Remo Mancini

{{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | honorific_suffix = | name = Remo Mancini | image = Remo Mancini QP 1986-04-25 (56m45s).jpg | caption = Mancini in 1986 | office1 = Ontario MPP | term_start1 = 1975 | term_end1 = 1993 | predecessor1 = Donald Paterson | successor1 = Bruce Crozier | constituency1 = Essex South | party = Liberal | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1951|05|26}} | birth_place = Abbateggio, Province of Pescara, Italy | death_date = | occupation = Executive and Professional Corporate Director }} '''Remo Mancini''' (born May 26, 1951) is a former senior corporate executive in both the U.S and Canada, former politician in Ontario, Canada, and corporate director serving on both private company and publicly listed corporate boards.

He was an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario representing the constituency of Essex South from 1975 to 1993. He also served as a cabinet minister in both economic and social portfolios (including Minister of Revenue) in the government of David Peterson.

==Background== Mancini was born in the small, remote mountain village of Abbateggio, Province of Pescara, Italy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilcentro.it/pescara/remo-mancini-accolto-calorosamente-dai-compaesani-1.2257566|title=Remo Mancini accolto calorosamente dai compaesani|first=|last=|website=Il Centro|lang=it|date=11 July 2019}}</ref>

A high school all-Ontario gold medal gymnast, he received athletic scholarships to both U.S and Canadian universities. Injuries ended Mancini's athletic career and formal education.<ref name="slrg">Schumacher Research and Leadership Group: [http://srlg.ca/remomancini.html Remo Mancini] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222115018/http://srlg.ca/remomancini.html |date=2012-02-22 }}</ref>

Mancini is a graduate of the Corporate Governance College at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.<ref name="ft">FT.com: [https://markets.ft.com/tearsheets/businessProfile.asp?s=CA:NIO Niocan Inc]</ref> and received his internationally recognized ICD.D certification. The program is a joint initiative by Rotman and the Institute of Corporate Directors.

==Politics== In 1972, at 21 years of age Mancini was elected to the local municipal council of Anderdon township. In December 1974, Mancini was elected Deputy reeve of Anderdon Township and Essex County councillor at the age of 23.<ref>{{cite news |title=We spy strangers |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=September 22, 1975 |page=6}}</ref>(the youngest person ever elected to the Essex County Council).

Mancini was elected to the provincial legislature as MPP the following year in the Ontario general election of 1975, defeating Progressive Conservative Frank Klees by just over 2,000 votes in Essex South.<ref name="1975 results">{{cite news |title=Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=September 19, 1975 |page=C12}}</ref> He defeated Klees again by a wider margin in the 1977 Ontario election,<ref name="1977 results">{{cite news |title=Ontario provincial election results riding by riding |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=June 10, 1977 |page=D9}}</ref> and easily retained his seat in the elections of 1981,<ref name="1981 Election Results">{{cite news|author=Canadian Press |title=Winds of change, sea of security |newspaper=The Windsor Star |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0NtYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QlIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1444%2C1388326 |date=1981-03-20 |location=Windsor, Ontario |page=22 |accessdate=2014-04-01}}</ref> 1985<ref name="1985 results">{{cite news |title=Results of vote in Ontario election |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=May 3, 1985 |page=13}}</ref> and 1987.<ref name="1987 results">{{cite news |title=Results from individual ridings |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=September 11, 1987 |page=F2}}</ref>

The Liberal Party was able to form a minority government under David Peterson following the 1985 provincial election, after 42 years in opposition. Mancini was named as the Premier's parliamentary assistant from 1985 to 1987. He was promoted to Minister without portfolio responsible for disabled persons on September 29, 1987,<ref name="1987PetCab">{{cite news |title=Wrye gets new cabinet job |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=September 29, 1987 |page=A1}}</ref> and finally to Minister of Revenue on August 2, 1989.<ref name="1989PetCab">{{cite news |title=Veterans bear load as 8 ministers cut in Peterson shuffle |last=Allen |first=Gene |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=August 3, 1989 |page=A1}}</ref>

