-party|title=The World's Best Mayor Is a French Communist|website=jacobinmag.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publicsenat.fr/article/parlementaire/pauvrete-le-train-de-la-relance-doit-s-arreter-a-la-gare-des-quartiers|title=Pauvreté : " Le train de la relance doit s'arrêter à la gare des quartiers populaires "|date=March 16, 2021|website=Public Senat}}</ref>
During the COVID-19 pandemic in France, he helped set up a number of city programmes, including distributing meals to isolating households, distributing facemasks to residents, and providing schoolkids with laptops to ensure their education could continue during lockdown.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://worldmayor.com/contest-2021/interview-rio-grigny-engl.html|title=World Mayor: Interview with Grigny Mayor Philippe Rio|website=worldmayor.com}}</ref>
In September 2021, he was awarded the World Mayor Prize by the City Mayors Foundation, on account of his "fight against poverty, handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and his fight against inequality."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/philippe-rio-maire-de-grigny-elu-meilleur-maire-du-monde-20210914|title=Philippe Rio, maire de Grigny, élu "meilleur maire du monde"|date=September 14, 2021|website=LEFIGARO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.liberation.fr/politique/le-meilleur-maire-du-monde-est-francais-communiste-et-il-sappelle-philippe-rio-20210915_HXOWMNSJS5EDPABBA4VBB6IXN4/|title=Le meilleur maire du monde est français, communiste et il s'appelle Philippe Rio|first=Marceau|last=Taburet|website=Libération}}</ref>
In November 2021, he called on the French government to intervene in the 2021 Bergams factory strike to prevent Bergams from liquidating the factory.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.semaine-ile-de-france.fr/essonne-a-grigny-le-premier-employeur-prive-risque-de-fermer-90916.html|title=Essonne : A Grigny, le premier employeur privé risque de fermer|date=November 9, 2021|website=La Semaine de l'île de France}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rio, Philippe}} Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:Sciences Po alumni Category:French Communist Party politicians Category:People from Essonne Category:21st-century mayors of places in France Category:Mayors of places in Île-de-France