Domenico Moschella

Domenico Moschella
Commissioner on the Commission scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Île, Ward Eleven
Incumbent
Assumed office 2003
Preceded by	Massimo Pacetti (until 2002)
Commissioner on the Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer, Ward Ten
In office 1994–1998
Preceded by	redistribution[1]
Succeeded by	Diana Moschella
Commissioner on the Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer, Ward Fourteen
In office 1990–1994
Preceded by	redistribution
Succeeded by	redistribution[2]
Commissioner on the Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer, Ward Eleven
In office 1987–1990
Preceded by	Vittorio Galerio
Succeeded by	redistribution[3]
Saint-Leonard City Councillor, Ward Four
In office 1998–2001
Preceded by	redistribution[4]
Succeeded by	position eliminated
Saint-Leonard City Councillor, Ward Ten
In office 1990–1998
Preceded by	Maurice Benoît
Succeeded by	redistribution[5]
Saint-Leonard City Councillor, Ward Three
In office 1982–1986
Preceded by	Robert Benoît
Succeeded by	Frank Zampino

Domenico Moschella, also known as Dominic Moschella, is an entrepreneur and politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was a city councillor in the suburban community of Saint-Leonard from 1982 to 1986 and again from 1990 to 2001 and has been a school commissioner with the Commission scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Île since 2003.

Private career

Moschella was vice-president of an investment counselling firm in 1986.^[6] He later worked as a restauranteur.^[7]

Municipal councillor

1982–86

Moschella was elected to the Saint-Leonard council for the city's third ward in the 1982 municipal election as a member of mayor Antonio di Ciocco's Équipe du renouveau de la cité de Saint-Léonard. Di Ciocco died in 1984 and the Équipe du renouveau subsequently split into two groups: Moschella led a party called Action civique de Saint-Léonard and Raymond Renaud led the rival Ralliement de Saint-Léonard.^[8] A mayoral by-election was held to succeed Di Ciocco in September 1984, and Renaud defeated Moschella in an extremely divisive contest.

Renaud later stated that Moschella had run a "malicious" campaign against him, and in December 1984 he launched a $41,000 suit for alleged defamatory remarks. Moschella threatened to counter-sue, saying that the new mayor would "wind up paying [his] legal fees and then some" if he moved forward with his case. He also said that Renaud's lawsuit was harmful to the democratic process, as politicians might become reluctant to speak openly if they were concerned about provoking legal action.^[9] Newspaper accounts do not indicate how the matter was resolved.

Moschella was the only Saint-Leonard councillor to sit with Action civique after the 1984 by-election. He later called for a merger of the city's three opposition parties, and in late 1986 he dissolved Action civique to become a founding member of a new party called Unité de Saint-Léonard.^[10] He ran for re-election under this party's banner in the 1986 municipal election for the city's twelfth ward and narrowly lost to Robert Zambito, a candidate of the mayor's slate.^[11]

In early 1986, Moschella argued that Saint-Leonard should reduce its business tax rate so as to benefit shopkeepers.^[12] The following year, he took part in a significant local protest against property tax increases.^[13]

1990–2001

Renaud's political party lost much of its authority in 1988, when councillor Frank Zampino launched a breakaway group (later consolidated as the Parti municipal) that formed a majority on city council. Moschella appears to have effected a political reconciliation with Renaud after this time, as he was elected as a Ralliement de Saint-Léonard candidate in the 1990 municipal election. Zampino defeated Renaud for the mayoralty and the Parti municipal won a majority on council in this campaign; Moschella was one of only two opposition councillors to be elected.

In March 1994, Moschella joined with the only other remaining opposition councillor and crossed the floor to join Zampino party's. This effectively ended partisan politics in Saint-Leonard; from 1994 until the city's amalgamation into Montreal, there was no organized opposition to Zampino's administration. According to Moschella, city council had already become a collegial, non-partisan environment by this time; when he joined Zampino's party, he was quoted as saying, "They [Parti municipal members] treated us as part of the team. We were always aware of everything that was going on."^[14]

Moschella was re-elected without opposition in 1994 and again in 1998.^[15]

Montreal city politics

Moschella intended to run for a seat on the Montreal city council in the 2001 municipal election as a member of mayor Pierre Bourque's Vision Montreal party, but he withdrew before election day.^[16] He ran for a seat on the Saint-Leonard borough council in 2005 and 2009 and was defeated both times. On the latter occasion, he was a candidate of the newly formed Action civique Montréal.