The Liberal government was defeated by the New Democratic Party in the 1990 Ontario election. Mancini retained his seat and was the only Liberal MPP elected in the entire Windsor, Sarnia, London region.<ref name="1990 results">{{cite news |title=Ontario election: Riding-by-riding voting results |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=September 7, 1990 |page=A12}}</ref>

Remo Mancini was elected the House Leader by the Liberal Caucus in a formal process and served until February 1992.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mancini given new job |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=November 21, 1991 |page=A1}}</ref> While in opposition, Mancini was Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.<ref>{{cite news |title=MPP named tax watchdog |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=April 27, 1992 |page=A11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Grit leadership race a 'love-in' |first=Jim |last=Potter |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=November 18, 1991 |page=A3}}</ref> Mancini retired from the legislature on April 30, 1993.

===Parliamentary positions=== {{S-start}} {{ministry box special parl | post1preceded = Murray Elston | post1 = Opposition House Leader | post1years = 1991–1992 | post1note = | post1followed = Murray Elston }} {{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=David_Peterson}} {{ministry box cabinet posts | post1preceded = Bernard Grandmaître | post1 = Minister of Revenue | post1years = 1989–1990 | post1note = | post1followed = Shelley Wark-Martyn }} {{ministry box special cabinet | post1preceded = New position | post1 = Minister Without Portfolio | post1years = 1987–1989 | post1note = Responsible for Disabled Persons | post1followed = Shirley Collins }} {{S-end}}

==Corporate career== In February 1994, Mancini joined the Canadian Transit Company (as director of corporate affairs), which operates the Canadian portion of the Ambassador Bridge linking Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mancini hired at bridge |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=February 10, 1994 |page=A3}}</ref> Four months later, he was promoted to vice-president.<ref>{{cite news |title=Moore Corp. Ltd. has recruited a computer company executive to ... |first=Oscar |last=Rojo |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=June 27, 1994 |page=E2}}</ref> When Mancini retired in 2004, he was executive vice president of both the Detroit International Bridge Company and the Canadian Transit Company .<ref>{{cite news |title=Mancini resigns bridge post |last=Battagello |first=Dave |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=September 27, 2004 |page=A1}}</ref> The Ambassador Bridge is privately owned, managed, and operated as the world's busiest international commercial border crossing.

In 2006, he was appointed to the board of advisors of Watts Energy, a Michigan-based energy company focused on renewable wind energy.<ref>{{cite news |title=Former bridge executive joins energy company |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=May 17, 2006 |page=A2}}</ref>

In 2007, Mancini was elected chairman of the board of the Windsor-Essex Development Commission (WEDC),<ref>Business Executive: [http://www.busexec.com/oct07/index.php?link=Finance Windsor Essex Development Commission hits the ground running]</ref> a not-for-profit corporation that seeks to "maximize economic diversity, growth and prosperity"<ref name="wedc">Windsor-Essex Development Commission: [http://www.choosewindsoressex.com/about/index.cfm About WEDC]</ref> in Windsor and Essex. In March 2008, Mancini was appointed Acting Interim Executive Officer, making Mancini the WEDC's fifth CEO in five years.<ref>Windsor Star: [https://windsorstar.com/business/fp/Arrested+development/1258923/story.html Arrested Development]</ref> Mancini resigned, along with the entire WEDC Board of Directors in March 2009 due to political interference after publicly stating such interference was contrary to the principles under which the Dev. Com. was established.<ref>Windsor Star: [https://windsorstar.com/Business/Development+commission+board+gone+good/1346031/story.html Development commission board gone for good]</ref>

== References == {{Reflist|2}}

== External links == *{{Ontario MPP biography|id=remo-j-mancini}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mancini, Remo}} Category:1951 births Category:Businesspeople from Ontario Category:Italian emigrants to Canada Category:Living people Category:Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Category:Ontario Liberal Party MPPs Category:People from Essex County, Ontario Category:Rotman School of Management alumni Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario