Gilberto Kassab

Infobox Politician
name = Gilberto Kassab


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office = Mayor of São Paulo
term_start = March 31st, 2006
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predecessor = José Serra
successor = Incumbent
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birth_date = Birth date and age|1960|8|12|mf=y
birth_place = São Paulo
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party = Democratas
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Gilberto Kassab (born August 12, 1960 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian politician, current mayor of São Paulo. His term ends in 2008. A civil engineer and economist, of Lebanese and Italian descent, Kassab took over from José Serra, after Serra decided to run for governor of São Paulo. He is from the Democrats (DEM).

;Political career
*1993-1994: São Paulo City councilman
*1995-1998: São Paulo State deputy
*1998-2004: Congressman (resigned to run as vice-mayor of São Paulo alongside José Serra)
*2006 – ~ : São Paulo Mayor

Projects

With an administration centered on health, education and the control of pollution, Mr. Kassab has been heavily criticized by the advertising industry for his Cidade Limpa law, which prohibits all forms of external media and visual pollution such as billboards. The law, however, is supported by the great majority of the São Paulo population. Ad companies tried to keep the billboards in the streets with blocking injunctions, though the supreme court determined the law to be constitutional.In the education area, Mr. Kassab is focusing on building and remodeling damaged schools. Since the mid-90s the city had many temporary schools made of adapted shipping containers, built when Kassab was the planning secretary, which were only replaced in 2007. Most of the schools were replaced during the former Serra administration and now Kassab claims to have ended the problem he started himself. Kassab is also heavily criticized for his poor investiments in social aspects, with "cleansing" of the city, sending homeless people to the perifery. Another point that is very controversial is the action of the mayor in transportation, having stopped the efforts to improve bus corridors and the use of bycicles in the city. In the health area the focus is to end the poor quality of public service and long waiting lines by building basic health units to triage the non-emergency cases (that are treated in small public clinics) from emergency treatment (that are treated in hospitals), increasing the number of people receiving treatment while reducing lines.

External links

* [http://www.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/portal/governo/equipe_de_governo/index.php?p=11998 Official page (Portuguese)]
* [http://www.citymayors.com/mayors/saopaulo_mayor.html CityMayors profile (some incorrect informations)]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5355692.stm BBC News article about Cidade Limpa]
* [http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/cp15042007.htm Folha de S. Paulo first page with a before-after picture (Portuguese)]

Persondata
NAME=Kassab, Gilberto
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Mayor of São Paulo
DATE OF BIRTH=August 12, 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH=São Paulo
DATE OF DEATH=living
PLACE OF DEATH=