School commissioner

Moschella was elected to the Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer in 1987 and was re-elected in 1990 and 1994. In 1988, he promoted a plan to increase French and English immersion courses for the younger grades.^[17] He did not seek re-election in 1998 when the Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer was replaced by the Commission scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Île, but he was returned to the new board without opposition in 2003 and 2007.^[18][19]

Electoral record

Council and mayoral elections

School commission elections

External links

• Commissaire/Vice-président de la Commission administrative: Domenico Moschella (in French)

References

1. ^ Ted Donnini represented Ward Ten before redistribution in 1994.
2. ^ The commission had only thirteen members before 1990 and reverted to having only thirteen members after 1994.
3. ^ Vincenzo Arciresi represented the commission's eleventh ward after 1990.
4. ^ Reports from the Montreal Gazette indicate that the Saint-Leonard city council was reduced from twelve to ten members in 1998. Italo Barone, formerly the representative for Ward Four, was elected for Ward Three after redistribution. See Mike King, "Zampino, 8 councillors acclaimed in St. Leonard," Montreal Gazette, 18 October 1994, A6; Irwin Block, "Second acclamation in a row for Zampino Series: Civic Elections '98," Montreal Gazette, 15 October 1998, A6.
5. ^ Reports from the Montreal Gazette indicate that the Saint-Leonard city council was reduced from twelve to ten members in 1998. Robert Zambito, formerly the representative for Ward Twelve, was elected for Ward Ten after redistribution. See Mike King, "Zampino, 8 councillors acclaimed in St. Leonard," Montreal Gazette, 18 October 1994, A6; Irwin Block, "Second acclamation in a row for Zampino Series: Civic Elections '98," Montreal Gazette, 15 October 1998, A6.
6. ^ Debbie Parkes, "St. Leonard party unites defectors and former rivals," Montreal Gazette, 9 October 1986, X8.
7. ^ Irwin Block, "Second acclamation in a row for Zampino," Montreal Gazette, 15 October 1998, A6.
8. ^ Debbie Parkes, "St. Leonard party unites defectors and former rivals," Montreal Gazette, 9 October 1986, X8.
9. ^ Barry Kliff, "Ultimatum to Renaud latest salvo in suburb war of words," Montreal Gazette, 2 January 1985, X1; Barry Kliff, "Renaud going ahead with suits against political foes; Cases might not be heard during mayor's current term," Montreal Gazette, 16 January 1985, X1.
10. ^ Debbie Parkes, "New party enters St. Leonard race," Montreal Gazette, 25 September 1986, X14; Debbie Parkes, "St. Leonard party unites defectors and former rivals," Montreal Gazette, 9 October 1986, X8.
11. ^ Debbie Parkes, "St. Leonard gears for recounts as mayor's party scores near-sweep," Montreal Gazette, 6 November 1986, H1.
12. ^ Nancy Wood, "Merchants angry over St. Leonard business tax rise," Montreal Gazette, 13 February 1986, X5.
13. ^ Debbie Parkes, "Tax protest cancels St. Leonard council meeting," Montreal Gazette, 25 February 1987, A3.
14. ^ Mike King, "St. Leonard opposition joins ruling party," Montreal Gazette, 14 March 1994, A3.
15. ^ Mike King, "Zampino, 8 councillors acclaimed in St. Leonard," Montreal Gazette, 18 October 1994, A6.
16. ^ Darren Becker, "Bourque candidate quits over voting scam," Montreal Gazette, 22 September 2001, A7.
17. ^ Debbie Parkes, "Municipal alliances show in school vote," Montreal Gazette, 26 November 1987, G7; Sue Montgomery, "Enrolment boost sought through immersion plan," Montreal Gazette, 3 March 1988, B6.
18. ^ "School board races won by acclamation," Montreal Gazette, 23 October 2003, A6; Audrey Gagnon, "CSPÎ: Élection scolaire sans surprise à Saint-Léonard, Montréal-Nord et Rivière-des-Prairies", Montreal Express, 5 November 2007, accessed 10 August 2011.
19. ^ Élections scolaires 2007: Liste des candidates et candidats élus, Éducation, Loisir et Sport Québec, accessed 10 August 2011.

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Name	Moschella, Domenico
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